About Me

I am an attorney, restorative justice circle keeper, and policy analyst dedicated to realizing a community-led vision for justice, healing, and liberation.

I was born and raised in Bulgaria in a family shaped by domestic violence, mental illness, and the intergenerational impacts of communism and colonialism. Ever since I was little, I wanted to know how we can end violence so no other child has to live through what I did.

Moving to Oakland 15 years ago, I found a place to call home and a community to grow old with. Sitting in restorative justice circles in San Quentin and juvenile hall showed me that it is possible to end violence by transforming systems that cause harm and investing in policies and practices that foster wellbeing for everyone, not just the wealthy few.

Since graduating from Berkeley Law in 2014, I have built over a decade of practice in criminal justice, restorative justice, legislative advocacy, racial justice, and post-conviction relief. 

As an attorney, I worked on civil rights cases at the ACLU of Northern California, sought resentencing for individuals serving juvenile life without parole, clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Thelton E. Henderson, and wrote legislation mandating implicit bias training for all judges, attorneys and medical professionals in California (AB 241 and AB 242). I then served as an Assistant District Attorney in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, handling felony and misdemeanor cases going through restorative justice or mental health diversion.

Today, I serve as Senior Program Manager at Impact Justice and Chair of the Oakland Public Safety Planning and Oversight Commission. As a delegate to the California Democratic Party and Co-Chair of California Democrats for Justice in Palestine, I support many movements for change. Whether teaching restorative justice diversion at Berkeley Law or holding mediation processes for organizations and individuals, I am dedicated to practicing living in right relationship with each other and the Earth.

 NOTE: Yoana is currently on maternity leave! She will be back starting in June 2026

  • The University of Chicago | Bachelor of Arts, with Distinction, in International Studies, Minor in Human Rights, May 2010

    University of California, Berkeley, School of Law | Juris Doctor, International Law Certificate, May 2014

  • State Bar of California (2015)

  • Criminal Law, Civil Rights and Constitutional Rights, Post-Conviction Law, Juvenile Justice, Mediation, Restorative Justice