Meet the APEX Team

Brenda D. Pryor

Chief Executive Officer and Founder

Brenda D Pryor is an experienced attorney specializing in conflict resolution, primarily in the field of labor and employment law. She is the founder and CEO of her own independent ADR practice, APEX Dispute Resolution, LLC, that specializes in conflict management solutions in the modern workplace. Previously as a Commissioner with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), her responsibilities included mediating between employers and unions in the collective bargaining negotiations and grievance settings, delivering training regarding labor-management relations, facilitating alternative dispute resolution of workplace disputes, and training on other work-related topics.

Prior to her time at FMCS, she served as in-house counsel for a state university, handling a myriad of legal matters inclusive of labor and employment law, immigration law, and she also held the post of FOIA Officer for the School of Medicine. She also spent a decade employed at a higher education teachers union where she successfully negotiated labor contracts, handled disciplinary complaints made against union members, mediated between members during intra-campus disputes, and determined what rights union members could claim under Title VII, the ADEA, the ADA, and other state and federal statutes.

In addition to her legal skills, she has acquired extensive experience in conducting training on a variety of topics including but not limited to: developing interpersonal conflict resolution skills and emotional intelligence, best practices and collaborative problem solving within labor-management committees, conflict de-escalation techniques, and inclusive leadership. She is a presenter, both locally and nationally, on labor law issues, the ethical use of AI in mediation, and mediation skills (both traditional and restorative).

Stephanie Collier

Chief Strategy Officer and Founder

Stephanie was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She moved to Austin in 2009 with her 2 children to pursue a career in advocacy work. She is a 4th generation Texan, whose family was brought to what was then Mexico in current day Gonzales County.

She is a distinguished professional in the field of labor and employee relations, with extensive experience facilitating productive dialogue between labor unions and employers. In her current role as a federal mediator she serves parties across the private, public, and federal sectors, providing expert guidance in contract negotiations, grievance mediation, and the resolution of complex workplace disputes.

In addition to her mediation work, Ms. Collier is co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at APEX Dispute Resolution Texas LLC., a boutique consultant firm that delivers specialized training to labor and management representatives in areas such as collective bargaining, contract administration, grievance processing, steward-supervisor dynamics, labor-management committee structure and function, as well as communication and decision-making strategies, coaching, and leadership alignment, grievance and EEO complaints. Her training sessions have been featured at leading industry events, including the Texas Labor Management Conference, the National Labor Management Conference, and programs hosted by the Labor and Employment Relations Association.

She has been active in her community for many years. She has worked with the NAACP, National Council of Negro Women Ruth Jones McClendon Section as 1st Vice President and as the Texas State Coalition Social Justice Committee Co-Chair to advocate for and raise awareness of policy issues that impact children and communities of color.

Throughout her career, Stephanie has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to community service. Her volunteer efforts have included organizing workplace charity drives, mentoring youth and early-career professionals, and serving in leadership roles with organizations dedicated to education, civil rights, governmental policy and workforce development. Her service reflects a core belief that strong communities and strong workplaces go hand in hand.

She holds a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Across every role, Ms. Collier has built a reputation for bridging divides, solving problems, and fostering respectful, solution-oriented relationships between individuals and organizations at every level.