Turning Point Partners of Louisiana

Lou Furman is Director of Turning Point Partners of Louisiana.   He is seen here leading a circle for the Conservation Corps of Greater New Orleans.  Just one of the many collaborations of TPPL, the Corps served as an umbrella organization for 7 “green” oriented organizations.

Lou is a Trainer Associate for the Victim Offender Mediation Association, a certified trainer in Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (the STAR program developed at Eastern Mennonite University), a Registered Drama Therapist and Professor Emeritus at Washington State University.  In addition, he is a trainer for the Global Facilitators’ Service Corps an organization that responds to trauma worldwide.  A Victim Outreach Specialist, he serves as Coordinator for the Defense Initiated Victim Outreach program in Louisiana.

Certified as a teacher in Washington and Louisiana, his  focus is youth in crisis. He has established programs in alternative and charter schools as well as worked extensively with incarcerated youth.  He has facilitated numerous restorative practice trainings as well as provided services to students in schools and youth in the juvenile justice system.

Susan Norwood is a mediator, consultant and trainer active in educational and juvenile justice settings.  She has conducted trainings for court personnel, truancy officers, child protection workers, probation officers and others interested in restorative justice practices.  In schools, Ms. Norwood promotes alternative dispute resolution, including mediation and restorative discipline programs.

Susan has been the Executive Director of the Family Mediation Council of Louisiana, the professional association that provides ongoing training for professionals and promotes public awareness of the benefits of family mediation.  She was a founding board member of Community Mediation Services in New Orleans and served on the board of Capitol Area Community Mediation Center in Baton Rouge.

She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana, a National Board Certified Counselor, a qualified Juvenile and Child Custody Mediator in Louisiana, and a trained Victim Outreach Specialist.  She has been a practicing family mediator since 1993.

Marie-Isabelle Pautz has a wide range of experience in community work. Her background is in community organizing. In the wake of Katrina and Rita, she organized healing circles and a campaign for public transportation (to isolated FEMA trailers) with hurricane survivors. She was a founding organizer for a food security non-profit (EarthShareGardens.org) and has worked in organizational and service roles with community gardens, CSAs, food justice, and horticultural therapy projects. She has experience working with at risk youth and empowering people in crisis, in a variety of roles, including as a co-director of an emergency housing shelter.Marie-Isabelle is most passionate about introducing the restorative practices approach in various systems and settings. She has introduced a restorative approach to early childhood education, focusing on character and social-emotional development (http://www.safersanerschools.org/library/rp_preschool.html). She has experience facilitating restorative justice processes in school and juvenile justice settings and regularly facilitates trainings. She has a Master’s in Restorative Practices and Youth Counseling from the International Institute for Restorative Practices and is a licensed trainer with IIRP. She has also received training at Eastern Mennonite University and from other Restorative Justice organizations.

Although now full time program Coordinator for the Center for Restorative Approaches at Neighborhood Housing Services where she is responsible for training and direct service in a whole school transformation project, she remains a consultant for Turning Point Partners