Sarah Roth Shank, PhD
Senior Consultant, Education Lead
sarah@aspenrestorativeconsulting.com
Sarah Roth Shank is a restorative justice practitioner, researcher and educator. Her PhD research in restorative justice at Victoria University of Wellington examined how restorative justice can expand its reach in institutions and systems while maintaining community involvement and the spirit of restorative principles and values. She has been a Senior Consultant at Aspen since 2017, providing case facilitation, consultation and advise, and leads the organisation's education and training development.
Prior to pursuing a PhD, Sarah lived and worked in Harrisonburg, Virginia where she was the Admissions Director at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU). In this capacity she assisted in the formation of the first Masters Degree in Restorative Justice in North America. Additionally, she is trained in Defensive Victim Outreach (DVO) and worked as a victim liaison on death penalty cases in the state of Virginia. Sarah is also trained in Victim Offender Conferencing and Circle Processes.
She gained a Master's Degree in conflict transformation with a concentration in restorative justice from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at EMU where she served as the graduate assistant to Dr. Carl Stauffer and worked with the Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice.
Sarah enjoys running, playing field hockey, doing pilates and being active with others. She likes exploring new places and cheering for Liverpool football with her partner, Ben, and their two young kids. She loves spending time with her extended family when time and travel allow.