Restorative Works

What can restorative practices contribute to police accountability and community relations? On this episode of Restorative Works!, host Dr. Claire de Mézerville López speaks with Dr. Lana Asunción-Bates and Tashawn Smith from the City of Baltimore's Office of Equity and Civil Rights. Tashawn and Lana discuss Baltimore's approach to police accountability, including civilian oversight, community complaints, administrative investigations, transparency, and advocacy. They explore how restorative practices could complement existing accountability systems by creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue between community members and law enforcement.

The conversation examines how restorative practices approaches can move beyond simply processing complaints to address harm. Tashawn describes how restorative practices could help identify lessons and policy changes that emerge from conversations between community members and officers. Dr. Bates shares Baltimore's efforts to build a cross-sector group of restorative justice facilitators through a training-of-trainers initiative involving city officials, police department representatives, community organizers, small business owners, and mental health organizations. She also discusses the importance of understanding community as a shared responsibility and creating spaces where people can listen, participate, and reconnect after harm.

Tashawn is a Baltimore native and a proud graduate of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, where she earned a degree in business administration. She later earned a master's degree in sport management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and her Juris Doctor from the George Washington University Law School. Her career in police accountability began with the Baltimore Police Department in 2018, where she conducted internal performance audits related to the federal consent decree. In 2023, she transitioned to the Office of Equity and Civil Rights' Police Accountability Division. She now serves as the deputy chief of the division, continuing the work to advance police accountability, transparency, and advocacy.

Dr. Lana Asunción-Bates has over 20 years dedicated to a career advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice across diverse sectors, including education, for-profit, non-profit, community, and government. She has exceptional expertise in designing and facilitating comprehensive and transformative training programs, crafting and analyzing policies using equitable frameworks, collecting and analyzing data, and collaborating with diverse stakeholder groups to drive systemic organizational change using data and best practices. She is known for cultivating strong partnerships, both internally and externally, and leveraging a broad network to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. She serves as an Equity Trainer in Baltimore's Office of Equity and Civil Rights.

Tune in to discover how structured, human-centered conversations can support accountability while creating opportunities for people to be heard, repair relationships, and remain connected to their communities.

What happens when Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and restorative practices come together in the classroom? On this episode of Restorative Works!, host Dr. Claire de Mézerville López speaks with Brianne Parker, Dr. Katie Novak, and Jina Poirier, co-authors of UDL Now! Universal Design for Learning in English Language Arts, about creating inclusive learning environments that support belonging, student agency, and meaningful participation.

The conversation explores how the authors developed their approach by bringing together UDL, restorative practices, social-emotional learning, and character education rather than treating them as separate initiatives. Drawing from their experiences in alternative education, the guests share how relationships and inclusive instructional design can help students access rigorous academic content while feeling supported and connected.

Our guests explore the challenge of balancing academic demands with the time needed to build relationships and create a supportive classroom community. Dr. Novak emphasizes shifting the focus from simply covering content to ensuring that students retain the information, while Brianne shares examples of how understanding students' experiences can create the conditions they need to engage in learning.

Founder and CEO of Novak Educational Consulting, Dr. Katie Novak is an accomplished educator with 25 years of experience in education and a bestselling author of seventeen books with more than 350,000 copies sold worldwide, including UDL Now! Universal Design for Learning in English Language Arts. She is an adjunct instructor at the University of Pennsylvania and an internationally sought-after keynote speaker. Dr. Novak is widely recognized as a leading authority on inclusive practice, UDL, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, influencing policy and practice in schools and districts around the world.

Brianne Parker, M.Ed., is an experienced English educator with more than 25 years of experience serving secondary, adult, alternative, and online learners. Her expertise includes English Language Development (ELD), curriculum design, online and hybrid instruction, educational technology, and UDL. Currently with the Orange County Department of Education, she provides standards-based instruction and individualized academic support to diverse student populations. She is a co-author of UDL Now! Universal Design for Learning in English Language Arts, and a national presenter on UDL, literacy, culturally responsive teaching, restorative practices, and equitable educational practices.

Jina Poirier, M.Ed., is a community school coordinator for ACCESS (Alternative, Community, Correctional Education Schools and Services) at the Orange County Department of Education. With 25 years in education, including 15 in alternative, traditional, and nonprofit classrooms, she champions inclusive learning. Jina holds a bachelor's in human services, a master's in education, and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Her literacy expertise supports older students through targeted, age-respectful instruction. Grounded in UDL and restorative practices, she has designed curriculum, taught graduate students at Sacramento State University, trained school teams, and co-authored UDL Now! Universal Design for Learning in English Language Arts.

Tune in to discover practical ideas for utilizing restorative practices in education, including seeing and acknowledging students, celebrating growth rather than achievement alone, creating predictable routines, supporting multiple forms of participation, and asking students for feedback.

What does community-led restorative justice look like when young people are at the center of the process? On this episode of Restorative Works!, host Dr. Claire de Mézerville López speaks with Queen-Cheyenne Wade, program director of Healing Futures, Philadelphia's first pre-charge, pre-trial youth restorative justice diversion program, housed at the Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project (YASP).

Queen shares how their restorative justice journey began through community, youth organizing, and teachers who emphasized the importance of lineage and relationships in restorative justice. They explain how Healing Futures creates an alternative to court-driven responses by giving young people time to understand the root causes of harm, receive support, engage with the person harmed, and develop a plan for the future.

The conversation explores why restorative justice sometimes requires slowing down rather than rushing toward resolution. Queen describes the months-long process, which includes individual preparation, restorative circles, community agreements, and opportunities for young people to repair harm through meaningful action. Examples include creating murals, supporting elders, connecting with community organizations, and participating in educational or career opportunities.

As program director, Queen leads restorative justice processes that expunge youth charges, support community-driven solutions to harm, and provide hope to BIPOC teens and families with justice-system contact or exposure to community violence. Queen has organized restorative and transformative justice strategies for survivors of community and family violence for the past eight years and is honored to step into the amazing work of community-led restorative justice in Philadelphia. When Queen isn't handling the duties of a program director, they enjoy making art through collaging, taking hikes, and baking for their friends and family.

Tune in to discover practical ways to begin building community-led restorative justice, including proactive conversations, creating shared community agreements, holding circles within your own community, and using pod mapping to understand and strengthen networks of support.

What does it take to build unity in a deeply divided society? On this episode of Restorative Works!, host Dr. Claire de Mézerville López meets with entrepreneur, investor, and movement builder Adam Mizel about creating meaningful connections across political, social, and cultural divides.

After a 30-year business career, Adam turned his attention to what he describes as one of America's most complex challenges: growing division. Through his work with US United and its network of nearly 100 sheriffs, Adam focuses on practical ways people can strengthen relationships, cultivate hope, and create a culture of unity.

Sharing lessons from a cross-country road trip where he spoke with thousands of Americans about division, community, and what brings people together, he emphasizes that unity starts with the individual. Asking questions, listening deeply, practicing empathy, and approaching others with respect can create the foundation for stronger relationships, even when people disagree.

Adam Mizel is the co-founder of US United, a not-for-profit media collective building unity through storytelling, service, and human connection. Adam and Sheriff Chris Swanson of Flint, Michigan, have grown US United into a movement for unity that is proving that Americans aren't as divided as politicians and media want us to believe. Today, US United has built a network of close to 100 sheriffs committed to bringing unity into their communities and just completed a summer cross-country road trip documenting real stories of unity happening at the grassroots level. The organization works to prove that Americans share common values and can bridge divides through community engagement.

Tune in for an accessible look at how restorative practices, respectful dialogue, storytelling, and human connection can help people move beyond polarization and participate more meaningfully in building stronger communities.

What happens when music becomes a space for healing and connection? On this episode of Restorative Works!, host Dr. Claire de Mézerville López is joined by singer-songwriter and registered psychotherapist Cindy Doire, founder of Chorus of Courage and Dare to Defy Records, about the transformative potential of creativity and relationships in responding to harm.

Cindy shares the story behind Chorus of Courage, an initiative that brings together survivors, artists, therapists, and allies to transform lived experiences into original songs. What began as an effort to create a safe and confidential space for stories that often remain isolated within the justice system has evolved into a collaborative community centered on listening, expression, empathy, and connection.

Cindy explores how restorative practices, psychotherapy, and artistic expression can create opportunities for people to reconnect with their agency and find meaning in experiences that cannot simply be "fixed." She reflects on the importance of holding complexity rather than searching for simple solutions, and on how music can make difficult conversations more accessible while reminding people that they are not alone.

Cindy Doire is a bilingual singer-songwriter. She bridges psychotherapy, restorative practices, and music to create spaces where people can reconnect with themselves, one another, and their communities through her work as the founder of both Chorus of Courage and Dare to Defy Records, a social impact record label dedicated to challenging the status quo and amplifying voices that are too often unheard. Whether facilitating therapy, leading community groups, or developing creative programming, Cindy is guided by the belief that healing begins with authentic relationships, deep listening, and shared humanity. She is passionate about using creativity as a catalyst for restoration, resilience, and social change, helping individuals and communities move beyond survival toward connection, hope, and meaningful repair.

Tune in for a reminder that restorative practices work does not always begin with solving a problem; sometimes, it begins by creating space to be heard, staying curious through discomfort, acknowledging our blind spots, and showing ourselves and others compassion.

What happens when schools move beyond punishment and create meaningful opportunities for accountability, repair, and belonging? On this episode of Restorative Works!, host Dr. Claire de Mézerville López speaks with Erin Chávez, the restorative practices coordinator at Garfield STEM Magnet and Community School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, about building a safer, more connected school community through restorative practices.

Erin shares how Garfield STEM has integrated restorative practices across classrooms, families, and student support systems. She also highlights the Circle Keepers, a student leadership group that puts young people at the center of restorative implementation. What began with 12 students has grown to 25–40 students each year who facilitate circles, support school events, teach future educators, and share restorative practices with university and community partners. Through this work, students develop leadership, communication, and conflict-resolution skills while helping shape their school culture.

The conversation also explores a common question: Are restorative practices too "soft" to create safe schools? Erin explains how restorative practices can strengthen accountability and safety rather than diminish them. She discusses alternative-to-suspension supports, repair plans, mediation, reentry meetings, and the importance of helping students return to the community after harmful behavior. Erin also shares compelling data from Garfield STEM: over five years, the percentage of staff who reported feeling safe increased from 43% to 83%, while student perceptions of safety rose from 34% to 89%.

Erin is a 20-year educator, having worked as a teacher, school administrator, and currently a restorative practices coordinator. She also sponsors the school's Circle Keepers student group, putting students at the forefront of restorative practices. Her students have partnered with the University of New Mexico's DEI Department and the College of Education and Human Sciences to highlight the role of restorative practices in building safe, connected, and thriving school communities. Erin has experience training all levels of educators, from early childhood educators to university faculty. She is also the owner of The Restoring and Rising Collaborative, providing restorative practices implementation support to youth-serving institutions. She earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education and master's degree in educational thought and sociocultural studies from the University of New Mexico.

Tune in for a practical look at restorative practices in schools, student leadership, school safety, accountability, reintegration, and sustainable implementation.

What does it take to build a workplace culture where people feel safe, valued, heard, and able to do their best work? In this collaborative episode of Restorative Works! and The Behaviorist, Dr. Claire de Mézerville López is joined by IIRP Instructor and Implementation Coach Jennifer Hiestand and Founding Partner at Work Wisdom, LLC, Sarah Colantonio, for a roundtable conversation about trust as one of the most essential elements of healthy relationships.

Drawing on restorative practices and positive organizational behavior, the conversation explores why trust serves as a foundation for strong workplaces, teams, communities, and relationships. Sarah describes trust as a "comfortable relationship with the unknown," while Jen connects the concept directly to restorative practices' focus on building, sustaining, and repairing relationships. Together, they explore how trust can be cultivated intentionally rather than treated as something abstract or automatic.

The conversation introduces three key drivers of trust: authenticity, logic and reasoning, and empathy. The guests discuss how each contributes to people's willingness to trust one another, and how recognizing where trust breaks down can help leaders and teams address challenges more constructively.

Sarah Colantonio has served as a professor of communication at both Millersville University of Pennsylvania and Penn State University since 2003. Sarah has studied mindfulness since 2004 and participated in training and certifications with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. She is also certified in Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Influence Style Indicator (ISI) through Multi-Health Systems, completed training in Equity-Informed Mediation (EIM) through Resolutions Northwest in July 2020, and holds a Master of Science in Communication and a bachelor's degree in psychology. Sarah co-hosts The Behaviorist podcast with Work Wisdom Founder Kedren Crosby, where they share helpful, concrete practices for elevating leaders, teams, and companies to become the best versions of themselves.

Tune in for a thoughtful conversation about workplace trust, restorative practices, positive organizational culture, relational leadership, and the everyday actions that help people build stronger communities.

What if reading could do more than build literacy skills? What if books could help us regulate stress, strengthen empathy, foster connection, and support our overall well-being? In this episode of Restorative Works!, host Dr. Claire de Mézerville López speaks with literacy and teacher educator Stephanie Affinito about the connection between literacy, wellness, relationships, and restorative practices

Stephanie invites us to explore what happens when educators expand their understanding of literacy beyond academic skills. She discusses how books and stories can help children and adults explore identity, develop empathy, and see experiences through different perspectives. When educators make reading social and invite students to share their reading lives, books can become a pathway to stronger relationships and a greater sense of community.

The conversation also considers how this approach can support teacher wellness, particularly at a time when educators face significant stress and burnout. Rather than treating reading as another obligation, they discuss the importance of rediscovering reading as a source of pleasure, wellness, inspiration, and connection.

Stephanie is a book-loving, notebook-hoarding literacy educator on a mission to change lives one book and one notebook at a time. She podcasts weekly on books and reading, writing, notebooks, and everything in between on Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness. She also chats with a new children's literature author every week on her KidLit Love podcast.

Tune in to discover how reading can become part of a restorative practices culture in schools and communities, not just something we teach, but something we live.

From personal and communal grief to creating a workplace that works for everybody. In this episode of Restorative Works!, host Claire de Mezerville López welcomes Assistant Commissioner for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, Dr. Iyana Titus, to explore how restorative practices can transform workplace culture and strengthen communities in the largest municipal park system in the nation.

Dr. Titus shares the deeply personal story that led her to restorative practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. While grieving the loss of her father and supporting employees through unprecedented challenges, she experienced her first restorative circle. That moment helped her process grief, reconnect with others, and discover the power of authentic dialogue.

Listen to discover how restorative circles became an essential tool for supporting employees across the Parks Department, from Parks Enforcement Patrol Officers responding to overdose emergencies to supervisors navigating the pressures of seasonal operations. Dr. Titus explains how circles created opportunities for staff to share personal experiences, process difficult emotions, and build stronger relationships across every level of the organization. As interest grew, the department expanded its efforts by training a cohort of circle keepers, embedding restorative practices into leadership development, team retreats, and employee support initiatives.

In her role, Dr. Titus is responsible for creating and implementing the agency's diversity and inclusion strategies, policies, and practices, conducting EEO investigations, and ensuring that the agency complies with all federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws. As an assistant commissioner, she has also been instrumental in facilitating difficult conversations on race relations, religion, international issues, mental health, and a host of other topics. She has created and implemented her agency's first alternative dispute resolution program, which includes mediating employment-related disputes. Recently, she wrote an article entitled "Using Restorative Practices to Create Restorative Park Systems," which was published in the Parks & Recreation Magazine of the National Recreation and Parks Association.

What does it take to move restorative practices from an idea into sustainable, meaningful change? In this episode of Restorative Works!, host Dr. Claire de Mézerville López welcomes back IIRP Associate Professor Dr. Doug Judge for a conversation about the structural, cultural, and emotional dimensions of implementing restorative practices in schools and other organizations, as outlined in his recent Presidential Paper Addressing the challenges of change through evidence-based implementation and chapter of the same title in Restorative Practices in Education: Research and Applications.

Dr. Judge joins us to explore why knowing what works is only the beginning. He introduces key insights from implementation science, including the importance of understanding what works, where it works, and under what conditions. Rather than assuming that evidence-based practices will automatically translate into effective change, he emphasizes the relationships, readiness, culture, and conditions that help initiatives take root and thrive.

The conversation examines how restorative practices can strengthen change management, reviewing how fair process, including engagement, explanation, and expectation clarity creates agency and builds trust among the people affected by change. Dr. Judge explores the value of proactive, relationship-centered support and explains why organizations should invest heavily in prevention, community building, and relationship development rather than relying primarily on responsive approaches.

Dr. Judge has more than 25 years of experience in education, administration, large-scale implementation in schools, social work, and youth services. His career has focused on addressing systemic inequities in influential public institutions. He served as a special education teacher in a variety of public and institutional school settings, and as a school administrator at a large public alternative high school in Seattle, focused on providing restorative and healing-centered wraparound supports. As the Director of Social and Emotional Learning for Highline Public Schools, Doug led the districtwide implementation of restorative practices, positive behavior supports, and Social Emotional Learning (SEL).