Debbie Watters
Co-Director, Northern Ireland Alternatives
Debbie Watters has been involved in the area of justice work, peace building, reconciliation, youth work and restorative practice for the past 35 years and is a founding member of the first community based restorative justice programme in Northern Ireland of which she is currently the Co-Director.
She has provided training, consultancy and presentations/lectures at a local, regional and international level and currently works extensively in Israel and Palestine. She is the former Vice Chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board having served as an independent member for 9 years. She has worked extensively during the past 30 years to empower women and grassroots communities to ensure their voices are at the centre of peacebuilding, conflict transformation and post conflict rebuilding.
She currently serves as a Visiting Professor at Ulster University, is the Chairperson of the Restorative Justice Council UK and has recently been awarded an OBE for her services to peacebuilding and restorative justice.