Ron received his Master Degree in Social Work from Indiana University in 1970 and has been practicing in Syracuse, New York as a Clinical Social Worker with a specialty in Marriage and Family Therapy.  In 1983, he was trained in Divorce and Family Mediation by one of the two “fathers” of modern divorce mediation, John Haynes.  He then opened the Mediation Network of Syracuse as the first professional mediation practice in Syracuse. 

Mr. Heilmann was a founding accredited member of the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation and became a Board of Directors member from 1986 to 1992 and President from 1992 to 1994.  After taking a few years off he has resumed a board position.  In addition Ron has been a practitioner member of the Association For Conflict Resolution, a national organization of professional mediators.

An interest in minimizing the detrimental effects of parental separation on children led Ron to found with his colleagues the Children 1^st Parent Education Program.  He has acted as the Coordinator for this program since it’s inception in June of 1995.  He currently also serves on the New York State Parent Education Advisory Board convened initially by Honorable Jonathan Lippman, then Chief Administrative Judge of New York State and ordered by the Honorable Judith S. Kaye, then Chief Judge of New York State.