Who We Are
We are a diverse group of professionals and community members and welcome participation and collaboration from all individuals interested in restorative practices in Utah. Members of RJCU include practitioners, researchers, educators, community members, and justice professionals.
Educators & Administrators
Teachers and administrators with valuable insight into classroom and school-wide implementation efforts
Justice System Professionals
Juvenile justice professionals with experience in traditional justice and restorative practices
Restorative Justice Experts
RJ experts including researchers and practitioners with expertise in best practices of RJ implementation
CORE TEAM
Bart Mackay
Bart coordinates the Restorative Dialogue Program and Divorce Mediation Program for the Utah State Courts. As a program coordinator, Bart is involved in recruiting, training, and mentoring community volunteers to do group conferencing, victim offender mediation, talking circles, and truancy mediation.
He received his Master's degree in Counseling from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and has a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and a certificate in Criminology and Corrections from the University of Utah. Bart was a juvenile probation officer for approximately 10 years for the Utah Juvenile Courts before joining the Administrative Office of the Courts. In 2001 he made the transition to mediation and Restorative Justice.
Bart lives in St. George with his wife and twin daughters.
Jodie Jones
Jodie is an Assistant Professor at Salt Lake Community College where she teaches courses on Conflict Management & Diversity, and Communication courses. She has taught Restorative Justice courses at Westminster College and currently teaches Effective Communication for Scientist at the University of Utah each fall. She actively volunteers as a mediator for the Juvenile Court Victim-Offender program and she is on the roster of qualified Utah State Court mediators.
Jodie received BA degrees from Southern Utah University in Psychology and in Communication. Her MA degree from California State University in Conflict Resolution, Negotiation, and Peacebuilding provided an opportunity for her to write a thesis, Inviting Forgiveness into a Restorative Justice Process. She earned a Mediation certificate from the University of Utah and, and a certificate for Organizational Conflict Auditing from Pepperdine, University.
Sam (cynthia) mekrut
Sam Mekrut (she/her) is a Master Mediator, Certified Eldercaring Coordinator and experienced facilitator. After working for eight years as a Child Welfare Mediator for Utah’s Administrative Office of the Courts, Sam founded TalkWorks, a private conflict prevention and resolution practice offering mediation, facilitation, restorative conferencing, and training. She also works part-time as Victim Advocate for the Summit County Attorney’s Office, bringing a restorative perspective to providing those affected by crime with compassion and support. She takes a practical approach to resolving conflicts and strongly believes in the transformative power of ensuring individuals’ perspectives are heard, and their needs and desires acknowledged. Prior to becoming a mediator, Sam directed a statewide social justice nonprofit in New Hampshire, building coalitions, lobbying the legislature, and developing strategic grassroots campaigns to advance state/national public policy on a host of issues including access to quality, affordable health care; environmental justice, equity in education; voting rights; and campaign finance reform.
cuong nguyen
Cuong Nguyen works as a Prevention Specialist with the Utah State Board of Education, with a primary focus on restorative practices. In this role, he shares restorative concepts and practices with local education agencies to assist them with student support. Cuong also manages the annual “Do The Write Thing” Challenge, a youth violence prevention initiative for 7th and 8th grade students. Cuong’s secondary responsibilities include gang prevention and intervention, absenteeism, and dropout prevention.
DR. PAULA SMITH
Dr. Paula Smith is a developmental psychologist with expertise in school-based prevention in middle and high schools. She is a dedicated school-based prevention researcher committed to transforming schools into dynamic centers of holistic development. Her primary research interests lie at the intersection of schools and juvenile justice systems, including research on the school-to-prison pipeline, juvenile justice, restorative justice, and how to improve youth access to mental health resources. Professionally, she is a Board Member of the National Prevention Science Coalition and the Restorative Justice Collaborative of Utah. Dr. Smith advocates for socially just and equitable policies and practices in PK-12 schools and other youth-serving agencies.
trevor olsen
Trevor S. Olsen is the Associate Director of School Based Mental Health Center for the University of Utah. Trevor is the former Student Services and Federal Programs Director for the San Juan School District. He is a former Juvenile Justice Youth Services (JJYS) Counselor, Juvenile Probation Officer, School Counselor (Monticello Elementary), and School Administrator (San Juan High). He has a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from Utah Valley University. He has received Graduate (Masters) degrees in Educational Counseling and Educational Leadership and received his Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S) all from Arkansas State University. His most recent awards include “Promising Youth Award,” “Resilient Educator of the Year Award,” and the University of Utah’s K12 Exceptional Administrator/Collaborator of the Year Award for his work in San Juan County Prevention and Education. He is actively involved in educational, nonprofit, service, youth, and community prevention coalition efforts. He has served on the Blanding City Council and numerous committees and currently serves as the Mayor of the City of Blanding.
deborah mcgraw
Deborah McGraw is a court rostered mediator, specializing in conflict resolution and facilitation, communication training, restorative communication, and Circle process. She works in a variety of settings, including private industry, non-profit organizations, municipalities, courtrooms, and with individuals. This includes mediation and facilitation within a broad range of disputes and conversations encompassing conflict resolution, divorce, contracts, settlement renegotiations, multi-party negotiations, and private parties. Deborah received her BA from the University of Denver, and completed training at Utah Dispute Resolution. She is a member of the Utah Counsel on Conflict Resolution, Utah Dispute Resolution, and the Restorative Justice Collaboration of Utah. She participates regularly in continuing education and volunteer programs within the Utah Courts.
nicholas pensari
Nicholas Pensari is the Intergovernmental Liaison with the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office. He has experience spanning criminal justice, behavioral health, nonprofit leadership, and community engagement. A graduate of the University of Utah, Nicholas has worked to strengthen collaboration among government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community partners to improve public safety and expand opportunities for Utah families. He serves in leadership roles with several local coalitions focused on restorative justice, behavioral health, violence prevention, and community city.
brian jones
Brian Jones is the Director of Government Relations for Sentry Financial Corporation in Salt Lake City, Utah. In that role, he collaborates with local and national political, business, and community leaders to identify and facilitate initiatives that allow Sentry to advocate for justice and equality in its community. Brian holds a J.D. from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and History from Arizona State University. Brian serves on the boards and committees of a number of non-profit and community organizations which are dedicated to the work of social reform and equity.