Our Staff
Karla joined Consensus Council in January 2013. She has a degree in Information Processing from Bismarck State College and is MOS certified in Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint.
Karla is a 2011 graduate of the Bismarck-Mandan Leadership Program. She has been involved with a number of nonprofits over the years, including Dakota OutRight from 2011-2017, the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition from 2011-2017, and the Bismarck Human Relations Committee from 2011-2012. She was a grant reviewer with the PFund Social Change grant committee and also has been a member of the statewide LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee through the ND Department of Health & the ND Women’s Network.
Natasha Gourd, Wicanphi Tokca Win (Different Star Woman), is a mother other of four children and a member of the Spirit Lake Nation. She served for five years as vice president of the Bismarck Public Schools Indigenous Parent Advisory Committee. She serves on the Native American Rights Fund Indigenous Peacemaking Advisory Committee. Natasha has developed a diversionary court system for tribal affected youth and has been a peacemaking consultant for 10 years for various tribes and organizations.
Natasha Gourd
Director of Education Strategies
Elizabeth “Elle” Hilt is a devoted advocate for Restorative Justice and values-based crucial conversations. For 16 years, her academic and professional efforts have focused on creating spaces for difficult discussions.
Elizabeth obtained a master’s degree from St. Cloud State University (MN) centered on using restorative practices to address criminal harms, and most of her work has served justice-involved individuals. However, in supporting people engaged in conflict, she has found that any opportunity to build empathy and engage in healthy dialogue is vital to creating stronger relationships and safer communities in the face of adversity.
Since 2018, Elizabeth has proudly led North Dakota’s statewide Restorative Justice program in partnership with the North Dakota Juvenile Court system and the ND Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation. She believes that restorative practices are important strategies to engage people in building and repairing relationships and community, and to provide people who have experienced harm a meaningful voice in the justice process.
Lusiana Keller
Restorative Practices Council Coordinator
Beverly Larson is a Restorative Justice Facilitator in Grand Forks. She is also a Care Coordinator for Face It Together in the Free Through Recovery and Community Connect programs, where she supports adults with behavioral health issues and in recovery from addiction.
Before joining Consensus Council, she held program director and facility coordinator roles for various nonprofit agencies working with adults and at-risk youth. She obtained her bachelor of science degree in Criminal Justice Studies from the University of North Dakota. She has a strong passion for helping people, especially special populations groups.
She values diversity, inclusion, respect and fairness in all aspects of life. She has served 7+ years as a member on the Rally for Recovery Committee, helping organize and promote the yearly event in Grand Forks during National Recovery Month each September.
In her free time, she enjoys working out, attending sporting events, spending time with family and friends, traveling, and is an avid thrift store shopper.
Beverly Larson
Facilitator
Ann Crews Melton is a facilitative leader, nonprofit strategist, and consensus builder. She joined Consensus Council as executive director in 2020. Ann first used the consensus model of decision-making as co-moderator of the National Network of Presbyterian College Women. Her career has prioritized ecumenical and interfaith relations, including roles at the Presbyterian Church (USA) and Temple Israel Boston. She remains committed to dialogue across differences, as well as to the transformative power of the arts and humanities. Ann previously served as an editor at the State Historical Society of ND and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, and as religion reporter at the Bismarck Tribune.
A Texas native, Ann holds a bachelor’s degree from Austin College and a master’s degree from Emerson College in Boston. She presented “Building Consensus Across Differences” at TEDxAustinCollege in 2021.
Ann is a council member of Heart River Lutheran Church, which meets at the ND Heart River Correctional Center. She is an Aspen Institute Better Arguments Ambassador, former board officer of Humanities North Dakota, and a strong proponent of civic engagement, restorative practices, and participatory decision-making. Ann lives in Bismarck with her family.
Ann Crews Melton
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Florija “Lule” Naas is a passionate rural advocate, community leader, and people-focused safety professional. (Florija rhymes with Gloria / Lule rhymes with Julie.) She resides near McVille, North Dakota, with her husband, a fourth-generation farmer, and their daughter.
Lule obtained her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of North Dakota and her Master’s Degree from North Dakota State University. She brings over 11 years of experience in safety and compliance, providing leadership, training, and mentoring to agribusinesses in North Dakota and South Dakota.
In her most recent professional roles, Lule spearheaded a regional rural tourism initiative across four counties and 40+ communities, organizing key meetings and developing resources to strengthen rural visitor attraction. She also helped support new business growth and community development in her county.
A Rural Leadership North Dakota Class X participant, Lule is committed to fostering strong, connected communities. She is an active community volunteer and the founder of the Women’s Network of Nelson County, a Facebook group focused on connecting and empowering women. She is the McVille Community Club Chair, helping to create a thriving and vibrant community. Through her volunteer roles, Lule continues to champion economic resilience and community development in rural North Dakota.
Florija “Lule” Naas
FACILITATOR, INTERNATIONAL LEGISLATORS’ FORUM
Colt Neidhardt (he/him) refuses to specialize. With 15 years of nonprofit experience, he has supported community-based arts organizations that use storytelling and creative practice to strengthen civic life and local connection.
A theatre artist and nonprofit consultant, Colt’s work has been presented across the country as an actor, director, occasional stage manager, and collaborator in the development of new work. He brings this creative background into his project management practice, emphasizing collaboration, accessibility, and community-centered design.
Outside of work, Colt is currently renovating the former JW Christensen General Store in Taylor, ND—one of the region’s first brick structures, built circa 1888. He is also interested in food systems and spends time gardening, cooking, and steadily baking his way through The Book on Pie by Erin Jeanne McDowell.
Colt holds an MA in Theatre from the University of Nebraska–Omaha and an MFA in Acting from Louisiana State University.
Colt Neidhardt
PROJECT MANAGER
Sonia has a diverse professional background, having worked as a surgical technologist in both obstetrics/gynecology and oral surgery before transitioning to a career in Restorative Justice in 2020. Beginning as a program assistant, Sonia quickly developed a passion for the principles and practices of the program. Motivated by the profound meaning behind the work, she became a leader and today serves as the Program Coordinator, supervising the remote facilitator team.
Channing is a Restorative Justice Facilitator and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with experience supporting individuals, families, and communities through behavioral health, recovery support, and strengths-based services. She is passionate about creating safe spaces for accountability, healing, and meaningful dialogue while helping individuals build healthier relationships and stronger connections within their communities.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from University of Wyoming and her Master of Social Work (MSW) from University of North Dakota. Before pursuing restorative justice work, she held roles supporting adults, adolescents, and families in community-based and behavioral health settings. Her professional experience includes case management, mental health support, crisis intervention, facilitating collaborative conversations centered on growth, resilience, and recovery, and public service administration within Health and Human Services programs. She is especially passionate about supporting individuals navigating trauma, substance use, mental health challenges, and other life transitions.
She values diversity, inclusion, respect, and fairness in all aspects of her work and believes in meeting people where they are with empathy and dignity. She is dedicated to promoting person-centered and culturally responsive practices that empower individuals and strengthen communities.
Outside of work, she can usually be found spending time with her family, tending to her animals and chickens, hunting for thrift store treasures, or bringing well-loved furniture back to life.
Channing Spradling
FACILITATOR
Mark Tobin
FACILITATOR Emeritus
Peggy Weber has been a Restorative Justice facilitator for 15 years. She spends a lot of time on the road as the primary facilitator in western ND and enjoys helping youth and families overcome obstacles to making things right to their victims. Peggy is also a Care Coordinator and Peer Support Specialist for Free Through Recovery, where she supports adults in recovery from addiction.
Peggy Weber
FACILITATOR
125 Slate Drive, Suite 6
Bismarck, ND 58503
701-224-0588
Consensus Council