Team

Ajai

Born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia as a First Generation Punjabi-American. Ajai has worked in the field of education for 20 years, the last 6 as the Principal of the Centennial Park School (CPS), a public alternative high school in the Centennial School District. In his time at CPS, Ajai implemented Restorative Practices at the school after completing a training at RNW. He is a firm believer in the power of Restorative Practices to help build community and reach underserved populations of students in more responsive ways.  In July of this year, Ajai started a new role with Stand for Children, as a 9^th Grade Success Coach working across the Portland Metro area in 10 area high schools.

Ajai’s work in education is driven by a desire to fundamentally change an education system not designed to serve the needs of all students. Over his career, he has worked to ensure our system holds high expectations and ensures equitable outcomes for all students. The bulk of that career has been spent working with students who have struggled in our traditional systems, ranging from separate programs to very inclusive settings. Ajai is grateful for what he has learned from students everyday in his work.

When not working he can be found in SE Portland with his wife Christin, of 12 years, daughter Meera (8yrs old) and son Simran (5 years old), who happily occupy most of his time outside of school. They are often found on their bikes, exploring Oregon, cooking and eating delicious food, and spending time with family and friends.

Lorraine

Venus

[stay tuned for bio]

Read more from Venus here.

Afrita

Afrita is a Program Supervisor at Open School Step Up.  She has worked with youth of color in the public education system for the past 7 years.  Before then, she attended Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas where she attained her Bachelors of Science degree in Biology. During her years before, while in and after college she served as a soldier in the Army Reserves.  Last September she was honorably discharged after 14 years of service and one tour of duty in Iraq. Afrita landed in Portland eight years ago and began her youth work shortly after that.  She finds fulfillment in helping programs and organizations develop and implement new policies and procedures that are grounded in equity. Outside of work she enjoys designing and sewing clothes, knitting and cooking for friends.

Carrie

Carrie (she/her/sometimes Queen) is a Xicana Fat Femme, born in Los Angeles and raised in Portland. Carrie has been working within local fat and queer community for over 10 years and working towards racial liberation since she learned about inequity from a very early age. As a trainer, consultant and facilitator Carrie uses humor and direct communication as key components to making difficult topics more accessible to folks.

Erion

Erion joins RNW as the co-director of Mediation, and has since created a mediation program for landlords and tenants. His hope is that people can resolve their issues with an open discussion before filing with courts and leaving a final decision in the judges’ hands. Conversely, mediation usually ends with everyone involved having more satisfactory outcomes. Erion has experience in different types of conflict resolution including, victim-offender dialogue, dissolutions, and neighbor to neighbor mediations. In his free time, Erion likes to watch sports and attend comedy shows. 

Maria

Maria’s passion for ending cycles of harm began as a young child. She saw how individuals, families, communities and systems repeat unlearned and unhealed lessons, which leads to cycles of harm. Life led her to Restorative Justice (RJ) and the philosophy has become a way of life more than a job. Maria has been a volunteer for the Dept. of Corrections and the Oregon Youth Authority since 2008 as a Restorative Justice Group Facilitator and as a Dialogue Facilitator for serious and violent harms. She completed her MS in Conflict Resolution from Portland State University in 2008 and joined Resolutions Northwest in 2011. She has taught college and high school classes in RJ and has been a trainer, dialogue and circle facilitator for youth, families, adults and organizations for over 12 years. She most appreciates the constant learning, unlearning and relationship building that is essential to dismantling the sticky webs of oppression.

“You can’t be neutral on a moving train.” Howard Zinn

Marita

Marita is a Seattle-raised queer Filipina femme cis woman who centers equity, laughter and kindness in her work and life. Marita is on the Oregon Mediation Association Board of Directors and has worked primarily in non-profit social service organizations for the past 16 years, with a three year stint as an esthetician and makeup artist. She has experienced and witnessed the restorative power of connection, forgiveness, and moving through discomfort to heal harms, and is energized by helping others in these ways. Marita lives with her cat, Maple, and finds joy on the tennis court and in bodies of water.

Noah

Noah was born and raised in Evanston, IL a suburb of Chicago. He initially worked as a counselor and mentor in a federal TRIO program at Columbia College before moving to Portland in 2015 and focusing on film full-time. Over the past two years Noah has been deeply involved with Portland’s burgeoning African American community in a visual storytelling capacity. As a filmmaker Noah has collaborated with people from all walks of life to create short film vignettes highlighting their respective gifts from music and art to policy and education. He has worked closely with the ‘Black Community of Portland’ contributing to marketing and promotional efforts at various educational and community events. He was also the lead content creator for Mudbone Grown, crafting imagery for their website, social media, and promotional materials as well as producing a documentary short to help create awareness amongst community members, farmers, stakeholders and potential investors. Lastly, Noah is one of six film fellows at Open Signal Labs, an incubator program for aspiring filmmakers of color.

Ryley

Aloha everyone, my name is Ryley! I was born and raised in Waiʻanae, Hawaiʻi, where I lived for 18 years before I moved to Portland, OR, to pursue my initial passion of architecture and then marketing. Growing up culturally as a kānaka maoli, I understood the importance of resistance against colonialism and fighting for one’s land and people, and the value of advancing racial and social justice. Hawaiʻi all too often, is perceived as the islands of paradise; however, for my people, it is stolen land. And on a daily basis, we fight for our right to exist.

Upon moving to PDX, I continued this work in my roles at the PCC QRC as an Education & Outreach Coordinator, advocating for and supporting high school students through WA county with LGBTQ+ initiatives and at the PSU School of Business, where I assisted in recruitment and retention efforts of QTBIPOC students. In my most recent role, I worked with houseless and foster youth in their transitions towards independence. For the past eight years, I have also enjoyed volunteering with small businesses, orgs, and institutions in providing marketing consultation, as my commitment to building stronger QTBIPOC communities.  

In my free time, I enjoy woodworking, Hawaiian crafting, and playing volleyball, and am currently working to launch a business with my partner within the next year!

Best,

Ryley

Stephen

Stephen is an activist, justice advocate, community educator, and performing artist from Portland Oregon. Convicted as a teenager, sentenced to 7.5 years in the Oregon Youth Authority, Stephen used his time to educate and expand his understanding of self-worth, potential, and purpose using art forms. Stephen is now committed to educating organizations, school districts, community members, teachers, parents, and students about the radical practice of restorative justice for collective liberation. Stephen is a Consultant, Mediator, co-founder of Verbal Escape, an employee of Resolutions Northwest, Race Talks Facilitator, and resource council member for Morpheus Youth Projects.

Sunsong

Sunsong (They/Them) is a transplant to Portland: Born in Ohio and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. They moved to Portland in December of 1995 immediately from their experience attending Oberlin College. They started life in Portland as performer for Imago Theater; and worked in social services with developmentally disabled adults.  As a queer polyamorous mixed race intersexed person, they bring both lived experience as well as experience from a background working with Target communities to their work, especially in their recent time as an advocate and case manager for houseless youth. They have assisted and co-led trainings on racial and social justice. Before being hired on full time worked as a contractor doing mediations at Resolutions Northwest. They were a past equity informed mediation cohort member and have a dedication to building bridges across communities.

Tiana

Tiana (she/they) is an aging punk turned spreadsheet manager.  They did entomology research for several years before switching gears and working in caregiving for elders with Alzheimer’s disease and then at an organization which provided services to houseless youth. The internment of their family during WWII provided the framework of how they perceive what reparations and transitional justice should look like for all communities that have been harmed by their government.

Tieler

Tieler is a white, non-binary, queer college-student. They are currently studying at Portland Community College with an interest in racial/social justice and psychology. Although originally a transplant from California, Tieler has lived in Portland for 8 years. They spent over a year working as a volunteer on a crisis line for teens, and have been trained in crisis and suicide intervention. In high school they studied Critical Race Theory which set them on a continuous process of learning (and unlearning).

“If I love you I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” — James Baldwin.

Teri

Teri (she/her) has been training on topics related to racial and social justice for almost 30 years, and she has been a professional facilitator for about 15 years. Her work as a consultant, trainer, and facilitator at Resolutions Northwest and in private practice supports individuals and organizations to develop the will and capacity to bring their outcomes in line with their values, particularly around racial equity. As a white bisexual woman who grew up here in Portland, Teri is always up against her own learning edge in working for racial justice. She draws inspiration from her fabulous colleagues and from her practice of aikido, a Japanese martial art.