Tarek Maassarani

Coming out of graduate school, Tarek Maassarani first engaged in whisleblower advocacy and practiced public interest and human rights in the District of Columbia. Since 2011, Tarek has been an active restorative justice practitioner.  Tarek first served as the Restorative Justice Coordinator for the Latin American Youth Center, then transitioned to setting up Prince Georges County's first juvenile justice diversion program in partnership with the Department of Juvenile Services, Prince Georges Police Department, Public Defenders' Office, States Attorneys Office, and Maryland Judiciary.  Starting in 2012, Tarek convened and coordinated the DC Alliance for Restorative Practices, a network of practitioners, police, educators, officials, and advocates aimed at supporting the integration of restorative practices in the District.  By 2015, as the need for capacity building arose followed an increase interest in Restorative Justice, Tarek co-founded Restorative DC, a project of the local non-profit, SchoolTalk, to provide training and technical support to local schools, agencies, and communities. As part of Restorative DC, Tarek has supported a whole school implementation model and a youth diversion program in partnership with the Department of Human Service's Alternatives to Court Experience (ACE). Tarek trains, advises, and otherwise supports the DC Office of Attorney General, the Nevada Attorney General's office, and Virginia Commonwealth Attorneys offices across three different jurisdictions in implementing Restorative Justice as an alternative to prosecution. Tarek has trained thousands of educators, youth workers, and others around the United States and internationally. Over the years, Tarek has facilitated hundreds of restorative justice processes, including adult cases of sexual and racial harm and community accountability in activist and faith-based groups. Tarek's life passions also includes community organizing, nonviolent action, mediation, dialogue facilitation, and peace education. Tarek descends from a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-faith family, which includes two beloved sons.