“The first time I sat in a restorative justice circle conference 25 years ago, a bright light clicked on for me as it does for so many others who participate in a restorative justice encounter. I witnessed people assembling into a circle to collectively address a crime. The experience of the person harmed was recognized and embraced. The person who committed the offense was held accountable for repairing the damage they caused not only to the person harmed and others in the community but also themselves. The underlying issues and reasons for why the person who offended did what they did were uncovered and addressed in a reparative action plan. The person who was harmed felt heard, was satisfied with the outcome, forgave the offender, and experienced closure. The person who offended realized the harm they had caused, expressed sincere remorse, made amends, went through counseling, and made significant changes in their life. This was a truly transformative conversation. 

"I left that circle envisioning the profound potential that the restorative conversation could have in contexts far beyond the criminal justice system such as family conflict, divorce, schools, workplaces, businesses, the environment, churches, the larger community and even politics and public policy. For the past 25 years I've worked to expand the restorative approach to conflict resolution into these other areas."      

About Will

Will is currently a Professor of Communication in the Isaacson School for Communication, Arts, and Media at Colorado Mountain College where he teaches Interpersonal Communication, Intercultural Communication, Rhetoric and Pop Culture, and Conflict Management. He holds a doctorate in communication from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a master’s degree in religious studies, also from CU. At CU he taught courses in Conflict Management, Peace & Conflict Studies, the Rhetoric of Campaigns and Social Movements, Restorative Justice, Advanced Research Writing, and Native American Religious Traditions.

He has facilitated over 1000 restorative conflict mediation encounters, consulted and conducted training for families, businesses, k12 educators, administrators, and workplaces helping them to implement restorative conflict and conduct policies, practices and programming. 

He is the author of The Restorative Way: Harnessing the Power of Restorative Communication to Mend Relationships, Heal Trauma, and Reclaim Civility One Conversation at a Time (2024). 

Panels, Papers, Publications and Presentations

• In 2004 he was a guest presenter on gender bias at the International Conference on Restorative Practices in Vancouver, Canada. 
• From 2004-2008 he sat on both C.U.’s Standing Committee on Substance Abuse and Office of Discrimination and Sexual Harassment case review board. 
• In 2004 he built one of the nation’s first University-based restorative justice programs authorized to process student crimes occurring off-campus and in the Boulder community. As director, he trained 50+ facilitators, and increased the program’s caseload from 12 per year to over 400 per year with a less than 1% re-offense rate.
• In 2008 he was recognized by C.U.’s Institute for Ethical Civic Engagement for his community leadership and development of the University’s Restorative Justice Program which received national acclaim. 
• In 2010 he contributed as an environmental restorative justice researcher, writer, and educational consultant for a freshwater lake and reservoir restoration technology project. 
• In 2011 he provided expert testimony for the Colorado State House of Representatives in support of legislation formalizing the practice of restorative mediation in civil cases. 
• In 2012 he was keynote speaker at the Boulder County Community Practice Project charged with unifying correctional and clinical practices for mental health patients. 
• In 2016 he was a guest presenter at the Colorado Conference on Restorative Practices – “Building Restorative Organizational Cultures: Intention, Interaction, and Narrative.” 
• In 2017 he was invited to consult with the Advisory & Planning Committee for Colorado Dept. of Education: Trauma Responsive Schools Theory of Change Action Plan 
• In 2018 he published a series of articles in Mountain Parent Magazine. 
• “Building a Bridge While Navigating Family Conflict: A Restorative Way to Create Connection”
• “Building a Bridge by Forming a Circle: A Restorative Way Through Bullying”
• “Building a Bridge When a Child Seems Unreachable: Looking Through a Restorative Lens to See Beyond a Label”
• In 2019 he published “Restorative School Discipline: It’s about Engagement, not Enforcement” in Connections Quarterly: Vol. XXXIX – Issue 2. The Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE)   
• In 2020 he began consulting and mediating conflict resolution for family businesses and workplaces.
• In 2022 he published "The Restorative Way Playbook: a Guide to Restorative Communication Practices" (Bledsoe, 2020).
• In 2024 he published "The Restorative Way: Harnessing the Power of Restorative Communication to Mend Relationships, Heal Trauma, and Reclaim Civility One Conversation at a Time" (Bledsoe, 2025)
• In 2026 he published a chapter "The Bully in Me" in Restorative Justice Up Close: First Person Accounts of an Approach That Works (Wolf, 2026, The New Press).
• He is currently working on a third book: “A Practitioner’s Guide to Personal and Social Rehumanization” [2027]