Mark K. Thomas
Mark is the new Restorative Justice Coordinator at Community Boards. He became interested in psychology, restorative spiritual practices, and service to humanity as a teenager; then went to college as a psychology major. Shockingly, he went from honor student to convicted bank robber within a year of dropping out of college. However, after being sentenced to a total of 26 years, he learned significant lessons from his 13-year experience with crime and prison.
While incarcerated, Mark became an adult education instructor and an Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) facilitator. AVP introduced him to restorative practices and facilitation. After completing his BA in Social Science in prison, Mark went immediately to grad school at CIIS on release, and earned a MA in East-West Psychology.
Though Mark’s career path as an educator and restorative practices facilitator started in prison, he also went through San Francisco’s jails, communities, streets, and homeless shelters as an adult education instructor and restorative justice practitioner. Additionally, he has been certified by IIRP to facilitate restorative justice conferencing and restorative practices training workshops.