E. Quin Gonell

I grew up just north of Boston in a working-class immigrant household as the youngest of eight siblings. Although I struggled with academics in middle school and high school, I was eventually able to find a path that diverged from many of my peers. Among the most important factors that led me away from street life were strong relationships with teachers who went beyond their roles as educators to guide and support me. As such, authentic relationship building and empathy became significant drivers of success in my classroom. Today, such values continue to inform my role as a school-based restorative practices coordinator working to develop restorative programs and lead a team of restorative practitioners at a high school serving over 3,000 BIPOC youth. Restorative approaches also comprise my volunteer work as a circle keeper in my local community where I co-facilitate weekly healing circles for men.

Before moving on from the classroom to pursue a Ph.D. in educational leadership, I was inducted into Salem State University’s Teachers Hall of Fame and recognized as a Massachusetts Colleges and Universities Teacher of the Year. My more recent work as a scholar was acknowledged by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) when I was selected as a 2021 recipient of the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award. That same year a group of University of Vermont researchers and I received the American Educational Research Association's (AERA) Impact Award for Grassroots Community and Youth Organizing for our YPAR work with Burlington, VT youth. My research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Review of Educational Research, Professional School Counseling, Action Research Journal, Middle School Journal, and the International Journal of Research and Method in Education.