Why We Are the Best Choice for Organizational Restorative Consulting

There are many restorative justice consultants — but very few who bring lived leadership experience, deep organizational trauma literacy, and more than two decades of direct, field-based restorative justice and systems transformation work into every room.

We are not theorists.
We are not teaching frameworks from the outside.

We have lived the realities your organization is navigating.

Get to Know Us

Founded in 2011, Restorative Justice on The Rise is a globally respected platform and institute known for:

Pioneering accessible, grassroots restorative justice education
Nearly 15 years of international teaching, facilitation, and consulting
Bridging relational depth with executive-level and systems strategy
Supporting both institutional leaders and community-based practitioners

Our credibility comes from practice—not theory.

Learn More About RJOTR

Together, our experience includes:

Nonprofit executive leadership under pressure
Board service during periods of deep misalignment
Leadership roles impacted by unresolved organizational trauma
Strategic work behind national and regional movements
Design of policies, programs, and full cultural systems
Frontline restorative justice practice, including early school-based RJ implementation

Neelima Upamaka was a staff member in one of the first school-based restorative justice programs in Oakland, working alongside the late Eric Butler, whose work and leadership are featured in the documentary Circles. That early, on-the-ground experience continues to inform how we approach restorative practice with humility, care, and realism.

We know what it feels like to be inside organizations where:

Burnout is rising
Silos are forming
Conflict is avoided rather than addressed
Leadership tone is misaligned
Trauma cycles repeat
Systems begin to strain or collapse

And we know how to interrupt these patterns and rebuild coherence—because we have spent over 20 years mapping, studying, implementing, and healing these exact dynamics, from the ground level to executive leadership.

Why Organizations Choose Us

We Provide Detailed, Practical, Implementable Pathways

Leaders consistently tell us that our trainings and consulting are among the most detailed, clear, and practical they have experienced.

We do not offer vague advice.

We give organizations clear maps, pathways, and tools that actually work.

We Have Lived the Harm Cycles We Help Transform

Most consultants understand restorative practices conceptually.

We understand them:

From lived experience inside organizations and systems
From navigating and being harmed by organizational dysfunction
From rebuilding leadership capacity and systems expertise after rupture
From supporting teams through their most difficult seasons

This makes our work trauma-responsive, not theoretical.

We Understand Organizations from the Inside — HR, Policy, Power, and Governance

Our work is grounded in:

20+ years of nonprofit and organizational leadership
Deep experience with HR-adjacent roles and staff systems
Policy writing, culture-building, and governance design
Conflict cycles within boards and executive teams
Program scaling, grant management, and structural growth

Many restorative practitioners do not understand this internal terrain.
We do — intimately.

Our Work Is Proven Across Sectors

We have supported:

Universities and higher education systems
District Attorneys, Judges, and justice initiatives
Nonprofits and reentry programs
Faith communities
Government-adjacent agencies
Grassroots and statewide restorative programs
Global and regional organizations

The systems we design are field-tested, trauma-informed, and adaptable across contexts.

We Bring Global Perspective Combined with Practical Tools

Through Restorative Justice on The Rise, we have:

Worked with thousands of practitioners across 40+ countries
Engaged with many of the world’s most respected restorative leaders

Distilled global wisdom into grounded, usable practices organizations can implement immediately.

We Deliver Transformation — Not Just Training

Most consultants deliver a workshop.

We help organizations:

Diagnose organizational climate
Acknowledge and address systemic trauma
Align leadership tone and decision-making
Implement ongoing, rhythm-based practices
Design restorative structures
Support internal facilitators and leaders
Transform culture
Build long-term coherence and sustainability

This is deep systems change, not a one-off session.