NEWBURYPORT — It's probably safe to say it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Nancy Peace returned home to Newburyport a few weeks ago after spending more than two weeks working in Washington, D.C., as part of the transition team for President-elect Barack Obama. It was, she said, an exciting time.

Peace, 63, worked alongside MIT Professor Thomas A. Kochan, doing an assessment of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a federal agency that oversees arbitration and mediation of labor disputes and contract negotiations.

"It went well," Peace said Monday. "I felt very honored to be asked."

Peace said she was nominated to join the team by Kochan, with whom she has worked and taught classes. She was approved by the transition team for her background and skill set.

According to her biography on the transition team's Web site, Peace is an arbitrator, mediator and trainer and the past president of the Association for Conflict Resolution and its predecessor organization, the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution.

She now serves on the board of the Labor and Employment Research Association and is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and an associate member of the Boston Bar Association.

She also worked as a mediator/arbitrator with the Massachusetts Board of Conciliation and Arbitration from 1983 to 1993. Earlier this year, Gov. Deval Patrick appointed her to the Massachusetts Division of Labor Relations Advisory Council.

Obama's transition team is responsible for assessing every department and agency within the federal government as a means to ease a smooth transition with Obama and his team when he takes office at the end of January.

As part of a two-member team with Kochan, who was the team leader, Peace spent her days gathering data and compiling reports. She served as the deputy team leader.

Serving in the strictly volunteer position, Peace was responsible for setting up her own housing for the time in Washington. Luckily, a former member of the YWCA in Newburyport — the organization for which she is the president of the board of directors — had just moved there and offered to let her stay at her house.

"I basically worked a normal work day," Peace said, adding that her schedule was about 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For someone who is self-employed, the time schedule and daily obligation of filing a report was a different experience.

At the end of their review, they compiled and submitted a more in-depth report.

The report focused on an overview of the agency, staffing and resources, and what issues might arise for the new director Obama will likely appoint. The agency's director is a political appointment.

The new director will be given the report compiled by Peace and Kochan to help him or her in the new role.

"I experienced great cooperation in terms of people in the agency being forthcoming," Peace said.

Peace did visit the transition team headquarters and attended one meeting with transition team staffers, but didn't meet Obama, who was in Chicago.

"It was exciting to be around people who are so enthusiastic, hopeful and extremely well-organized," she said.