Karen Heetderks Strong is a consultant on criminal justice reform and conflict resolution. She spent the majority of her career in an American non-profit organization serving prisoners, ex-prisoners, victims, and their families and supporting advocacy for reforms in the state and federal criminal justice systems. In addition to her work in helping envision and articulate restorative justice, Strong guided program development in such areas as mentoring for youth at risk and a re-entry model for Michigan prisoners returning to Detroit. She also evaluated and helped shape the pilot of a faith-based victim assistance program model. As a senior leader, she guided a number of organizational efforts aimed to increase the effectiveness of volunteers in serving those affected by crime and prison. Strong earned a Ph.D. and an M.Phil. from Drew University, a graduate Diploma from the University of Oxford, and a B.A. from Seattle Pacific University.