Lauren Trout (she/they) is a Program Associate in WestEd’s Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities content area. Lauren works with schools, communities, and larger education and justice systems to provide training, coaching, and technical support around equity, climate and culture, conflict resolution, and harm prevention. A restorative justice practitioner by profession, Lauren uses restorative theory to shift trauma-informed practice, social-emotional well-being, and relationship-centered learning from being siloed programs into being paradigms, collective values, and guiding principles that inform and are embedded in structures and organizational culture. Lauren specializes in using a restorative justice paradigm to transform systems of power, helping to create climates that are inclusive, safe, and anti-oppressive.

Sandra Azevedo, MA, PPS, is a Coordinator of Continuous Improvement for Butte County Office of Education. She has worked in education for over 25 years supporting special education, Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), Social & Emotional Learning (SEL), equity efforts, and a leadership network. Sandra has contributed to a number of guides and publications, including Social and Emotional Learning in CA: A Guide to Resources Wiki Wisdom/Beyond Differences report, Advancing SEL Amid a Pandemic and National Awakening to Systemic Racism and the Guidebook for Thrive’s Children’s Resilience Initiative. Sandra is a trainer for Restorative Practices after receiving training through the International Institute of Restorative Practices (IIRP), and she is a steering committee member for her local healing center, ACEs Collaborative, as well as for a multi-county regional ACEs Collaborative.

Toby Espley (she/her) is the Restorative Practices Coordinator at the Orange County Department of Education in Learning Support Services. The focus of her work consists of Restorative Practices, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Early Childhood Education, and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) within the California Multi-Tiered System of Supports (CAMTSS). With over twenty years of experience in education, Toby continues to bring current research and best practices to support professional development for the PK–12 continuum. She holds a master‘s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in child development.

Annabel Lee (she/her) is a Family Engagement Facilitator in WestEd’s Quality Schools and Districts content area. She is currently a trainer and coach for Academic Parent-Teacher Teams (APTT), through which she supports and builds the capacity of teachers and leaders from preK through high school to implement effective family engagement practices. Annabel has worked with teachers and leaders on developing reading and math curricula, designing assessments, and conducting instructional rounds, and she has served as a teacher and principal.

Maria Paredes (she/her) is a Senior Engagement Manager in WestEd’s Quality Schools and Districts content area. Maria developed Academic Parent-Teacher Teams (APTT), a strengths-based model of family engagement designed to strengthen the capacity of teachers and families to transform family participation in their children’s education. She has partnered with state departments, districts, and schools to support needs assessment, program development, professional learning, and integration of effective family engagement practices into all areas of school improvement.