Our Team

Dr. Emily Gaarder (she/her/hers) is the Director of the Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking at the University of Minnesota Duluth and an Associate Professor in the Department of Studies in Justice, Culture, and Social Change at UMD.

Since 2003, Emily has taught restorative justice at the university level and also for community groups and organizations. She loves to share how restorative justice can be used in daily life by everyone. She has trained hundreds of volunteers in the circle process, circle keeping, and restorative dialogue.

Dr. Mark Umbreit is a Professor and founding Director of the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking at the University  of Minnesota, School of Social Work. Mark serves on the faculty of the Center for Spirituality & Healing in the Academic  Health Center at the University of Minnesota, teaching courses on Peacebuilding Through Mindfulness Practice, and  Forgiveness & Healing. He also serves as a Visiting Professor at the Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee teaching a course on Peacemaking and Spirituality.

Jacob Otis is a research and training associate with the Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking at the University of Minnesota Duluth and the Director of Programming at St. Croix Valley Restorative Services in Wisconsin.  

Cary Waubanascum is a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Wakeny^ta (Turtle Clan), with ancestral roots in the Menominee, Forest County Potawatomi, and Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Nations of Wisconsin. Her work centers on identifying and challenging ongoing colonialism in social work and child welfare and reclaiming Indigenous lifeways. She is currently an Assistant Professor of social work at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Carl Huber (he/him/his) has been affiliated with CRJP since 2017. He holds a Masters of Professional Studies in Multidisciplinary Research & Creativity from UMD, and has served as a commissioner on the City of Duluth’s Human Rights Commission for over six years. Carl’s work emphasizes the integration of body, mind, and spirit through restorative practices. He is passionate about helping others who have experienced traumatic events discover healing through the power of storytelling.

Chris Godsey, Ed.D. (in teaching and learning), has been associated with the CRJP since December 2020. He has worked as a restorative justice advocate in the Minnesota Department of Corrections Victim Services and Restorative Justice Unit since January 2022. His primary DOC RJ role is coordinating the system Apology Letter Bank. From July 2019 until December 2021 he coordinated the Men as Peacemakers Domestic Violence Restorative Circles Program in Duluth, MN.

Isabel Dokhanchi (she/her/hers) is a Student Activities Advisor at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. She recently graduated from the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on communicating difference, a minor in Deaf Studies, and a certificate to teach English as a foreign language. 

Laura (she/her/hers) focuses on healing from trauma through restorative and transformational approaches. Laura co-runs a restorative practice program she developed for those residing at correctional facilities. She has an A.S. in Psychology, a B.A. in IS-Psychology of Domestic Violence, a B.A. in Criminology, and a Masters' degree through UMD's Master of Professional Studies program with a focus on violence prevention and community building.