Education
B.A. in Visual Arts, Goshen College, 2013
Master of Philosophy in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation, Irish School of Ecumenics, 2017
Biography
Laurel joined the staff of the Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (KIPCOR) in August 2022. As the Restorative Schools Initiative (RSI) Training Coordinator, she manages the development and coordination of all restorative practices training for schools and individuals throughout the state of Kansas, as well as envisioning new ways to expand the Kansas Restorative Schools Network, a state-wide network for resource-sharing, connection, and community-building.
Laurel holds a B.A. in Visual Arts from Goshen College (Goshen, IN), and an M.Phil in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation from the Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin (Belfast, Northern Ireland). Her thesis project was entitled “Museums As Cultural Peacebuilders: Do post-conflict museum efforts contribute to sustainable peace?” She is a Kansas State Supreme Court-approved parent/adolescent and core mediator, as well as an experienced restorative justice practitioner and group facilitator. Laurel has a special interest in the intersection of creative practices and conflict resolution skills, and has studied various methods for representing trauma & resilience, conflict transformation, and healing through art.
Since her first encounter with restorative practices through the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program in Elkhart (IN), Laurel has been involved in youth diversion initiatives, trauma and resilience training, program development, and community-based mediation. In addition to her earlier collaborations with KIPCOR as a contract facilitator, Laurel worked as a practitioner with Center for Restorative Programs (Alamosa, CO), Center for Community Justice (Elkhart, IN), and WAVE Trauma Centre (Belfast, Northern Ireland). Most recently she served as the Executive Director of Offender/Victim Ministries (Newton, KS).
In her spare time, Laurel performs with the Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony Orchestra and enjoys creative projects whether through baking, music-making, or gardening. Laurel lives in Newton with her partner, Ben and their two children.
