Marie-Isabelle Pautz
As a child, Marie-Isabelle Pautz was fascinated with the “beautiful community” and wondered at the ways we reach towards and fall short of that vision. Since 2002, Marie-Isabelle has provided program design, management, and trainings for schools, criminal justice agencies, and non-profits.
She has facilitated hundreds of Restorative Justice processes, addressing harms like vandalism, theft, conflict, assault, bullying, and sexual abuse. She has provided Restorative Justice programming and program design at a number of schools, criminal justice agencies, and non-profits. Her work on ending homelessness has included direct services, program design, grants management, and program management. She co-founded EarthShare Gardens, a food justice non-profit, and the longest running CSA in Louisiana. She has also been involved in a number of other garden projects providing food equity and restoring Louisiana’s native habitats and agricultural heritage.
In the wake of natural disasters, she organized hurricane survivors to found the Lafayette chapter of the People’s Hurricane Relief Fund, winning several campaigns for equal access to housing and transit. Marie-Isabelle is a second generation culture bearer. When an injury prevented her from dancing to the music she grew up with, Marie-Isabelle started performing on stage with her band T Marie and Bayou Juju. She is the co-founder of the intercultural festival, Louisiana CultureS Camp. Her band released the single “Dancing ‘til the Break of Dawn” about her experiences with intimate partner violence.
