Eloise Sepeda
Dr. Sepeda offers local, state, and national specialized trauma-informed and culturally responsive restorative-transformative justice (RJTJ) training, coaching, and implementation for multidisciplinary services and individuals to promote healing-centered engagement & wellness.
Eloise Sepeda, D. DiV, C-NLPC
Dr. Sepeda is a Latina and Native Roots of the Kickapoo Nation and a child/adult survivor of family & stranger sexual violence, strangulation, stalking, gangs, substance abuse, and homelessness. Despite the high risks of lethal violence and becoming a teen mom, she is resilient! Since 1999, Eloise has used her personal & professional survivor leader experiences to guide her work and advocacy.
As a national SME Restorative-Transformative Justice Practitioner, she believes in decolonizing restorative practices and centering the voices of people who are marginalized and disproportionately overrepresented in carceral systems of oppression, modern-day colonization of family surveillance, and separation. She uses her unique expertise at the intersections of Violence & Abuse, Child Welfare & multi-systems to advance racial equity, and human-centered engagement to promote overall safety, justice, family preservation, healing, and well-being for every person impacted and/or who caused harm seeking to make wrongs right.
She has coauthored RJ curricula with the University of Texas Austin & Texas State University and specialized training for Educators, Law Enforcement, Crisis Services, and Physical/Mental Health providers.
Current Roles:
Founder, Harmony One Restorative Justice | www.bethechange.tools
National Restorative Justice Practioner, Author, Public Speaker, Trainer
Certified NLP & CBT Coach
Certified Professional & Personal Coach
Certified Human Rights Advocate
Certified TBRI Practitioner
Currently, Eloise is a Consultant and Cohort Leader for UJIMA: The National Center on Violence against Women in the Black Community, “Women Transforming Families (WTF): Rising to End Violence, Oppression and the Legacy of Trauma” project as a Fellow. In the project, Eloise serves with the Texas Working At the Intersection of Safe Families (TWAIS). The purpose of this project is to empower Black, Native American, and Latine cohort leaders and their respective communities at large with knowledge, skills, and resource tools to provide leadership in transforming the safety, health, and well-being of survivors of violence against women and their children. who are, or who are at risk of being surveilled and monitored by the child welfare system.
Eloise is also a consultant and an advisor on the Futures without Violence’s Child Welfare Accountability Committee and seeks to change the perspective of policymakers, and policies that are harmful to survivor families who are in the child welfare system.
The WTF Cohort leaders of Texas, Detroit, and Minnesota share their personal and professional experiences through the documentary "Undeterred".
Community Service & Support:
Board Member - Man In Me and National Domestic Violence Collaborative
Member of ATC Domestic Violence Task Force, Child Welfare Race Equity Collaborative, Central Health Equity Policy Council, Integral Care PNAC Adv Committee, TWAIS
Appointed Former Community Development Commissioner, District 2, Travis County (former)
Awards & Public Speaking
2024 IIRP World, Detroit Conference Presenter
2024 Be The Bridge Summitt Presenter, Atlanta
2023 National Courageous Conversations Presenter
2023 Keynote Speaker at Futures Without Violence, Restorative Justice & Community Solutions Convening, Washington D.C.
2022 Keynote Speaker at Texas Council Family Violence Domestic Violence & Intersections Conference
2022 National Speaker at National Educators Restorative Discipline Conference
Awarded 2022 Victim Rights Awareness Central Texas - Survivor Leader Award
Awarded 2021 NAACP for Outstanding Community Engagement to Promote Equity and Public Safety
Awards: Recognition Award 2013 of continued Youth and Faculty Support: Ron Gonzalez, Mendez Middle School
Awarded 2014 for Betterment of Community: Margaret J. Gomez, Travis County Commissioner
Awarded 2014 Recognition of Demonstrating Leadership and Service: Eddie Rodriguez, State of Texas Representative.
Awarded 2016 Outstanding Leadership & Community Service Supporting Dove Springs Youth & Families: Judith Zaffirini, State Senator District 21
Awarded 2016 Dedicated Efforts and Achievements in Community: Lloyd Doggett, House of Representatives
Natl’ Presenter at 2017 SXSW for “Utilizing Restorative Practices to Support the Community with a Trauma-Informed Approach”
Presenter at 2018 International Restorative Conference for “Utilizing Restorative Practices for Prevention and Intervention to Support Survivors of Family Violence, Sexual Assault & Exploitation”
Presenter at 2018 Harris County Department of Education Safety Summit for “Prevention & Intervention tools for School, Family and Community” and “Utilizing Restorative Practices for School Safety to create prevention and intervention systems of support to address Child Safety.
Presenter at 2018 Harris County Department of Education Human Trafficking Prevention & Intervention Summit
Presenter at 2018 Foster Community, Family Violence Trauma-Informed Conference,
Presenter 2019 for Insight Psychology, Intersections of Family Violence and Child Protective Services
Author: (Community Curriculum) Trauma-Informed Church
Published Materials
Books, Articles and Curricula (Authored, Contributed or Cited):
Coauthored: Colorizing Restorative Practices, Living Justice Press [Sign up to receive the release date! 2023]
Coauthored: Restorative Discipline Practices [2016]
Coauthored curricula with UT Austin & Texas State University (TCOLE)
Podcast Interview with Dr. Sepeda:
Be The Bridge: Ep 277 | Decolonized Restorative & Transformative Justice Work with Dr. Eloise Sepeda
Digging Deeper (link coming soon 2023)
Bring Freedom: Persons with Lived Experience Podcast (link coming soon 2023)