About A Center for Restorative Solutions & the Team

Pam learned from her Teacher Marshall Rosenberg:
“Get very very clear about what you want, and then live that way.”

Pam Orbach, the founder of A Center for Restorative Solutions acknowledges her privilege in the form of the opportunities and systemic inheritances she has been handed. She is dedicated to using her power and privilege to work nonviolently for justice and equity.

For the past 9 years, Pam has been a Nonviolent Communication consultant and trainer deepening her practice in Restorative and Transformative Justice, mediation, Circle Keeping and nonviolence. She works to support compassionate consciousness and direct action — a paradigm shift — partnering to collectively increase self-awareness, authentic communication, interrupt harm when it happens and to support systemic change.

Pam’s particular approach to community building and conflict transformation, grounded in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication and Dominic Barter’s model of Restorative Circles, Pam has designed and delivered trainings in WA state prisons since 2015, consulted for and supported work with Freedom Project to dismantle the institution of mass incarceration and heal its traumatic effects on the community.

She has worked with businesses, NGO’s, local universities, school districts, and community organizations in the Greater Seattle area, nationally and internationally.

Tomo Kuman-Lesher is a graphic designer with over 30 years experience in her field. She has broadened her expertise with a combination of website development and business administration. She is beyond grateful to be core support for the center, supporting its undaunted and meaningful journey. Tomo's unique skill set in administration, logistics, finance, visual organization and communication structurally indispensably holds the structure/backend of the organization and manages how the center interfaces with the world. Tomo continues to support her other graphic and website clients in various industries in & out of Seattle area.

OUR PARTNERS & COLLABORATORS

Sarah Dobson is a trainer, facilitator, educator, and survivor who has been working with youth and adults for the past 11 years in gender violence prevention and peacebuilding. Sarah grew up in Baltimore, lived six years in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and now resides in Berkeley, California. She has been shaped by the wisdom of teachers/mentors immersed in the paradigms of restorative justice and social justice. She is passionate about expanding restorative options for all those impacted by harm, especially sexual harm, and believes healing and accountability are needed and possible.

Janice Eng is a second generation Chinese American from Eastern Washington. Janice has facilitated Nonviolent Communication classes since 1999.  

Janice is a founding member of two nonprofits based on Nonviolent Communication: Northwest Compassionate Communication in 1999; and Freedom Project in 2001. 

She has facilitated Restorative Circles with a Center for Restorative Solutions since 2019 and supported the Center’s year-long RJ immersion program in 2019-2020.

Janice has also facilitated Peace Circles on racial equity through Circle Works in 2018 through 2019.

She has been a certified counselor since 2013.

Kristen Jawad holds a Master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and has advanced training in compassionate communication, mediation, restorative practices, life coaching, traditional healing and spiritual care. In 2005, Marshall Rosenberg inspired her to offer empathic accompaniment to people experiencing inter and intrapersonal conflict. She instantly recognized the value of listening for feelings and needs. For two decades, she has shared effective ways to reduce harm and heal trauma — integrating brain, body, and mind. Kristen offers relationship-building practices to individuals, couples, families and organizations — creating better, stronger bonds driven by trust and appreciation for each other. Clients seek her out for her calm presence, intuitive approach and gentle way of inspiring and evoking the best in others. In her free time, she walks in the woods near her home, enjoys a warm beverage or delights in creative projects.

illuminatedlifeways.com

Sarah Kmon is raising two children and occasional vegetables in Washington State. As her children grow, so does her commitment to nonviolence, empathy, understanding and collaboration within her home. She has been deeply studying and practicing respectful parenting since 2015 and has been studying and sharing NVC since 2017. For Sarah: her  daily challenges of swimming against the societal current to raise children non-punitively; experiencing the transformation within her home; and the potential global impact of raising generations of children with a felt sense of acceptance and empathy and respect has stimulated a longing to support fellow parents by sharing NVC — because this work ain't easy! It's real work! Locally, Sarah created and facilitated NVC-based Caregiver Community Circles at her local school, and recently transferred them online in collaboration with Shelton Timberland Library. She is looking forward to continuing her work of supporting parents and communities through NVC.

Maria P. Lemos, Ph.D. MPH,  is fully dedicated to reducing harm and suffering through her work and activism, locally in Seattle and in challenging situations internationally. 

She contributed for 4 years to Minorities As Student Teachers Program to increase STEM skills in middle and high-school public school students: developed capacities for teaching in BIPOC college students; and supported mentorship that students could identify with.

For the past 12 years, she has coached 1-2 BIPOC medical students every summer to learn research skills in HIV prevention as part of the Research and Mentorship Scholars Program from the HIV Vaccines Trials Network: The effects of hormonal supplementation therapy in vaccination of transgender women. 

Maria designed and conducted trainings in Nonviolent Communication since 2008 for men and women in the WA correctional system.

In 2010-2012, she designed RJ and NVC trainings to improve communication between bi-racial and indigenous communities for the improvement of  public health outcomes in Guatemala. She supported and mediated conversations that created opportunities to name and heal from impact.

In 2014-2016 Maria contributed to training racially-diverse laboratory teams to improve HIV prevention and treatment services in South Africa.

In 2020-2021, she has been primarily focused in the design and conduct of inclusive RCT for COVID vaccines: from 2% to more than 37% BIPOC participation.

Devon Little finds passion in cultivating belonging - communities in which people know, value, and support one another at a deep level. She works as a facilitator, consultant, program manager and trainer, guided by the values of belonging, creativity, social justice and dignity. Devon is primarily informed by wisdom that has been in communities and ecosystems since time immemorial, but has been taught to her as part of the following frameworks: arts-based empowerment, restorative justice, anti-oppression, collective liberation, somatic awareness, organizational leadership, communication skills, and community-building. 

Devon has designed, facilitated, and managed experiential-learning programs for numerous organizations in the US and abroad. She also offers training and consultation for educators, team leaders, and other social service professionals. Devon supports individuals to access and articulate their hopes and knowledge, communicate across difference, undo implicit bias, envision new possibilities, improvise, learn communication or facilitation skills, transform conflicts, and more. Devon holds a Masters of Social Work and a Graduate Certificate in Restorative Justice. Her experiences in the performing arts inspire her to use creative mediums for individual and community development work.

P. Leonie Smith is a first-generation Canadian of Jamaican heritage and is founder of The Thoughtful Workplace, a consultancy that uses a relational and skill-building approach to coaching, training, and mediation. Her work and life are centred around sharing people-centred modalities such as Nonviolent Communication, Restorative and Transformative Justice practices, and Sociocracy to support people who are traditionally marginalised to show up in their full humanity. 

Through the use of these and other tools, she supports groups and teams to find ways of working that reduce harm by understanding and sharing practical skills to address the impact of systemic racism and oppression.  She has over 20 years of experience in senior management positions in nonprofit organisations in communications, fundraising and human resources. She is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada.  

thethoughtfulworkplace.com

catherine strickland (she/her) is a white settler living on the unceded territory of the  xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish),and Səlí" lwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations in North Vancouver, British Columbia. catherine spent 20 years as a professional climate change policy and program manager, analyst and researcher before suffering a life changing brain injury in 2010.  she now spends her time supporting people who want to engage in antiracism and anti-oppression work. she served on the Canadian Unitarian Council’s Dismantling Racism Study Group which culminated in the adoption of the 8th Principle.  catherine has been a student, trainer and practitioner of Nonviolent Communication for over 17 years and is currently a CNVC certified trainer candidate.

necessarytroublecollective.org