Our Staff & Board

Lauren Abramson, PhD
Founder, Executive Director, Community Conferencing Center
Assistant Professor, Child Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
(410) 889-7400

Lauren Abramson is a psychologist who has worked with children and families in communities for the past 25 years. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Community Conferencing Center in Baltimore, Maryland and Assistant Professor (part-time) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Lauren focused attention on Community Conferencing in Baltimore in 1995. She advances conferencing as a means of building social capital and collective efficacy on many levels, including:

• empowering individuals and communities to resolve their own conflicts
• keeping young people out of the criminal justice system, and
• mobilizing the existing untapped human assets in communities.

Lauren publishes articles on both the theoretical and empirical socio-political aspects of conferencing. The work of the Community Conferencing Center is groundbreaking for its multi-sector use of conferencing in highly distressed urban American communities.

Conferencing has helped Lauren learn that: while we can learn about conflict resolution through books and concepts, conflict--and personal--transformation happens through relationships and meaningful emotional experiences.

Nicole "Nikki" Glass-Brice
Deputy Director
(410) 889-7400

Since arriving in Baltimore in 1992, Nikki has worked in nonprofit development, helping to raise funds for local and national organizations.

Over the past 5 years, she has moved into providing direct service working as a Community Conferencing Facilitator for the Community Conferencing Center. In addition to facilitation, she has served as the organization's Office Manager and is currently Deputy Director of the organization. She provides community outreach, facilitates training efforts for Community Conferencing and the Daily Rap program, and oversees the day-to-day operations of the Community Conferencing Center.

Nikki graduated from Morgan State University in 1997 with a B.S. in Psychology, and has completed graduate course work in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at University of Baltimore.

Conferencing has helped Nikki learn that: she truly cares about the participants making their situations better, especially the children.

Cindy Lemons
Facilitator, Community Conferencing Center
(410) 889-7400

Cindy Lemons has been a staff facilitator with the Community Conferencing Center since 2004. Her previous work as a community organizer allowed many opportunities for community conferencing in the neighborhoods of southeast Baltimore. She became excited about the process after participating in a Community Conference and she was trained in 1999.

As a seasoned staff facilitator, Cindy's life experiences contribute greatly to her effectiveness. Her abilities are apparent time and again as she provides a safe space for participants to come up with their own resolutions, many of which she could not imagine.

Conferencing has helped Cindy learn to: trust the process.

Kimberley Scott
Daily Rap Coordinator, Community Conferencing Center
(410) 889-7400

Kimberley began her new adventure with the Community Conferencing Center in August 2010.  She has her MS Ed in Counseling and most recently was the Student Support Manager at Montebello Elementary-Junior Academy.   She has worked in NYS as a School Counselor with the Rochester City School District, as well as a Crisis Counselor with the Rochester Police Department’s FACIT Team.  In addition to being a counselor, she is classically trained singer.  Her passion for music has taken her to several different countries, numerous states and to Broadway; She presently sings with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society.  Through her counseling and singing, Kimberley desires to be one of God’s vessels, by making a positive impact on the lives of those she comes in contact with.

Conferencing has helped Kimberley learn that: If we are honest with ourselves and willing to work through our “stuff”, we each have the same basic desires; the desire to be loved, appreciated, connected, and respected.

Lacey Benton
Trainer & Facilitator, Community Conferencing Center
(410) 889-7400

Lacey Benton has been an entrepreneur for over 30 years, acquiring skills in public speaking, business ownership, youth development and non-profit management. She has been a Volunteer Facilitator with the Community Conferencing Center since 1998 and has been training teachers in the Daily Rap program for the past three years.

Lacey has extensive experience in designing and implementing quality after school programs for teens throughout Baltimore City and was a recipient of a Community Fellowship Award from the Open Society Institute in 2000. She has provided opportunities for high school teens in areas of job readiness, cultural enrichment, youth entrepreneurship and civic engagement. Lacey is qualified to administer the Myers-Brigs Type Indicator and has presented workshops and trainings to nonprofit organizations, assisting them in improving communication skills, increasing productivity and learning to value and work with the strengths of others. Lacey maintains a flair for communicating enthusiasm and innovation as the highest form of job satisfaction.

Her goal is to create harmony and maximize the potential of individuals and groups working together for a common cause. 

Conferencing has helped Lacey learn that: once a person truly feels that they have been heard, that their pain has been recognized, they seem to move so willingly and sincerely into forgiveness mode.

Jennifer Will-Thapa
Facilitator, Community Conferencing Center
(410) 889-7400

As a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal, Jennifer was trained in a strength-based approach to community building to examine and identify what is working in a community and what  skills people possess that bring about long lasting and effective change. She believes that all people have something to contribute and works to identify and nurture those qualities.  She has worked in youth development and as a community organizer for eight years and joined the Community Conferencing Center in 2010.

Jennifer received her MSW from the University of Maryland with a concentration in Social Action and Community Development. 

Conferencing has helped Jennifer learn that: people are capable of much more than they are often given credit for.

Eve Hanan, JD, MA, R-DMT
Facilitator, Community Conferencing Center
(410) 889-7400

Eve joined the Community Conferencing Center as a facilitator in 2010.  Previously, Eve worked for eight years as a public defender in Boston and Washington, DC after receiving her Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Michigan.  As a lawyer, she was committed to protecting the civil rights of people in underserved communities, but she also saw that many conflicts would be better resolved out of court.  She is committed to facilitating community conferences because they offer a place where people can find creative solutions to problems and restore relationships after a conflict.

Eve also has an MA in Creative Arts in Therapy from Drexel University.  Through her training as a therapist, she facilitated group discussions with people of all ages and abilities in a variety of life circumstances and settings. 

Community Conferencing has helped Eve learn that people have the inner resources to solve their problems and improve their communities.

Larell Smith
Case Coordinator, Community Conferencing Center
(410) 889-7400

Larell has been in Baltimore since 1991.  Originally from Boston, Massachusetts she came to Maryland to attend The Historically Black University, Morgan State University.  During her senior year she began her career in the Non- Profit sector as an intern at the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program of Baltimore City. It was during that internship when her passion to empower, uplift, and support inner city youth began to take form.  After interning for a year, and graduating from Morgan State, Larell extended her services to the Baltimore Child Abuse Center, formerly known as the Child Advocacy Network.  During her 11 years of employment at the Child Abuse Center she refined her skills as a child and community advocate.  Larell joined the Community Conferencing Center as a Case Coordinator and Facilitator in 2010.  Along with her strong communication skills, she also learned how to multi-task, organize, and create a structured atmosphere that lends to a strong working environment.  Larell is excited to be part of an agency that allows members of a community to have a structured environment to effectively work out their conflicts.

Community Conferencing has helped Larell to learn that it is important to express how we feel, in order to feel a sense of wholeness and to help others to learn from our experiences.

Ellyn Loy, Board Secretary
House of Ruth

Julie Gabrielli
Gabrielli Design Studio LLC

Julie Gabrielli, founder of GOforChange, mentors entrepreneurial businesses and organizations to “see the green.” She has been at the cutting edge of the green movement for over 15 years. Her expertise includes energy efficiency, renewable energy, green architecture, and strategic sustainability planning.

Ryan Bradford
Youth Representative

Ted Capshaw, Board President
Baltimore Urban Debate League

Ted Capshaw is the current Chief Operating Officer for the Baltimore Urban Debate League. Personally he specializes in coaching, team development and building, facilitating retreats and planning sessions. He is skilled in managing teams to set and achieve goals, non-profits, leadership training. Ted has been with the Community Conferencing Center Board of Directors for 4 years and currently serves as the President. Ted Capshaw is the current Chief Operating Officer for the Baltimore Urban Debate League. Personally he specializes in coaching, team development and building, facilitating retreats and planning sessions. He is skilled in managing teams to set and achieve goals, non-profits, leadership training. Ted has been with the Community Conferencing Center Board of Directors for 4 years and currently serves as the President.

Karen McNamara-Esposito
PCA, Inc.

Jim Hess
Hang Your Hat LLC

Steven J. Kravet
Biosketch

Dr. Kravet is President of Johns Hopkins Community Physicians.  He is Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview.  He previously served as Chief Medical Officer for Patient Safety and Quality at Johns Hopkins Bayview as well as Director of the Hospitalist program and Deputy Director for Clinical Activity in the Department of Medicine.  He continues to lead and teach systems improvement, safe transitions of care, healthcare resource utilization, and innovative healthcare delivery models.   He has been a member of the Maryland Chapter of the American College of Physicians Governor’s Council since 2006.

Dr. Kravet has practiced Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center since 1995.  He received the Samuel P. Asper award from the American College of Physicians, Maryland Chapter for excellence in Internal Medicine.  Dr. Kravet was named one of the inaugural Miller-Coulson Scholars and with his colleagues helped launch the Miller-Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence.

Dr. Kravet received a B.S. degree from Rutgers College of Pharmacy, New Brunswick, New Jersey.  He received his M.D. from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey.  He completed a Residency and Chief Residency in General Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.  He received his MBA from The Johns Hopkins University.

Laura Freitag
Ernst & Young LLC

Lanitra Jackson