Julie Craven is the Associate Director of the Initiative on Restorative Justice and Healing (IRJH) at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, working with IRJH Founding Director, Fr. Daniel Griffith. In addition, she supports the restorative justice and healing work and in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Julie is a former communications and marketing executive and brings those skills to her work addressing the secondary harm and the ripple effects of trauma in our communities. She has seen first-hand the power of the circle process and how transformative the experience can be.

IRJH has a three-fold focus that addresses the trauma created by failures in leadership, racial injustice, and polarization. Specifically, this work is centered around legal education, programming, and events. The IRJH looks to build partnerships where it can share experiences, identify best practices, and collaborate, within the Catholic Church and in other settings. The transformative impact of restorative justice is needed, welcomed and unparalleled.

Julie learned about restorative justice and circle practices from the Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Initiative, Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation, and the University of San Diego. She is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in restorative justice at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University.

Julie earned an undergraduate degree from Iowa State University in Human Nutrition and a graduate degree in Food Science from the University of Missouri. In addition, she has earned continuing professional certifications from Harvard Business School, the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business, and the Archbishop Flynn Catechetical Institute Pillars Programs at the Seminaries of Saint Paul.