Join Us for a Transformative Day of Restorative Justice Training!
Friday, June 13, 2025
West Virginia University College of Law
UPDATE AS OF MAY 31, 2025: Due to the tremendous response, we are nearly at capacity for this event. Please register immediately if you are planning to attend. Pre-registration is required.
We’ve heard you—loud and clear! The West Virginia Restorative Justice Project (WVRJP) knows that communities across our region are eager to build practical skills in restorative justice. Chief among your requests? Learning how to be a Circle Keeper and how to effectively facilitate a Restorative Justice Dialogue.
That’s why we’re bringing together nationally recognized leaders in the field for a full day of immersive, skills-based learning.
What to Expect:
Participants will engage in two half-day workshops:
Circle Keeping – Learn the principles and practices of holding restorative justice circles, led by Judge Wesley Saint Clair.
Victim-Offender Dialogue – Develop essential skills for facilitating healing dialogue, led by Tracey Battle.
Each session includes:
A keynote-style presentation
Interactive skill-building exercises
While a virtual option is available, we strongly encourage in-person attendance to get the most out of this hands-on experience.
Continuing Education Credits (West Virginia):
Attorneys: Approved for 7.8 CLE credits
Addiction and Prevention Professionals: Approved for 7.0 CEUs
Social Workers: Credits pending approval
Meet Our Featured Speakers:
National leaders in restorative justice, bringing decades of experience and innovative practice to West Virginia.
Judge Wesley Saint Clair
A respected national leader in restorative justice and judicial innovation, Judge Saint Clair has been a pioneer in bringing restorative practices into the courtroom—especially in juvenile justice. His leadership and deep understanding of community-centered justice make him a compelling and insightful trainer. Judge Saint Clair is a neutral participating with JAMS. He enjoyed a 30-year career as a judge in the King County court system. Judge Saint Clair began his judicial career as a judge in the Northeast Division of the King County District Court and later served as a trial judge on the King County Superior Court. He presided over thousands of cases and conducted settlement and pretrial conferences, where he skillfully handled numerous case types, including business/commercial, complex personal injury and product liability. Judge Saint Clair was named Outstanding Judge of the Year by the King County Bar Association (2003). He is also a recipient of the King County Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award (2009).Watch Judge Saint Clair’s TED talk about restorative justice and juvenile offenders here.
Tracey Battle
A restorative justice facilitator with more than 20 years of experience, Tracey Battle specializes in trauma-informed victim-offender dialogue. She has worked with courts, schools, and community organizations nationwide, and is widely recognized for her skilled, compassionate approach to building accountability and healing. Tracey is a district restorative justice specialist with the District of Columbia public schools and an adjunct professor at Bowie State University.
Meet our Small Group Facilitators:
Restorative justice leaders and practitioners from across West Virginia (and Virginia) will guide hands-on, interactive sessions throughout the day. They include:
Hon. Michael John Aloi, Buckhannon. Judge Aloi is a member of the WVRJP Advisory Committee. He is a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of West Virginia. After graduating from the West Virginia University College of Law, he worked in private practice for the next 28 years. As one of the founders of the state’s mediation movement, he remains the only lawyer in the state to be elected to the American College of Civil Trial Mediators.
Sister Rose Ann Hefner, Charleston. Sister Rose is a Sister of St. Joseph, Restorative Justice Practitioner at American Friends Service Committee, and the secretary of the Board of Directors for the West Virginia Restorative Justice Project.
Nicole A. Bailey, RCP, Martinsburg. Nicole is a Recovery Coach Professional, restorative justice coach, author, and advocate. She empowers individuals to break cycles of harm and pursue healing through faith, accountability, and recovery support. As founder of Whole For Real Ministries, Nicole brings a trauma-informed, spiritually grounded approach to justice and
Amber Blankenship, Logan. Amber is the Peer Reentry Program Coordinator for The REACH Initiative. She is happily married and resides in Logan County. She is motivated to change the climate in West Virginia through prevention, criminal justice reform, reentry, and recovery advocacy. She serves as co-chair of her local Reentry Council and serves on the board of directors for a variety of organizations
Nic Cochran, Wheeling. Nic works for Youth Services System recovery homes in Wheeling and serves on treatment teams at the federal court and the state drug court level. Nic is an advocate for people with mental health issues in general and substance use disorders in particular. Nic utilizes his lived experience in recovery, resources, education, and talents to cultivate a diverse support network that advocates and provides his fellow community members with love and compassion
Lauren Wadsworth, Lewisburg. Lauren is a trained circle-keeper and has facilitated circles at the local Greenbrier County alternative school for middle and high school students. She is also a mindfulness teacher certified by the Engaged Mindfulness Institute and incorporates those skills into circle-keeping.
Lida Shepherd, Lewisburg. Lida is the Co-director WV Economic Justice Project, American Friends Service Committee, and is President of the Board of Directors for the West Virginia Restorative Justice Project.
Stacy Kay, Charleston. Stacy is a trained circle-keeper and the former co-director of SOAR in Charleston, West Virginia.
Michael Wells, Philippi. Michael is a PRSS with the WVU Medicine mobile crisis response team in Clarksburg, serving nine counties. I’ve been trained in restorative justice since 2022, and has used circle keeping skills in community meetings and family reunifications that involved CPS. He has used victim-offender dialogue skills in federal court and county court.
Erin Shelton, Morgantown. Erin is the coordinator of Project Rainbow and the founding organizer of The Rainbow House, West Virginia’s first low-barrier LGBTQ+ shelter. She brings a background in grassroots harm reduction, mutual aid, and housing justice. Erin is passionate about building systems of care rooted in dignity, safety, and community power.
Kendra Hamilton, Wheeling. Kendra is a recent graduate from West Virginia Wesleyan College with a degree in Sociology & Political Science. During college, she assisted in facilitating a circle discussion with volunteers and unhoused/recently housed individuals. Restorative practices continue to impact her work in Wheeling, West Virginia, where I serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center.
Wendy Baracka, LICSW, Shepherdstown. Wendy is the Director of Counseling Services at Shepherd University. Wendy is both a clinical social worker and certified yoga instructor who is passionate about social justice and supporting individual and community wellbeing. Wendy uses restorative justice techniques and community-building circles in education settings and seeks to further her skill-building and sharing of these practices at any opportunity she gets.
Professor Jim Nolan, Ph.D. Morgantown. Jim is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at West Virginia University, where he teaches courses relating to institutional reform, structured inequality, and social control. His research focuses on police reform, hate crime, crime measurement, and institutional reform in higher education
Taylor Graham, Esq., Salem. Taylor is an attorney practicing in North Central West Virginia. She utilizes skills and listening techniques she has learned through her training in Restorative Justice in her legal practice everyday and is passionate about using connection to resolve conflict.
Valerie Slater, Esq., Richmond. Valerie is the executive director for the RISE for Youth Coalition and advocates for the rights of system-involved youth. She is a former staff attorney at the disAbility Law Center of Virginia and a graduate of the University of Richmond School of Law.
Tina Clark, Lost Creek. Tina Marie Clark is in long-term recovery and spends all of her spare time giving back to the recovery community. She is a Recovery Coach Professional who has enhanced her skills through GRaCE and Restorative Justice training.
Crystal Walden, Esq., Charleston. Crystal is the Director of the Appellate Advocacy Division. Crystal's previous experience included her services as a trial lawyer in the State of Ohio's Franklin County Public Defender's office and as an attorney in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Corporation.
Brenda Waugh, Esq., Leesburg/Charles Town. Brenda is a lawyer/mediator practicing in Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. She is the part-time volunteer executive director for the West Virginia Restorative Justice Project. She focuses her work on Alternative Dispute Resolution informed by the principles and values of Restorative Justice.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, connect, and grow your restorative justice practice.
Let’s build the future of justice—together.
Continuing Education Credits: This program has been approved for 7.8 Continuing Legal Education credits by the West Virginia State Bar. The West Virginia Certification Board for Addiction and Prevention Professionals has APPROVED the West Virginia Skills Building Institute Summer program for 7 CEUs!
Registration: $75.00 per person. Pre-registration is required and participation is limited to ensure the engagement of all participants. Same-day registration is not available. Additionally, once capacity is met, we will not be able to register further particpants.
Lodging:
Hotel blocks have been reserved at several Morgantown hotels. Several of the hotels have deadlines to register for the group rate which expire before May 15, 2025. Other rates may be available. Select and book your hotel here.
Dorm rooms at Oakland Hall on the Campus of West Virginia University for those with a budget the cost is $32.00 double occupancy and $56.00 single occupancy, plus a 13% tax. Parking passes for those staying in the dorms will be available from WVU at a cost of $10.00 per vehicle. Linens are not included in this budget pricing. Reservations for dorm rooms are now closed.