Joel Friesz (he/him/his) has worked with communities across North Dakota for 16+ years to implement restorative practices into schools, the juvenile justice system, adult corrections, and other community entities. In recent years, Joel has conducted trainings in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Canada. Joel provides training and coaching on subjects such as restorative justice, restorative practices in education, circle process, implicit bias, bullying prevention, sexual assault and domestic violence prevention, and LGBT+ advocacy. Joel currently serves on the governor appointed North Dakota Juvenile Justice State Advisory Group, a position he has held since 2013. In 2016, Joel completed the Reducing Racial & Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice Certificate Program at Georgetown University. Joel is a nationally certified Green Dot Bystander Intervention Community Instructor for reducing power-based personal violence and served for three years as a Facilitator of Sexual Assault Prevention and Advocacy for North Dakota State University. In June 2017, Joel was elected to the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ) Executive Team and currently serves on the Board of Directors. In 2020, Joel completed a yearlong formation course to become a member of the Fargo chapter of Presentation Associates, an international group focused on peace and justice in partnership with Sisters of the Presentation. 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 native of Flasher, ND, Joel has resided in Fargo for over 20 years.
