Saroeum Phoung
Chief Visionary Officer (CVO)
Saroeum Phoung has over two decades of experience leading Peacemaking Circles and working in partnership with the justice system and impacted communities to create successful and innovative diversion programs. As an inspirational leader, he has been guiding and building local and national movements around justice reform through Peacemaking Circles, system change, and community engagement. He brings energy and humor to every initiative and has the capacity to create a culture of trust that sets the stage for authentic, sustainable change.
Full Bio...
Overcoming the challenges of a Khmer refugee, Saroeum then experienced discrimination in the United States and became gang leader in East Boston. He was offered a rare opportunity to transform his life, becoming a pioneer for a new restorative model of justice utilizing the Peacemaking Circle Process taught to him in 1999 by Barry Stuart, Harold Gatensby, and Mark Wedge. Saroeum applies his experiential knowledge to masterfully guide organizations to restructure their management approach to a shared collaborative model. He has worked in partnership with the juvenile criminal justice system to solve complex internal problems, co-design alternative sentencing models and shift their culture from one that is punitive to restorative.
Saroeum has a successful track record transforming the culture of schools, nonprofits, and businesses across various sectors from conflict to true partnership. As the founder and CEO of OneNorth Peacemaking®, he has a business reputation of leading processes that create transformation utilizing a unique, innovative approach, that synchronizes business growth with human development. This method creates an infrastructure that supports continued business success and sustainable change for leaders, organizations and communities.
Amidst the challenges of violence, racism, and inequity, Saroeum brings about change in a deep way that incorporates both ancient and modern practices. He offers his expertise around the nation to communities and organizations seeking to embrace innovative ways of problem-solving that explore the fullest human potential to mend lives, families, and communities.
Thary Sun Lim
Executive Assistant
Thary Sun Lim brings her comprehensive education and experience to the organization. She earned her Masters Degree in Transformational Leadership from Seattle University in 2023 and her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Asian American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston in 2015.
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She has a wide range of experience in public service, philanthropy and social justice. Her education includes learning the importance of honoring the voices of youth and families through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion. In Boston she interned at the Massachusetts State House as a fellow in the Asian American Women’s Political Initiative to increase their involvement in politics and policymaking. She also led a disability advocacy group in college to promote social justice.
Experiencing a profound shift in her life following participation in a Racial Healing Circle led by Saroeum Phoung in 2012, Thary was inspired to become a part of the Peacemaking movement and has been working with Saroeum to provide trainings for communities and systems on culture transformation and leadership development.
Thary has several years of experience as a consultant for PointOneNorth Consulting LLC coaching teams and organizations on leadership development, culture transformation, and system change. Thary works closely with Saroeum to co-design and co-create innovative models for OneNorth Peacemaking® and utilizes her experiences in Peacemaking and as a first generation Khmer American to inspire others to heal and create a sense of meaning and purpose to help them reach their full potential.
Thary has worked extensively with various communities, schools, organizations, Native American Tribes, and government agencies to bring about change through the lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice utilizing OneNorth Peacemaking® practices and principles.
Richard D. Burbidge
Board Member
Richard enjoys a stellar reputation as a talented and experienced trial lawyer, having tried scores of cases to verdict in the areas of complex commercial litigation and catastrophic injury with numerous multi-million dollar verdicts. He is known for his thorough review of cases to determine merit, his meticulously careful preparation and his forceful, effective advocacy of the client’s cause.
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In 2016-2017 Richard was honored to serve as President of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (“IATL”). In that position he began to study the work of Eva Marszewski. Ms. Marszewski had founded the Peacebuilders Restorative Justice Program in Toronto.
Mr. Burbidge also established relationships with the Legal Rights Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota which has established a robust restorative justice program focused mostly in schools with a view to keeping youth in school and out of the criminal justice system. Mr. Burbidge as President of the IATL orchestrated a joint conference with members of Peacebuilders and the Legal Rights Center in Toronto, Canada and again in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was successful in persuading the IATL to adopt and support a program in restorative justice whereby the IATL in connection with the Legal Rights Center has developed a pilot program for restorative justice practices which can be used in communities around the country as a program or to embellish restorative justice efforts already undertaken.
Mr. Burbidge and his wife Suzanne also served as Executive Producers of the film “A Once and Future Peace” which traces the Canadian roots of restorative justice to a restorative justice program in King County, Seattle, Washington. The film premiered at a number of prestigious international film festivals, including in Toronto at the Hot Docs International Film Festival, in New York at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, and at the Global Non-Violent International Film Festival, garnering an award as “Best Feature Documentary.”