Vivianne Guevara

Vivianne Guevara has been a social worker in public defense for over 19 years and a restorative justice practitioner and facilitator for 13 years. is the Social Work Program Director of the Mills Legal Clinic at Stanford Law School. Vivianne provides mitigation and training in state and federal legal defense nationwide, as well as restorative justice training and facilitation globally.

Vivianne was the founding Director of Social Work and Mitigation at the Federal Defenders of New York in the Eastern District, where she developed one of the first Federal Defender social work practices in the nation. Vivianne was previously an Investigator and Social Worker at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, and began her work in public defense as a social worker at the Bronx Defenders in 2007. Vivianne planned and provided training in defense social work practice and mitigation since 2011 – at national Federal Defender workshops and conferences, law schools, and federal & state public defender offices/districts nationwide.

Vivianne began facilitating restorative circles in 2014, when she facilitated the first-known restorative circle for a Federal District Court case. Since then, Vivianne planned and facilitated hundreds of circles within/for the criminal legal system, schools, universities, coalitions, community members, and private and non-profit organizations. She co-created the first restorative justice course at Columbia University’s School of Social Work and facilitated restorative circles at NYU School of Social Work, Hunter’s Silberman School of Social Work, Columbia Law School, NYU Law School, Texas A&M Law School, Yale Law School, New York Law School, as well as myriad public defender conferences, workshops, and offices.

Vivianne comes from a family of farmworkers, faith workers, and social justice workers. She strives to honor their legacy and that of her ancestors through a life of service. Vivianne continues to learn through teaching others and by providing opportunities that promote community and healing.