About Us
Advisors and VolunteersRJI Advisors
Susan Abraham, New York Law School (ad hoc advisor)
David Condliffe, Center for Community Alternatives (Programming)
Dana Schneider, ioby (Fundraising)
Ashley Ellis, B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Circles (ad hoc advisor)
David Fletcher, Lehman College (Programming)
Erika Sasson, Center for Court Innovation (ad hoc advisor)
Weishin K. Huang, ioby (ad hoc advisor)
Brenda McKinney, New York City Council (Programming)
Sethu Nair, Center for Creative Conflict Resolution (ad hoc advisor)
Shari Silberstein, Equal Justice USA (ad hoc advisor)
Maria R. Volpe, CUNY Dispute Resolution Center (ad hoc advisor)
Aliya Latif, PeaceBuild 360 (ad hoc advisor)
ImRJI Volunteers
Jessica Laus is development professional and graduate of the London School of Economics with over ten years of volunteer experience in the fields of historical preservation, education, and social justice. She was first introduced to restorative practices at a small Quaker school in Detroit, and she is most interested in how RJ can work to build communities and mitigate involvement with the criminal justice system, particularly for women and youth. She lives in Newark, NJ.
Anabel de Castro is a professional pianist-organist from Baltimore, MD and a graduate student at the Silberman School of Social Work. Her interest in the theory of restorative justice and desire to be a part of the movement led her to volunteer for RJI in 2016. With the assistance of RJI, she completed an introductory Peacemaking Circle Training with Kay Pranis.
Jennie Eber has been volunteering with RJI since early 2017. She assists with prospect research and grant writing. Jennie is deeply committed to social justice and working to make the world a better place, one step at a time. She has a Master’s in Public Administration and currently lives in Philadelphia, PA.
Kate Styer is a design thinker and cross-sector professional, with a background in fundraising and communications in the nonprofit and higher-education sectors. Growing up in a Mennonite family, restorative justice was embedded in her worldview from an early age. She recently completed her MFA in Interaction Design at the School of Visual Arts, where her thesis work focused on redesigning digital conversational spaces through the lens of restorative justice.
Header Photo by Maurice Pinzon
What people are saying about Restorative Justice Initiative
As both a practitioner and researcher, I am especially grateful for RJI's emails about events and research that are important and timely.
Additionally, RJI helps practitioners connect with others doing this very challenging work nationwide and globally. RJI serves as a professional learning community for those involved in the restorative justice movement.
Finally, practitioners can access information on how to maintain their own wellness as they carry out this very important work."
— Virginia Diaz
“The Restorative Justice Initiative (RJI) is a critical source of information and resources. Along with providing accessible and useful material for program development, RJI keeps us abreast of training opportunities and introduces us to other organizations in the restorative justice space. Connecting with RJI has been key to our progress creating an organization wide commitment to restorative principles and practice.”
—Stephen Tosh, Boys’ Club of New York Executive Director/CEO
“I didn’t think I could make friends with people who were from different places than me.”“We were quiet before you all got here. You brought the voice out of us.”“We all get to be weird here, together, and accept one another’s weird”
“What Restorative Justice Initiative is doing to bring together people working in restorative justice in different arenas is truly amazing. People are learning from each other, updating ideas, and finding ways to make restorative justice work in complex real life situations in New York.
— Tracey
“In my role as a law professor, I teach students about ways to resolve conflict and achieve justice that are healing rather than adversarial and punitive, exposing them to compassionate alternatives to traditional legal practice. Students are excited to learn about the healing potential of restorative practices and the empirical evidence demonstrating that such practices reduce recidivism among those who may have engaged in transgressions against their communities. The Restorative Justice Initiative is an indispensable resource enabling me to share with my students placement opportunities, trainings, and conferences, that may offer them pathways to using their legal talents to engage in this vital work. There is nothing else like it in New York.
— Marjorie
“Expanding non-adversarial ways to resolve wrong-doing that includes perpetrator, victim, and community—is essential if our country is to move in the direction of peace. RJI does a wonderful job of pulling together many New York City area organizations that are working toward this goal.
— Julia
“The Restorative Justice Initiative is essential in helping New York City build and grow a network of stakeholders from the government, nonprofit and private sectors interested in advancing restorative principles, practices and policies in our criminal , education and social service systems.
— Julie