Meet the PiRC Team
The HRSP team is a passionate, highly experienced, educated and credentialed team of statewide restorative practitioners, consultants and educators. We are partnered with state and national specialists in a variety of restorative approaches and related fields to support this project.
Lisa Bedinger, M.S.
Lisa Bedinger brings a restorative philosophy and practices to how schools operate in order to build an inclusive, vibrant and authentic culture and climate. Her work helps create the conditions for both students and educators to not only flourish when things are going well, but work together towards solutions when things get hard. Working with schools and school districts through all stages of the implementation process, she provides a strong, dependable compass as schools and districts travel towards creating more restorative, equitable and trauma-informed schools.
Lisa’s work is founded in a master’s degree in mediation and applied conflict studies and over 25 years of experience in teaching classes, support groups, and workshops on identity, culture, and their impact upon relationships and opportunity. Inspiring her work is her passion for dialogues on equity issues that aim to repair relationships across lines of difference. Most recently, she worked as the director of the South Burlington Community Justice Center and lead consultant for the Burlington Schools District’s restorative practice implementation efforts. In addition, she has taught classes in restorative justice at Vermont Law School’s Masters in Restorative Justice program and has facilitated hundreds of trainings across the state. She uses a dialogue-based approach for adult learning called Dialogue Education, which results in highly interactive, relevant and inclusive professional learning. She believes that the wisdom and creativity needed to address the important and challenging issues we face in our schools and communities increases when the diversity of voices at the table increases.
Annie O'Shaughnessy, M.Ed.
Annie's dedication to a holistic restorative approach began with her personal experience of the circle process 25 years ago. Having participated in and led circles personally and professionally around the country and in the classroom, she has witnessed the tremendous impact of these experiences on her own and others’ lives. She is a top consultant for schools across Vermont and nationally, supporting schools in trauma informed approaches, equity, mindfulness, social emotional learning and restorative approaches. Annie developed the Holistic Restorative Education Certificate program at Saint Michael’s College. Over the last four years she has consulted, presented, or trained in over 50 schools, districts, and organizations such as the Vermont Principals Association, BEST Institute and Vermont After School. She is passionately committed to supporting teachers and schools in creating more mindful and restorative learning communities. Her many years of experience as a classroom teacher, advanced training in both trauma informed and restorative practices, and a M.Ed. in Mindfulness for Educators, have prepared her well to be of benefit to students, educators and schools as they work to meet the growing challenges facing them. www.truenatureteaching.com
Camille Koosmann, B.S.
Camille is a restorative practitioner, trainer, and coach who has been in the field of restorative practices since graduating from Champlain College in 2016. She has seen firsthand the impact that a restorative approach has on building and maintaining caring, responsive, and connected communities. Camille has worked applying restorative approaches in many settings, most recently in K-12 schools throughout Vermont. Her passion for restorative practices stems from working alongside youth and educators in creating transformational change in classrooms and school communities. Camille formerly led the Restorative Practices in Schools program for the Franklin Grand Isle Restorative Justice Center, serving as the schoolwide restorative practices coordinator for Bakersfield Elementary Middle School as well as providing support, training, and coaching to 9 other schools in Franklin and Grand Isle counties. Independently, she has worked with other restorative practitioners and schools across the state. She brings a background in communication and conflict management as well as a specialization in resource development to her role as the materials specialist for Partners in Restorative Change.
Camille currently lives in Seattle, WA where she enjoys visiting as many local bookstores as possible and exploring the Pacific Northwest.
Susan Cherry, M.Ed.
Susan is the Executive Director of The Community Restorative Justice Center in St. Johnsbury, VT. She has a masters degree in education, Vermont Principal License and 35 years of teaching in the St. Johnsbury Schools. She has experience managing funds from local, State, Federal and other Non-Profit sectors. Her passion is to see restorative practices spread throughout the region in every aspect of community life. “It is the ability to communicate and listen that increases the safety of our State.” Susan has run the Summer Institute for Restorative Practices for seven summers, reaching teachers and staff from over 50 schools around New England. When all agencies work toward the same goals of inclusion, equity, diversity, and hearing the voices of the least heard in our communities, we can see change and experience the opportunities of collaboration.