John K. Weiss
Director of Strategic Initiatives
John Weiss (he, him) has worked with diverse populations of youth, youth programs, and schools for nearly 30 years. He served as the Executive Director of the Neutral Zone (NZ) for 9 years, starting in 2005, and currently serves as its Director of Strategic Initiatives. John is one of the lead developers of the Youth Driven Spaces model, leading the organization’s development, training, and coaching work with after-school and school-based programs. He is also one of the lead developers and trainers in the organization's work to disseminate restorative practices (RP). John is trained in both the IIRP model of RP and in Peace Making Circles (Kay Pranis model).
John worked in the Ypsilanti and Willow Run Schools as a teacher. He also served for 7 years as the Director of the Adolescent Division at the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, where he was part of the original team that developed and tested the Youth Program Quality Assessment. He also worked as a teacher in the Peace Corps in W. Africa. John has lived in Ypsilanti for 27 years, with his family.
Email John!
weiss@neutral-zone.org
Sheena Crenshaw
YDS Manager
Sheena (she/her)was born and raised in Philly and it was there that she developed a commitment to educational justice. She arrived in Detroit several years ago to teach high school English, where her practice as an educator was truly transformed through working with teaching artists and staff at People in Education. In her words, it felt like a calling to make change through collective work and community, and she’s done this as an organizer formally and informally over the years, both in and outside the classroom. Along the way, she also added on cherished identity-- mom, to a wonderfully bright and brilliant six-year-old. Sheena is also a member of the People in Education (PIE) Advisory Board.
Email Sheena!
sheena@neutral-zone.org
Megan Mueller Johnson
Youth Driven Spaces Manager
Megan Mueller Johnson (she/her) serves as a Youth Driven Spaces Manager and has worked with young people for over a decade throughout the Midwest. Much of Megan’s experience as a youth worker has been coordinating Youth Advisory Boards, both citywide and organization-based, and afterschool program evaluation cycles. Prior to joining Neutral Zone, Megan was involved in several capacity building projects destigmatizing HIV prevention and treatment and trained healthcare providers in patient-facing approaches to care.
At Neutral Zone Megan’s role connects capacity building and community engagement through her work as a Restorative Practices and Youth Driven Spaces trainer, IGNITE! Next Gen Leaders and the Youth Driven Spaces Conference Adult Advisor, and YDS organizational coach. Megan was transformed by her experiences participating in youth-led spaces as a young adult, and aims to center youth voice, community building practices, creative expression, and shared growth in all that she does.
Email Megan!
megan@neutral-zone.org
Bubbles DuMouchel
YDS Capacity Builder
Bubbles DuMouchel (she/any) serves as The Neutral Zone’s YDS Capacity Builder. She has studied and trained in YDS theory, restorative practices, and conflict resolution since her junior year of high school.
Bubbles started at The Neutral Zone in the summer camp programs and became increasingly more involved through her high school career but she mostly spent her time in the music programs. She was recruited for Lead Team/Teen Leadership Crew where she really got to explore the training and facilitating aspect of YDS theory and grew to love it. Bubbles has trained all sorts of groups from youth activists to pre-school teachers.
Currently a student at Berklee College of Music, Bubbles still focuses most of her time on school, music, restorative practices, and her cats, Pabu and Honk.
Email Bubbles!
bubbles@neutral-zone.org
Owen Bondono
Restorative Practices Trainer
Owen Bondono (he/they) is an English teacher, Restorative Practices Trainer/Field Consultant, and the 2021 Michigan Teacher of the Year. He specializes in growing student empathy, critical thinking, and communication skills in spaces where they are safe and empowered. Bondono believes advocacy drives all good teaching and works to grow anti-racist and queer-affirming practices in classrooms, including facilitating anti-racist and queer-affirming professional development for educators across the state of Michigan and beyond. In his spare time, Owen is a writer, the Detroit Municipal Liaison for National Novel Writing Month, and a Dungeons and Dragons player.
Desiree’ Fuller
Restorative Practices Trainer
Desiree’ Fuller Ed.S (she/her) is a transformative educational leader who has worked within the field of education for 20 years. Desiree' is passionate about school culture, education policy and educational equity for minority populations. Desiree' participates in multiple elite fellowships, works with DEI leaders within the Michigan Department of Education, serves as Vice President of a school board for a charter school in Oakland County, and provides Anti-Racist professional development for educators in Michigan.
With the Neutral Zone, Desiree’ serves as a Restorative Practices Trainer/ Field Consultant. Desireé loves to assist the participants with experiencing the joy in building relationships with school community stakeholders and building a positive school culture.
Suzie Staley
YDS Mentor & Field Consultant
Suzie (She, Her, Hers) served as the Assistant Executive Director at the Neutral Zone and is now a field consultant. Prior to joining the Neutral Zone, she was the Director of the Youth Mentorship Program at The Henry Ford, for fourteen years. Her endeavors include a plethora of nonprofit participation such as: mentoring, education, youth advocacy, and much more. Additionally, Suzie has had many roles with The Weikart Center including, coach, consultant, and external assessor. Suzie has also served as a facilitator and trainer for Wayne and Westland Youth Assistance Programs. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to connect with youth serving programs!
Suzie is a lifelong learner, continuing to go to school at Eastern Michigan University, she is currently a Doctoratal Candidate in Educational Leadership. She has earned a Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership, a Masters Degree in Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts, and a Bachelors Degree in Communication, Media, and Theater Arts.
Email Suzie!
suzie@neutral-zone.org
Jamall Bufford
Jamall Bufford (He, Him, His) is the Project Specialist for Washtenaw My Brother’s Keeper. Bufford’s background is as a Hip-Hop artist; recording under the name Buff1, led to his passion of working with young people. He spent over four years working at the Neutral Zone as an Emcee Workshop Facilitator and its Music Coordinator. Jamall has also worked as a Paraprofessional working with emotionally impaired middle school students in Ann Arbor Schools before his WMBK role. Jamall serves as both a YDS and a restorative practices trainer.
Sharonda Simmons
Sharonda (She, Her, Hers) has a deep-rooted passion for social justice and has served as a trained facilitator in Intergroup Dialogue for over 15 years. She has trained and facilitated social identity development curriculum for universities, educators, non-profit professionals, and community members since 2007.
Sharonda most recently served on the Executive Team at Ozone House as Director of Education and Outreach, overseeing the agency’s community outreach and education initiatives. Prior to working at Ozone House, Sharonda served as the Executive Director of Arrowwood Hills Community Center where spearheaded the agency’s re-visioning and capacity building efforts. Sharonda also served as the Program Director at Neutral Zone where she also helped build the Youth Driven Spaces work as it began.
In 2019 Sharonda was selected as one of 18 leaders of color to participate in the Champions for Change Fellowship, a year-long fellowship aimed at addressing social justice, racial equity, and increasing diverse leadership in the non-profit sector. Sharonda has the honor of serving in a variety of volunteer leadership positions. She served on the Board of Directors for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network and currently serves as a Board Trustee for the Women’s Center of Southeastern Michigan.
Sharonda has earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in English and African American Studies. When she is not inspiring others you'll find her in the boxing ring and spending time with family and friends.
Laenne Thompson
YDS & Restorative Practices Trainer and Consultant
Laenne (she|hers) is a southeast Michigan-based independent consultant who has worked with youth-serving programs and out-of-school time Intermediaries for over 20 years. She has presented, trained, coached community- and school-based programs, as well as city and statewide program Quality Improvement Systems nationally for over 12 years while working at High Scope Educational Research Foundation, two youth-serving programs in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the Forum for Youth Investment’s Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality. She has vast experience developing and leading workshops for adults and youth, mapping curriculum to outcomes, assessing quality along with facilitating data-driven decision-making. She was part of the original team that developed and tested the Youth Program Quality Assessment and coordinated the Youth Program Quality Intervention Validation Study. During a recent five-year project with the Wallace Foundation, the Partnerships for Social and Emotional Learning Initiative, she supported three communities in their efforts to strengthen partnerships between the school districts and out-of-school time providers to coordinate, align, and improve social and emotional awareness and practices among adults as they increased opportunities for social and emotional learning among K-5 students.
Laenne spent a year studying in Florence, Italy and is a graduate of University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources. She is an avid cook, dog lover, hiker, kayaker, and traveler who loves to speak Italian.
Email Laenne!
leanne@neutral-zone.org