Andrea Jasken Baker
Consultant, AJB Consulting
andrea@ajb-consulting.com
Andrea Baker has been in the field of youth and community development for 20 years. She is a consultant, building
organizations’ capacity through planning support, project management, and training. She values conversation and
experience, the visual, and creativity -- elements reflected in all of her work.
YWI classes taught: Quality Matters
Erin Bowley
Consultant
erin@erinb.org
Erin Bowley has contributed to the fields of civic engagement and youth development in Minnesota for more than 12
years. Since 2000, she has served as a consultant to nonprofit groups, campuses, and government, including serving
as the outside evaluator of the Minnesota Alliance with Youth for the past five years.
YWI classes taught: Quality Matters
Jonathan Bucki
Independent trainer and facilitator
jonathan@dendros.com
Jonathan Bucki works with collaborations, organizations, and community groups to build their capacity by adapting
cutting-edge ideas and applications and tailoring them to each organization’s needs. As a trainer and facilitator,
Jonathan works with energy and creative spirit.
YWI classes taught: Evaluation Matters
Nickyia Cogshell
Consultant
ncogshell@gmail.com
Nickyia Cogshell has a background in research and best practices around closing the achievement gap. In her current
role as a consultant, she works with community colleges and agencies to develop culturally responsive and positive
youth development-oriented curriculum.
YWI classes taught: RESPECT-Expand your knowledge and understanding of young African American women, Youth
Work Matters
Beth Daniels
Consultant
bhdaniels@yahoo.com
Beth Daniels works with youth development organizations to enhance program quality, develop curriculum, and
empower staff and youth to envision and achieve their goals. Her practice includes consulting, coaching, curriculum
development, and training, with a focus on collaborative processes and commitment to community, culture, and social
justice.
.
YWI classes taught: Quality Matters
Jeanine Downwind
Program manager, Little Earth Community Partnership
jeanined30@yahoo.com
Jeanine Downwind is an enrolled member of the Red Lake Nation in Northern Minnesota and has worked in the field of
youth development and education for 20 years. She manages the Omniciye Program for the Little Earth Community
Partnership. Omniciye is an empowerment program for urban American Indian families.
YWI classes taught: Culturally Responsive Youth Work Matters, Youth Work Matters
Jana Fischer
Youth worker
bjfischer4@msn.com
Jana Fischer has 15 years of experience as a youth worker in community and church youth groups. She is currently
the youth director at her church.
YWI classes taught: Deliberate Practice Matters, Youth Work Matters
Sarah Gleason
Partner, <Side by Side Associates> http://www.sidebysideassociates.com/
sidebyside@mac.com
Sarah Gleason has extensive experience designing and implementing training and learning programs. Her current
work focuses on intercultural competence, leadership development, participatory learning, community capacity building
and social change. In the past she has trained AmeriCorps staff and members, and Peace Corps volunteers in several
African countries. She has also served as adjunct faculty at the University of Minnesota. Sarah has a B.A. from
Rutgers University and an M.Ed. from the University of Minnesota. She is a qualified administrator of the Intercultural
Development Inventory (IDI.)
YWI classes taught: Culturally Responsive Youth Work Matters
Cheryl Gordon
Carbon Beings
cheryl@carbonbeings.com
Cheryl Gordon has worked in a children’s psychiatric unit at a hospital, taught at a university, worked as a behavior
specialist for a school district, and has been with Carbon Beings for nine years.
YWI classes taught: Managing Difficult Behaviors: Keep the Kids, Lose the Problems
Jennifer Griffin-Wiesner
Consultant and writer
jengw@comcast.net
Jennifer Griffin-Weisner works with young people and their communities. Her publications include Step by Step: A
Young Person’s Guide to Positive Community Change with the Mosaic Youth Center board of directors, The Journey of
Community Change: A How-to Guide for Healthy Community, Healthy Youth Initiatives and Teaching Kids to Change
the World: Lessons to Inspire Social Responsibility in Grades 6-12 with Chris Maser.
YWI classes taught: Quality Matters
John Gwinn
Program director, <Phillips Community Television (PCTV)> http://www.phillipscommunitytv.org/
John Gwinn co-founded PCTV, a youth media program, 15 years ago. He has taught media production to youth at
many Twin Cities and greater Minnesota schools, and has produced videos for several local and national agencies and
non-profit organizations.
YWI classes taught: Incorporating Youth Media
jgwinn@migizi.org, (612) 721-6631
Heidi Haugen
Educator, Extension Center for Youth Development
hauge350@umn.edu
Haugen serves Aitkin, Cass, and Crow Wing counties as an Extension program leader and manager. She also helps to
lead statewide in the areas of volunteer leader systems and science, engineering, and technology (SET) programming.
Her research interests include youth civic engagement, program evaluation, and character development.
YWI classes taught: SET
Patrick Jirik
Educator, Extension Center for Youth Development
pjirik@umn.edu
Haugen works in Rochester and southeast Minnesota, focusing on science, engineering and technology (SET). He has
more than 20 years of youth development experience working with youth and adult volunteers.
YWI classes taught: SET
Andrea Lehmann
Youth programs coordinator, <Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN)> http://www.spnn.org/
lehmann@spnn.org
Lehmann has experience in both youth development and media production. In 2004 she merged these backgrounds by
getting involved in youth media. Currently, she works on developing and leading three youth media programs at Saint
Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN).
YWI classes taught: Incorporating Youth Media
Stephanie Love
Co-founder and director, <Positive Energy Outdoor (ed)Ventures>, http://www.outdooredventures.org/
steph@outdooradventures.org
Edventures is an outdoor adventure program. Love is a High/Scope Educational Research Foundation youth
development trainer and has more than 15 years of youth development and outdoor adventure expertise.
YWI classes taught: YPQA 101
Colleen McLaughlin
Managing director, Phosphorescence, Inc.
colleenmclaughlin@phosphorescenceinc.com
McLaughlin is a trainer and consultant with 15 years of nonprofit experience as a youth program director, Peace Corps
volunteer and fundraiser. She enjoys working with program staff, managers, and directors to create change through
improving program quality, strengthening infrastructure, enhancing evaluation, and creating development plans.
YWI classes taught: Quality Matters
Pam Moore
Community capacity builder, <Konopka Institute, University of Minnesota>
http://www.med.umn.edu/peds/ahm/programs/konopka/home.html
pamelarae2003@yahoo.com
Moore has 15 years’ experience working with youth and families in the Twin Cities area. Her professional and
volunteer background includes working in school systems, community agencies and philanthropic organizations. She
now works with the Minnesota Youth and Community Learning Initiative at the Konopka Institute for Best Practices in
Adolescent Health at the University of Minnesota.
YWI classes taught: Youth Work Matters, Deliberate Practice Matters
Charlotte Nitardy
Program coordinator, <Metropolitan State University> http://www.metrostate.edu/
nitardy@comcast.net
Nitardy is experienced in educational administration, teaching both in higher education, PK-12 and training, and
administration of early childhood and school-age care programs. She has served in a variety of cross-sector work
groups at Metro State, including Youth Community Connections Field Support Work Group.
YWI classes taught: Quality Matters
Makeda Norris
Coordinator, OPS Program, <Minneapolis Urban League> http://www.mul.org/
makeda-norris@msn.com,
It has long been Makeda Norris’s passion to advocate for and on behalf of young African American women. She has
experience in mentoring both youth and colleagues in addition to developing culturally relevant curriculum. She has
played an integral role as a planning member and workshop presenter at the Minnesota Council of Adolescent
Females Annual Conference.
YWI classes taught: RESPECT-Expand your knowledge and understanding of young African American women
Angèle Sancho Passe
President, BlueWater Associates, Inc.
aspasse@earthlink.net
Angèle Sancho Passe is a consultant, trainer, author and evaluator, with more than 30 years of experience in the
fields of education and organization development. She focuses her practice in two areas: training and coaching in early
literacy, family literacy, and cross-cultural guidance; and program evaluation and quality improvement.
YWI classes taught: Quality Matters
Nicola Pine
Youth programs director, <Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN)> http://www.spnn.org/
pine@spnn.org
Since 1996, Nicola Pine has been leading youth in video production and working to increase access and build visibility
of youth media locally and nationally. She is a founding member of the Twin Cities Youth Media Network and is actively
involved in the National Youth Media Access Project.
YWI classes taught: Incorporating Youth Media
Debra Pridgen
Community partnerships coordinator, <Girl Scout Council of the Wisconsin and Minnesota River Valley>
http://www.girlscoutsrv.org/index.html
dpridgen@girlscoutsrv.org
In her professional role and as a volunteer, Debra Pridgen has had significant experience working with and serving
young African American girls, and shares her expertise and insights with youth workers who serve this population to
improve their practice.
YWI classes taught: RESPECT-Expand your knowledge and understanding of young African American women
Sharon Query
4-H youth development specialist, <North Dakota State University Extension Service>
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension/
Sharon.query@ndsu.edu
Sharon Query serves as advisor to the North Dakota 4-H Ambassadors, Extension Youth Conference, and positive
youth development. She has worked on the county and state levels in Cooperative Extension for the University of
Minnesota, Iowa State University and North Dakota State University.
YWI classes taught: Promoting Youth Development: A Community Approach
Blanca Raniolo
Program director, <La Escuelita> http://www.laescuelita.org/
blanca@laescuelita.org
Blanca Raniolo holds dual teacher licensure in elementary education and K-adult substitution. In the past 10 years, she
has been focused on management, facilitating workshops for adults who work with Latinos in low-income communities,
writing two books and numerous articles on education, teaching at Aurora Charter School, serving on the Intercultural
Advisory Committee at Equity and Dignity (U of M), serving on the Latino Youth Development Committee, and has
been the program director at La Escuelita since 2005.
YWI classes taught: Building and Maintaining Positive Relationships with Latino Youth
Barb Rose
Partner, <Side by Side Associates> http://www.sidebysideassociates.com/
Rose has extensive experience in coaching, training, facilitation, community building, leadership development, and
community/civic engagement. Barb’s previous experience includes managing the Wilder Foundation’s Neighborhood
Leadership Program, coordinating a cross-cultural dialogue program and editing Community Matters, a publication
addressing critical community issues in the east metro area. She serves on the board of the West Side Citizens’
Organization and on the Headwaters Foundation’s Capacity Building Committee. She has a B.A. from Macalester
College and an MLS from the University of Minnesota and is a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development
Inventory (IDI.)
YWI classes taught: Culturally Responsive Youth Work Matters
sidebyside@mac.com, (651) 398-9319
Karyn Santl
Educator, Extension Center for Youth Development
santl001@umn.edu
Youth leadership is Santl’s specialty area. She also provides program development and administrative leadership to
the full range of 4-H programs in the counties of Kittson, Marshall, Lake of the Woods, and Roseau.
YWI classes taught: Youth Work Matters
Brooke Stelzer
Health education director, <Annex Teen Clinic> http://www.annexteenclinic.org/
brooke@annexteenclinic.org
Brooke Stelzer provides medically accurate, comprehensive sexuality education presentations for community groups,
faith communities, adolescents, and parents of adolescents.
YWI classes taught: Healthy Sexuality, Healthy Youth
Terri Sullivan
Howland Endowed Chair in Youth Leadership Development, Extension Center for Youth Development>.
tksllvn@aol.com
For the past 15 years, Terri Sullivan’s focus has been on bridging research and practice to empower youth as agents
of social and political change.
YWI classes taught: Youth Engagement Matters
Maureen Walsh
Founder, <The Hillcrest Group> http://thehillcrestgroup.com/
maureen@thehillcrestgroup.com
Maureen Walsh has more than 20 years of experience in leadership, management, development, and evaluation of
programs for children, youth, and families. She extends this expertise to a wide variety of nonprofits, including
community-based organizations, neighborhood centers, community education programs, early childhood centers, and
health and human service agencies.
YWI classes taught: Quality Matters
Deacon Warner
Youth program coordinator, <IFP Minnesota> http://www.ifpnorth.org/
Deacon Warner has been involved in education for more than 15 years. For 10 years, he taught in the Minneapolis
Public Schools. He is a youth program coordinator for IFP Minnesota, facilitating video projects in collaboration with
classroom teachers in Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools.
YWI classes taught: Incorporating Youth Media
Ben Wolfe
Founder and program manager, <St. Mary’s Grief Support Center>
http://www.stmarysduluth.org/otherservices/griefsupportcenter/griefsupportcenter.htm
bwolfe@smdc.org
Ben Wolfe is certified as a fellow in thanatology by the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), and
provides life-threatening illness and bereavement counseling and therapy for all ages, through individual and family
counseling and support groups.
YWI classes taught: Grief and Loss