Sprockets Staff

Did you know?

Every member of the Sprockets team has been a youth worker at some point in our pasts. Guess you could say that passion for encouraging youth to reach their fullest potential runs deep in all of us.

  • Erik's photo

    Erik Skold (he/him), Director

    City of Saint Paul
    erik.skold@ci.stpaul.mn.us

    For more than 15 years, Erik has been deeply involved in bringing learning experiences for children and youth beyond the classroom. This set the stage well for his current role as Sprockets Director, where he works with schools, city governments, parks, libraries and many community-based organizations to develop and promote quality programming that supports young people as they strive to recognize and achieve their greatest potential.

    Erik, a former high school debate team member, turned his enthusiasm for long hours spent in library research into a pursuit of a master’s degree in youth development leadership from the University of Minnesota. A Wisconsin native, Erik frequently crosses the border back to his home state to introduce his three young children to the wonders of the great outdoors.

  • Jocelyn Wiedow (she/her), Network and Quality Coordinator

    YWCA of St. Paul
    jwiedow@ywcastpaul.org
    651-265-0720

    As the Sprockets Network and Quality Coordinator, Jocelyn brings together people and programs from across St. Paul with the shared goal of helping young people succeed. It’s a perfect fit for someone with more than 20 years of experience in coordinating and directing youth and family programs across the Twin Cities. Jocelyn melds her past experience and knowledge of the OST field to support youth workers to strengthen skills around youth work practices, evaluative thinking and data utilization. Jocelyn has her Master’s Degree in Public Nonprofit Administration and an Individualized Studies Bachelor of Arts Degree focusing on Community Program Management.

    Jocelyn’s summers at camp as a young person inspired her love for learning in nontraditional settings. Some of her favorite outdoor classroom experiences have been teaching horseback and dirt bike riding.  An outdoor enthusiast, Jocelyn enjoys a little time away to go camping and canoeing.

  • Haley Vien (she/her), Youth and Community Program Specialist

    City of Saint Paul
    Haley.Vien@ci.stpaul.mn.us

    Experiencing the power of community that helped raise her, Haley grew up wanting to share the power of community with others. And she’s been doing that in Saint Paul since 2020! She began as an intern supporting young people in the Saint Paul Youth Commission (SPYC), continued as a Right Track Job Coach, and came on full time in fall of 2022 with SPYC and Youth on Boards (YOB). Through her work with SPYC and YOB, she loves seeing young people have the space to dream big, stand up, speak out, lead and run with their ideas!

    In high school, participating in a college access program provided a range of opportunities that fostered Haley’s interest in how society works and how decisions impact community. It is what led her to Macalester College where she graduated (as a first-generation college student) with a bachelor's in American Studies. In her downtime, Haley can be found on her Nintendo switch playing games like Animal Crossing and Breath of the Wild.

    Learn more about Saint Paul Youth Commission and Youth on Boards

  • Stephany Lopez (she/her), Youth and Community Project Manager

    City of Saint Paul
    Stephany.Lopez@ci.stpaul.mn.us

    Stephany discovered her passion and love for community and youth when she was a high school senior intern with the City of Brooklyn Park's Community Engagement Department as a Community Engagement intern. In this role, Stephany learned about the impact local policies have on community members on a day-to-day basis and the importance of youth voice in local government and policy.  Later on, Stephany was a Right Track Job Coach and a Program Coordinator with another youth-serving organization where she got to support youth directly. 

    As a first generation college graduate and professional, Stephany knows how difficult it can be to navigate the systems that are in place and realizes that she couldn't have done it without the community that came around her to support her. Because of this, Stephany hopes to give back and be a positive voice and influence in the lives of other youth who have to work through similar barriers. She hopes to inspire and encourage young people in the same way she was so that young people feel capable and worthy of achieving all the things they dream of doing in their lives.

    Learn more about Saint Paul Youth Commission and Youth on Boards