BOARD OF DIRECTORS &
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
In Memoriam: Ted Lewis
Ted Lewis, a beloved member of the NACRJ Board of Directors, passed away on July 23, 2024, just two months after learning of his cancer diagnosis. A dedicated member of the NACRJ community for over a decade, Ted served on the inaugural Advisory Council from 2014 to 2017 before being elected to the Board of Directors, where he remained an active and vital leader until his passing.
Ted's contributions to the restorative justice movement were profound and far-reaching. His work with faith communities, especially through The Restorative Church Project, exemplified his commitment to bridging the values of justice and faith. For this reason, he was posthumously honored with the Bert Thompson Faith-Based Award at the 9th National Conference on Community and Restorative Justice in Washington, D.C., on August 1, 2024.
Though Ted passed less than a week before the conference, he had been a strong advocate for hosting the event in the nation’s capital, and his contributions to the planning process were instrumental. His work with the Law and Policy Committee, particularly in engaging federal partners and policymakers, was a testament to his leadership and vision.
Ted will be deeply missed by all who knew him, and his legacy will live on through the lasting impact of his work.
Thalia González, President
Thalia González is a Professor of Law at the University of California College of Law where she holds a Harry & Lillian Hastings Research Chair. She is also a Senior Scholar in the Center on Poverty and Inequality at Georgetown University Law Center where she leads national research and policy advocacy on restorative justice. Professor González is the author of more than 40 academic publications and currently an editor of the North American Volume of the International Encyclopedia of Restorative Justice (forthcoming 2023). Her interdisciplinary scholarship appears in top law reviews and peer reviewed journals, book, policy reports, white papers, issue briefs, court opinions, and legislative trend analyses as well as in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and The New York Times.
In recognition of her research, Professor González has been selected as a 2022 – 2024 Restorative Justice Research Community Research Fellow supported by the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance. In the field of restorative justice, she has been awarded research grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Grantmakers for Girls of Color, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, and Spencer Foundation. Professor González is Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section Alternative Dispute Resolution & Restorative Justice Committee and serves on the design and research teams for the San Francisco Truth, Justice & Reconciliation Commission.
Chauna Perry Finch, MSW, Vice President
Chauna Perry Finch is a K-12 educator and social justice advocate who served as NACRJ’s advisory council co-chair since 2015. Chauna is also the founder of Restorative TCS (Training and Consulting Services), LLC which helps schools and hospitals use a restorative lens with themselves and each other as they strive to meet the needs of every student and patient.
Prior to starting Restorative TCS, LLC, Chauna coordinated the implementation of Restorative Practices for Milwaukee Public Schools. Some of the highlights of her work include the co-creation of the district’s high school elective courses, teacher guide, equity plan, and trauma-sensitive schools professional development modules. As a member of the NACRJ Board, Chauna is excited about working with fellow NACRJ leaders and members to ensure we maintain and provide the resources needed to thrive as an organization and meet the needs of our members.
Kathy Evans, PhD, Secretary
Katherine Evans is an Associate Professor of Education at Eastern Mennonite University where she teaches courses in educational theory, differentiated instruction, and restorative justice in education (RJE). She is particularly interested in school and classroom climates, school discipline, and the ways in which educators participate in creating more just and equitable educational opportunities for all students, including those with disability labels and those who are marginalized for a variety of reasons, including race, ethnicity, language, economics, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Kathy holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Research from The University of Tennessee where her dissertation employed phenomenological interviews with middle school students about their experiences with in-school suspension.
While at EMU, Kathy has worked to develop EMU’s graduate program in RJE and has collaborated with teacher education faculty to embed restorative justice throughout the EMU teacher preparation program. She is the co-author of The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education and has published articles and book chapters related to zero tolerance policies, restorative justice, and school discipline practices.
Amy Dallas, Treasurer
Amy Dallas is an attorney passionate about expanding restorative approaches to addressing conflict and harm instead of traditional overreliance on legal systems. Amy is the Program Manager of the Reshaping Prosecution Collaborative Justice Network at the Vera Institute of Justice, an initiative bridging relationships nationwide to co-create public safety through restorative practices, systems of mutual support, and social ingenuity. Before Vera, Amy was a public defender for ten years in Brooklyn, New York with the Legal Aid Society. Amy also provided legal and organizational development support to formerly incarcerated community leaders in the incorporation of a restorative justice nonprofit organization reimagining reentry and anchoring a network of credible messengers. She currently advises several organizations focused on community care for families of incarcerated loved ones and people returning home from prison.
Teiahsha Bankhead, PhD., LCSW, Past President
Teiahsha Bankhead, Ph.D., LCSW, is Executive Director of Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY), a national leading organization in racial justice promotion using restorative practices and principles. Dr. Bankhead is a social justice activist, a restorative justice advocate, a licensed psychotherapist and a professor with both MSW and Ph.D. degrees in social welfare from the University of California, Berkeley.
Born to a Black radical mother during the uprising of the Watts Rebellion and coming of age in South Central Los Angeles during the embittered racial relations and social unrest of the civil rights era ignited within Dr. Bankhead a passionate commitment to social justice advocacy and transformative community empowerment. Dr. Bankhead has a commitment to racial justice, racial healing and restorative economics. She has taught racial, gender and sexual orientation diversity, theories of criminal behavior, and US social policy at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She speaks and holds circle on the subjects of School-Based Restorative Justice, Race and Restorative Justice, the Indigenous Roots of Restorative Justice, Social Justice and Restorative Justice, Truth-Telling and Racial Healing, Youth-Led and Movement-Based Restorative Justice, the School-to-Prison Pipeline, Mass Incarceration, and Restorative Cities.
Troy Williams
Williams served 25 years of his life in juvenile and adult prison facilities. While incarcerated, Williams became a certified paralegal, wrote for San Quentin News in the early days, and founded a video and the first award-winning audio production program within a prison called the San Quentin Prison Report (SQPR). Williams co-founded San Quentin’s financial literacy program and F.E.E.L. philosophy (Financial Empowerment Emotional Literacy), served as the executive director of San Quentin's Restorative Justice Interfaith Roundtable, initiated TEDx San Quentin, and spearheaded efforts to build San Quentin’s Media Lab.
After being paroled, Williams went back inside as a free man to participate in TEDx San Quentin, has served on numerous local and national committees and boards, and was awarded a Soros Justice Fellowship where he worked to create a national multimedia platform and community engagement program initially named the Restorative Media Project (RMP). RMP helped formerly incarcerated people document their experiences and engage the public.
Based on his ongoing work in restorative practices and media production, Williams founded Restorative Media Inc., a non-profit social impact organization whose mission is to give voice to the wisdom of lived experience, advance intellectual ownership, and distribute narratives that inspire social transformation. Restorative Media officially launched a Formerly Incarcerated Speaker Series in partnership with Alcatraz Island (i.e. National Parks Service) on November 5th, 2022.
Jodie Geddes
Jodie Geddes is an international speaker on restorative justice, author, and advocate for racial healing and justice. She has an MA in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. While there, Jodie explored the intersections of peacebuilding, restorative justice, and systems change. As a Jamaican native who grew up in Brooklyn, NY, she uses her journey as a catalyst for creating new narratives about the Black experience and the possibilities for healing. Jodie currently serves as the Safe Outside the System Program Director at RJOY (Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth), providing support for community members experiencing a crisis with mental wellness and other community resources. In addition, she is the Co-Manager for CTTT (Coming to The Table), providing training and resources for communities and individuals to explore the history and legacy of enslavement.
Jodie is also co-author of the Little Book of Racial Healing: Coming to the Table for Truth-Telling, Liberation, and Transformation. In addition, she co-hosts a podcast called Ma.ternity Leave.
Executive Director
Joel Friesz, MSSL
Joel was introduced to the field of restorative justice in 2005 and for 13 years led a team of restorative justice facilitators and juvenile justice professionals at a statewide non-profit agency in North Dakota. During those years, Joel and his team worked extensively with communities across North Dakota to implement restorative practices into K-12 education, the juvenile justice system, and adult corrections. Joel provides training and coaching on implicit bias, bullying prevention, adverse childhood experiences, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and sexual assault and domestic violence prevention. Joel is a nationally certified Green Dot Bystander Intervention Community Instructor and served for three years as a Facilitator of Sexual Assault Prevention and Advocacy for North Dakota State University. For the past 10 years Joel has been involved with efforts to address disproportionate minority contact (DMC) in North Dakota justice systems and completed the Reducing Racial & Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice Certificate Program at Georgetown University in 2016. Joel serves on several local and state committees including the North Dakota Juvenile Justice State Advisory Group, and became an Associate member of Sisters of the Presentation in 2020. Joel received his bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University (Fargo, ND) and holds a master’s degree in Strategic Leadership from University of Mary (Bismarck, ND). A lifelong North Dakotan, Joel has resided in Fargo for over 25 years.