Melody Stanford Martin, MDiv, is a social ethicist, communication expert, and Executive Director of the Restorative Justice Institute. She is the author of Brave Talk: Building Resilient Relationships in the Face of Conflict (Broadleaf Books, 2020) and is the Founder of Cambridge Creative Group, a narrative marketing and visual design company specializing in non-profit outreach. Melody obtained her Masters of Divinity in 2016 from the Religion and Conflict Transformation Program at Boston University School of Theology where she developed a passion for social ethics and anti-oppression work. She has had the honor of working with people across many backgrounds, focusing on restorative practices, rhetorical innovation, courageous community engagement, and out-of-the-box thinking to engage social challenges. Melody has trained teams and leaders at a wide range of organizations, including municipalities, corporations, government agencies, universities, families, and faith communities. She has also had the privilege of being a TEDx speaker and blogging for Psychology Today. In addition to her work in courageous dialogue and restorative justice, Melody is the lead singer and songwriter of the band Falkyn and enjoys living in the Maine woods with her partner Corey and their two golden retrievers, Baxter and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Michael Lockaby, MSW, JD, is a restorative justice practitioner with over 40 years of experience in mediation and an advocate of embodied social justice. As a social worker, he worked in the nonprofit sector, assisting systemically marginalized groups in crafting systems for economic growth. As an attorney, he founded a human rights law firm and practiced holistic law, using both litigation and mediation to help hundreds of people “make better choices in difficult situations.” Michael is a recognized innovator in alternative dispute resolution and a national award-winning mediator. He has served as a court-appointed special master, conference speaker, and law professor. He has worked in international human rights, including on a large-scale project in Africa helping to establish rule-of-law capacity in Namibia, for which he was recognized with an award by the United Nations. As a community leader, he has served on many boards and founded a healing arts center. As a world citizen born in Providence, Rhode Island, and having traveled extensively, he has lived in Ghana, West Africa, where he was inducted into a local tribe. He also lives part-time in Puerto Rico, where he advocates against the vestiges of colonialism. He is most proud of rebuilding his life after suffering from a debilitating syndrome that left him totally disabled for a number of years. He currently serves as a member of the Board of the Restorative Justice Institute.