Who we are

Dwanna Nicole is a restorative justice practitioner and trainer with the Restorative Justice Partnership, where she works within school communities throughout the country to assist them with developing strategies to create more positive school climates for students, educators, and families. She provides training and implementation support in restorative justice to all stakeholders within school communities. In addition to training, she works alongside schools and school districts in the creation of individualized short- and long-term plans for restorative justice implementation and provides ongoing support in the form of resources, complimentary professional development, and onsite assistance.

Prior to her work with the Restorative Justice Partnership, Dwanna served as Advancement Project’s Director of Policy and Stakeholder Outreach. In that role, she developed strategies to implement the policy agenda of Advancement Project and its partner organizations by supporting local, state, and national campaigns. She built and maintained relationships with external stakeholders, including teachers’ unions, school officials, law enforcement, judges, and policymakers to create a diverse constituency of support for Advancement Project’s initiatives.

Dwanna has held positions at nonprofits, within school systems, and within local governments. She has coordinated legislative activities for various organizations and coalitions, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland and the Let Haiti Live Coalition, and has developed legislation for the Maryland General Assembly, Council of the District of Columbia, City of Richmond, Virginia, and the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County Public Schools Boards of Education.

Lindsay Lee has worked with the Restorative Justice Partnership (Partnership) since 2018, where she was responsible for coordinating the Partnership’s work in Denver, Colorado and assisting with its expansion nationwide. While based in Denver, she created professional development opportunities for staff in Denver Public Schools, organized restorative justice school visits for students, educators, and community members, and helped develop youth led restorative justice initiatives. 

Prior to her work with the Restorative Justice Partnership, Lindsay served as the Director of Military and Restorative programs with Project Fleur-de-lis in New Orleans.  In that role, she was responsible for  the creation, development, and implementation of grant-funded programs serving schools and community agencies at the beginning stages of restorative justice implementation; oversaw the development and creation of family resiliency training for military families; and implemented multiple treatment models for trauma-recovery in schools. 

Lindsay has also served as a school social worker, substance abuse specialist, victim advocate, crisis evaluator and supervisor. She is a current affiliate member of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Her career and education have brought her to positions in Colorado, Louisiana, North Carolina and Dublin, Ireland. Alongside her work with the Restorative Justice Partnership, Lindsay works as an online and school-based counselor in Pennsylvania.