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Elizabeth Hilt is reshaping what justice can look like. After building a restorative justice program from the ground up in Beltrami County, she now serves as the associate director of The Consensus Council, strengthening her community through relationship-centered approaches. The MSUM Foundation 2026 Dragon Impact Award honors her dedication to bringing humanity back into justice systems.

Elizabeth earned her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Minnesota State Moorhead in 2006. To this day, she still describes her alma mater as home. The sense of belonging, she says, came from the relationships she formed with her professors and from building connections that extended far beyond the classroom.

“It was not just about what I learned in class,” Elizabeth says. “It was the approachability of my professors and the friendships that grew over the years, which were so important as I started building my career.”

One piece of advice a professor gave Elizabeth was to take the first job out of college that is loosely related to your field. She followed that guidance and began her career at , a psychiatric residential treatment facility for youth ages 10-17.

Elizabeth was introduced to what restorative justice was for the first time at a career symposium hosted by Moorhead. This was a pivotal moment for her.

Restorative Justice, as she describes it, focuses on repairing harm by bringing together those affected within a conflict or crime. Victims, offenders, and the broader community collectively determines how to move forward. It is a relationship-centered approach that contrasts with traditional justice systems, which often separate individuals and strip away personal connections.

“Justice is achieved when you bring those stakeholders together and allow them to figure out how to repair harm,” she says. “It brings humanity back into the process.”

Motivated by what she learned at the career symposium, Elizabeth immediately found ways to get involved. She began volunteering in RJ programs and applied the strategies she acquired into her work at Luther Hall.

Elizabeth moved to Beltrami County while pursuing her master’s degree at St. Cloud State University. She found that there was no RJ program in the area, so she took action. Despite being new to the community, she began reaching out and building support for an RJ program.

“I was a transplant in a small community, and they had no reason to trust me, but they were intrigued and willing to support the work,” Elizabeth says. Over two years, she developed a blueprint for implementing RJ in Beltrami County.

Shortly after completing her master's degree, she was offered a county position where she put her plan into action. “It was pretty incredible to go from finishing my master’s project to immediately implementing it,” Elizabeth says.

Her work gained attention from the , particularly because of how it represented kids in both the juvenile justice system and child protection services.

Elizabeth later returned to Fargo, where she worked at the , developing grant-writing skills, which are critical in nonprofit work. After a brief period running her own business and subcontracting to maintain restorative justice services in North Dakota, she transitioned to her current role.

Elizabeth serves as associate director of , a Bismarck-based organization focused on bringing people together across differences. Her work varies day to day, from direct client engagement to strategic planning and grant writing.

She encourages others to remain open-minded and engaged, especially in an increasingly divided world.

“It’s easy to think you know everything based on your own experiences,” she says. “But it’s important to listen, stay curious instead of defensive, and seek out different perspectives. We all need each other, and we have to learn how to work together.”

From a student inspired by her professors to a leader transforming systems of justice, Elizabeth’s work strengthens communities and highlights the importance of treating every person with dignity and understanding.

In recognition of Elizabeth’s community impacts, the MSUM Foundation awards her the 2026 Dragon Impact Award.