Devon Gaster has dedicated the last 28 years to educating men, teaching violence prevention strategies and advocating to end intimate partner violence. In 2007, he co-founded the Men Creating Peace program in Oakland and was the Executive Director for 17 years.

Devon was convicted of battery in 1997 and has been strongly committed to restorative justice and healing since that experience. He is a graduate and certified facilitator of the Manalive™ violence prevention program.  Devon worked for 10 years in the San Francisco County Jail’s “Resolve to Stop the Violence Project”. He has facilitated violence prevention groups in San Francisco, Marin, Sacramento, Alameda, and Yolo counties, as well as teaching violence intervention classes at San Quentin State prison. He also worked for more than 6 years with Veterans who struggled with incarceration and homelessness.

In 2021, Devon was invited to provide data for the California State Auditor’s independent study of Batterer’s Treatment programs across the state of California. In 2023 he contributed to the California District Attorneys Association Domestic Abuse education film series “Swim Again”.

Throughout his career in violence prevention, Devon worked closely with the courts, county probation, state parole and a variety of community-based organizations, with a focus on ending family violence. He has presented at numerous conferences and trainings regarding his work with men who cause harm through domestic abuse.                                                                                                         

In July of 2024 Men Creating Peace closed their community classes in California. Devon now lives in Olympia, Washington with his wife Alicia. He continues to provide online individual instruction, trainings and presentations on violence prevention and intervention strategies.