Instructor Profiles

Susan Baker, Manager, Conflict Management Certificate Program.

Jennifer Ball, PhD, RPP, MCIP, holds a PhD in Rural Studies, with a focus on Sustainable Rural Communities, from the University of Guelph. Her research interests pertain broadly to women’s community based peacebuilding, Circle as pedagogy & community engagement process, community resilience, rural planning & community development, and narrative methodologies.

Her three books reflect this range: Better Decisions Together: A Facilitation Guide for Community Engagement (2015), All Are My Children: Voices of Ugandan Women Peacebuilders (2014), Doing Democracy with Circles: Engaging Communities in Public Planning (2010). Jennifer is a registered professional planner and worked for several years in rural Ontario. Jennifer spent many years as a professor in the Peace and Conflicts Studies academic program at the University of Waterloo, and has been co-leading the Peacemaking Circles training within the Conflict Management Certificate Program since 2011. Jennifer is an Adjunct Faculty with the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph. In her research and practice, Jennifer bridges African and Canadian contexts.

Kathyana Carvajal, BA.  Understanding who we are, how we show up in difficult situations, and learning from each other with humility are all critical elements of flourishing diverse communities. As a Sulah Service Coordinator at CJI, I am honoured to accompany communities exploring stories around identity and harm that centers identity.  In my role as Service Coordinator of Community Mediation Services, I am committed to supporting those seeking to reimagine relationships and co-create meaningful conversations.

Through my Bachelor of Knowledge Integration, with Joint Honours in Psychology, I honed interdisciplinary skills of drawing connections from differing ways of knowing to navigate complex situations. This education supports my capacity to be present to multiple perspectives. I embrace a person-centered approach, holding the strong conviction that we are each the experts of our lives and value the sacredness of sharing these stories. Outside of work, I find joy in moments with nature, reading in a hammock, and laughing with loved ones.

Cayla is a Consultant with Credence and Company. Cayla brings over 13 years of experience implementing Change Management and Dispute Resolution strategies within public sector workplaces, private sector businesses, and not-for-profit organizations. With a Conflict Management and Mediation Certificate and Business Administration & Marketing Diploma, Cayla is an influential communicator with a dynamic presence and a genuine passion for empowering individuals and teams to “see what is possible” and to help teams build a future that aligns with their needs, goals, and objectives.

Cayla leverages her professional and educational expertise to support marginalized communities. Cayla sits on the Black Brilliance Advisory Committee of the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB), a committee developed to better understand and eradicate the impact of anti-Black racism in the school board. Cayla also supports members of WRDSB schools navigate racially charged disputes by facilitating workshops and group mediations, consulting with administration, developing systems of communication and student support structures, and creating a code of ethics and risk management plans.

Kate is the Executive Director of Community Justice Initiatives (CJI). Prior to working at CJI, Kate spent most of her career working with women impacted by violence, as well as opportunities to work with criminalized youth, homeless women and sexually abused men,leading to a fuller understanding of how people can fall through the cracks and often become criminalized.

With an M.A. in Leadership from the University of Guelph, Kate is inspired and equipped to lead and support teams through unique and meaningful work, joining the work of the restorative justice movement to tackle both personal and systemic issues through a context of learning and support.

Michelle is committed to collaborative approaches to building just and trauma-informed communities and is passionate about co-creating the conditions for meaningful accountability and healing when harm has occurred.

At Community Justice Initiatives (CJI) Michelle oversees dialogue services for community members impacted by sexual harm through the Facilitated Dialogue program. Michelle's path to this work began over 15 years ago as a volunteer with CJI's Revive program and with Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA).

Michelle holds a MA in Conflict Transformation, and co-authored The Little Book of Restorative Justice for Sexual Abuse: Hope through Trauma (2015).  Michelle's teaching experience includes teaching the Restorative Justice course offered by the Peace and Conflict Studies Department at the University of Waterloo from 2014-2024.

Prior to joining CJI in summer 2026, Michelle worked throughout Canada and the U.S. with Just Outcomes, a team committed to using restorative approaches to shift culture and policies within large organizations toward being more equitable, trauma-informed, and restorative. That work spanned large institutional repair processes, proactive culture building and training, and dialogues with people impacted by conflict and violence.

Dr. Barbara Landau, PhD, LLB., LLM., CMed, President of Cooperative Solutions, is a psychologist, lawyer, and an accredited family mediator - Family Mediation Canada (FMC), as well as a certified comprehensive family mediator from Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Institute, and trainer.

Alley holds a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Waterloo, and a Certificate in Conflict Management and Mediation from Grebel and the University of Waterloo. She is a restorative justice practitioner and serves as a Service Coordinator of the Restorative Responses to Harm and Crime Program at Community Justice Initiatives (CJI). Previously, she served as the Service Coordinator for CJI’s Caregiver Teen Program.

Alley is an Accredited Family Mediator and a Chartered Community Mediator, and in her role, she walks alongside families and community members to navigate, manage and transform conflict. Her practice includes conflict coaching, mediation, facilitation, and circle keeping, all grounded in restorative principles and trauma-informed approaches.

Kevin McDonald, has had a long and diverse career in operational environments. As an aviator in the Canadian Air Force, Kevin was the acting commanding officer of an operational flying squadron shortly after 9/11, when the world changed immeasurably for us all. 

In the almost 2 decades since, Kevin has served as an internal ADR resource within the Canadian Armed Forces, Atomic Energy of Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He has been on the forefront of creating culture change, one conversation at a time in environments where interpersonal conflict can mean the difference between life and death.

Malcolm holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy and is a graduate of the Certificate in Conflict management and Mediation.

Kay Pranis is a leader and trainer in restorative justice, specializing in peacemaking circles. She served as the restorative justice planner for the Minnesota Department of Corrections from 1994 to 2003. Since 1998, Kay has developed and conducted circles training not only in the justice system, but also in education, faith communities, social services and neighbourhood settings.

Marshall Schnapp BA, JD, LLM (ADR), is an Associate with Agree Incorporated.  Marshall helps organizations, people and lawyers resolve disputes efficiently and successfully.  His services include training, workplace and civil mediations, workplace assessments, ombuds services, conflict management system design, workplace investigations, facilitations, coaching and arbitration services.  

Jason Spencer, (BA) is currently Mediation Program Coordinator at Community Justice Initiatives (CJI). Jason has completed the Certificate of Conflict Management and Mediation and has gone on to complete all the requirements for accreditation as a Family Mediator. Through living in community, Jason has discovered two common responses to conflict. Resilient people build consensus as they collaborate to solve the problem.

Jeremy Steffler, MASc, PEng, is a graduate of the Certificate in Conflict Management and Mediation offered at Conrad Grebel University College and a certified Personality Dimensions® trainer.

Shelley Stirling-Boyes BA, AccFM is a Senior Associate with Agree Incorporated and has been in the ADR field for 23 years.  Her current services include workplace mediation, workplace assessments, conflict management coaching, partnering facilitation services and the development and delivery of customized conflict management and communication skills training. She is also an experienced comprehensive family mediator.

Andrew Suderman, PhD, MTS, currently serves as the Secretary of Mennonite World Conference’s Peace Commission and has been an Associate Professor in Theology, Peace, and Mission at Eastern Mennonite University for the past 10 years. Prior to that, Andrew spent seven years in South Africa, which included completing his PhD at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.  Andrew’s particular interest lies in exploring how we embody our theological convictions and how our lived experience and journey affect the way in which we understand God’s work and mission in the world. Throughout his life, Andrew has sought ways to balance the academy and classroom on the one hand, while also finding ways of participating in different struggles and lived ministerial and practical experiences on the other.
After completing his MTS at Grebel in 2009 and working outside Canada for the past 17 years, Andrew and his family have returned to Ontario, where Andrew will also be teaching a class in the Master of Peace and Studies program on Culture, Religion, and Peacebuilding.

Rebecca Sutherns PhD, CPF, is the founder and principal of Sage Solutions – a Guelph-based consulting firm that specializes in customized facilitation, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement and coaching services.

Mark Weber, PhD, MBA, MA  is the Eyton Director of the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship & Business at the University of Waterloo (UW), ranked Canada’s most innovative university for 26 consecutive years. Prior to his current role, Mark was the inaugural Director of the Graduate Diploma in Social Innovation at UW and served on the faculty of the Rotman School of Management and UTM at the University of Toronto.