The Mediation Center of Eastern Carolina was incorporated in 1989 by a group of concerned community members (representing the District Attorney’s office, District Court Judges, East Carolina University and Legal Services) who were seeking to develop mediation services in Pitt County.  In the spring of 1989 with a grant from the Perkins Foundation, they opened The Mediation Center of Pitt County in Greenville.  During the first year of operation the Center developed a mediation referral program with the district court system, trained 21 community volunteer mediators, provided mediation training for employees of Empire Brushes and developed a peer mediation program at Falkland Elementary School.  Over the next two years the Center expanded the peer mediation program in 10 schools in Pitt County, hosted the Southeastern Mediation Conference and continued mediation services for the courts and community.

In 1993 responding to requests for services in surrounding counties, the Board of Directors decided to create a regional center – The Mediation Center of Eastern Carolina.  Nash and Edgecombe Counties were incorporated into the organization and in addition to developing court/community mediation services, the Center developed the peer mediation program in 20 schools in the Nash-Rocky Mount school system. The Center also collaborated with the Mediation Network of North Carolina to write a teacher manual for developing and implementing Peer Mediation Programs in the schools and offered Train the Trainers Workshops for teachers across the state.

Since then MCEC has provided training to numerous counties in eastern North Carolina and maintains an ongoing contract with Pitt County Schools to provide Peer Mediation training, and classes in anger management and Bully Prevention. In 1994 at the request of the Juvenile Services Program in Nash and Edgecombe counties, the Center created the RESOLVE program (now known as RESOLVE It Together) to help “at risk” youth and their families learn  how to appropriately deal with conflict.  The program served 40 families that year and has  gone on to serve hundreds of 120 families in several counties. The RESOLVE curriculum was published in 1998 and the program has been replicated throughout North Carolina.

Truancy Mediation was developed for the Nash-Rocky Mount schools in 1995 and expanded to Pitt County in 1996.  The program serves an average of 70 youth and their families each year.  The Teen Court program was developed in Pitt County in 1997 and now operates in 7 counties (out of 5 offices).  Hundreds of youth offenders are served through Teen Court each year.

The Craven County office was opened in 1995 and court referred mediations were taken for two years.  In 1997 the RESOLVE program started in Craven County and in 2001 the Teen Court Program began services.  RESOLVE services were started in Wilson County in 1995 and in 2000 an office was opened to provide mediation services.  A Teen Court program began in 2003.

MCEC expanded into Duplin County in 2011. This expansion then allowed programs and services to expand into Wayne and Johnston counties as well.

Currently (2021), MCEC provides services/programs to 13 counties through our 6 offices.