Spark Team

BETH SHERDEN

Director

Beth has been with the organization since March of 2017.  Beth’s first role was as the Operations and Experience Manager at the former Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, which was great preparation for her role as the Director of Spark.  Beth is passionate about the power of play and the impact on learning it can make in a child’s life and to ensure Spark is accessible to all children in our community.  As a child,  Beth enjoyed playing dress up and learning about the world outside her small community.  This is also why her favorite exhibit is Our World Bazaar, where food, clothing, play and stories are shared each day!

JERAKA TWEITE

Operations & Visitor Services Manager

Jeraka has been with Spark since July of 2020 and joined the team right before the new location opened!  She enjoy's being a part of an organization structured around families learning and growing through time spent together. Her 7 year old daughter is very creative and is always looking for a project, the museum has a fantastic makers space to offer a creative outlet for all ages. As a kid she loved being outdoors, and spent most of her time at the lake or playing outside with her brothers and friends.  Her favorite exhibit is H2Oh, our water table, representative of the Zumbro River.  She loves how this exhibit is tied to our community and has an area that demonstrates hydroelectricity.

LINDSEY HEMKER

Development Manager

Lindsey has been with the organization since October 2018. Her passion is development and helping the organization reach its highest funding potential. Working at Spark allows her to write grants for programs that the community and Spark visitors are passionate about. She has 3 year old twins that are always wanting hands on activities, and the museum is a place for them to expand their learning through play! Her favorite childhood toy was the easy bake over (the most popular exhibit in children’s museums is the pretend play kitchen). She enjoys the Little Sparks exhibit the most because even the youngest learners have the opportunity to experience hands-on education.