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

John K. Weiss

Sheena Crenshaw