Staff
Troi Bechet (she/her) is the founder and CEO of the Center for Restorative Approaches. Troi earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of New Orleans and Master’s in Social Work from Southern University at New Orleans and has over 25 years of administrative experience. Prior to her work with CRA, she worked as the Director of the Community Building Initiative at Neighborhood Housing Services, and served as the Director of the New Orleans Theater Association, as well as the Vice President of Operations at the Private Industry Council of New Orleans.
Email: tbechet@thecra.net
Kai Werder LMSW (they/them) is the Deputy Director with the Center for Restorative Approaches. They aim to curate healing spaces that invite curiosity, connection, and transformation. Kai is a community care practitioner who has a decade of experience providing social-justice informed education and healing support. Their work in restorative justice began in 2012 as an accountability board member at Family of Woodstock in the Hudson Valley, NY, where they are from. Prior to joining CRA, Kai worked at Spring Up as Care Lead providing educational content around transformative justice, consent and gender, and abolition. They believe that individual and interpersonal healing lends itself to systemic transformation and vice versa.
Email: kwerder@thecra.net
Jen Pagan (she/her) is a Restorative Approaches Specialist with the Center for Restorative Approaches facilitating restorative circles and training school faculty and staff in Restorative Approaches. Prior to her work with the CRA, Jen served as the Artistic Director for InterACT NOLA, a theatre program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities at the Arc of Greater New Orleans. During her six year tenure as the Marketing Director for Whole Foods Market, she developed strong community partnerships with local schools and programs including the Rethinkers, Grow Dat Youth Farm, Liberty’s Kitchen, Tulane School of Public Health, Café Reconcile and the Emeril Lagasse Foundation among others, to address healthy school lunch initiatives, youth development and food security. Additionally Jen brings twenty years of experience in youth arts programming as an administrator, performing artist and educator with non-profit arts organizations and schools such as Young Audiences, LA Children’s Museum, Contemporary Arts Center, McMain High School and Crocker Elementary. She is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory in Acting & Writing and is a certified Talent Teacher in Theatre Arts.
Email: jpagan@thecra.net
Earl K. Truvia (he/him) is a Violence Interruption Program Facilitator with CRA. He was born in Crystal Springs, Mississippi, raised in the Calliope Project, is the fourth son of Mr. and Mrs. Truvia, the sibling of two sisters, and four brothers. Earl attended Booker T. Washington High School where he unfortunately didn’t get the opportunity to graduate because of a wrongful arrest, conviction, and life sentence at Angola State Penitentiary. Once released, Earl was sentenced to three years of probation for a rightful arrest and conviction. Since then, Earl has worked as a paralegal and investigator at numerous prestigious law firms, a parole advocate at The First 72+, and as an outreach coordinator for the Total Alternative Sentence Program. Earl is working towards his Criminal Justice degree at Dillard University.
Email: etruvia@thecra.net