Nancy Michaels is a dynamic leader and advocate for social justice with a rich background in restorative justice practices, community engagement, and program development. As Co-Executive Director of Reimagine Justice Illinois, Nancy spearheads initiatives, consultations, and training that promote restorative justice principles across communities, organizations, and systems throughout Illinois. 

Nancy's prior work included serving as Co-Executive Director of Illinois Balanced and Restorative Justice, leading efforts to sustain restorative practices across the state. 

As Associate Director of the Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation at Roosevelt University, Nancy developed comprehensive social justice programming, promoted service learning and community engagement, and established a strong network of community-academic collaborations. Her work included action-based research on restorative justice, race, culture, and gender equity, as well as advocacy for legislative reforms to address systemic inequalities and punitive policies that contribute to the criminalization and incarceration of youth and adults. Her contributions to juvenile justice reform, particularly in establishing restorative justice programs in schools, led to reduced suspensions and fostered positive school climates. While at the institute, she was instrumental in planning and implementing the pilot project to open the first restorative justice community court in North Lawndale, where she eventually worked directly as the Restorative Justice Community Court Coordinator. 

Nancy is a highly collaborative and driven change agent with a passion and focus for

moving social justice initiatives forward by centering relationship building as foundational in all she does. She is committed to building collaborative coalitions across Illinois to grow, raise awareness, and build the legislative capacity to reimagine justice in Illinois and beyond.

Nancy holds a Master’s degree in Sociology and a Bachelor’s in Social Justice from Roosevelt University.