Office of Neighborhood Safety

Toy Vixayvong, Director

With a passion for helping young people overcome adversity, Toy Vixayvong is well known across Saint Paul as a devoted advocate for our communities. After coming to Minnesota as a refugee from Laos at six years old, he learned the value of community from his parents, who helped arriving refugees build new lives here. Before Mayor Her appointed him to lead the Office of Neighborhood Safety, Vixayvong served as a Saint Paul police officer for 25 years, most notably as a school resource officer. In that role he partnered with Minnesota Trades Academy to help Saint Paul young people build lifelong skills and explore careers in the trades. He also developed a new program to connect youth with specialized addiction treatment programs and medication-assisted treatment. 

Greeted warmly across the City as “Officer Toy,” Vixayvong brings uniquely deep relationships with local schools, community organizations, and individual neighbors to the work of leading ONS.  

Rachel Holzemer, Deputy Director

As Deputy Director for Neighborhood Safety in the City Attorney’s Office, Rachel Holzemer manages internal operations and strategic initiatives for ONS, including data systems, program design, and Citywide partnerships that align public safety with community wellbeing. She has led the development and launch of several Citywide efforts, including the Saint Paul Bridge Fund, Returning Home Saint Paul, and the creation of ONS itself.  

Before joining the City, Holzemer worked in innovation and human services roles at Hennepin County, bringing deep experience in continuous improvement and collaborative system change.  

She holds a master’s degree in leadership and management from Concordia University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota.  

Faith Lofton, Project PEACE Program Manager

Faith Lofton manages core violence prevention initiatives and strategic community partnerships for the City of Saint Paul’s Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS), with a strong emphasis on culturally responsive service delivery and advancing equity for residents impacted by systemic disparities. She played a central role in launching the Returning Home Saint Paul (RHSP) pilot program, helping to design and implement a coordinated reentry model in partnership with city and community stakeholders. 

Prior to joining the City, Lofton served as Program Director and Interim CEO at Ujamaa Place, where she led organizational strategy, strengthened operations, and expanded programming to support formerly incarcerated African American men in achieving stability and long-term success.

Lofton spent the first decade of her career at People Incorporated Mental Health Services, where she held multiple leadership roles across the Homeless Services and Customized Living divisions. During her tenure, she led teams and was instrumental in the development and launch of several programs designed to expand access to mental health, housing stability, and supportive services for individuals experiencing homelessness and complex behavioral health needs.

A proud graduate of Saint Paul Central High School and a lifelong resident of the historic Rondo neighborhood, Lofton brings deep expertise in mental health services, violence prevention, reentry systems, and nonprofit leadership. She is a graduate of Saint Paul College and attended Metropolitan State University.

Christine Michels, Familiar Faces Program Manager

Chris Michels brings 25 years of experience in human services to ONS. She started her career at the Wilder Foundation, where she supported families through the Minnesota Family Investment Program, improved child protection services, helped people in prison prepare for housing and employment, and coordinated services in supportive housing. Her work then turned toward supporting unsheltered people at Catholic Charities, where she managed permanent supportive housing programs, then overnight and daytime shelters through the challenges of the pandemic.

Michels has focused on combating homelessness with the City of Saint Paul since 2023 as the administrator of the Familiar Faces program in ONS. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. 

Familiar Faces

Case manager Raven Davis and outreach specialist Arturo Garcia (no longer with ONS), program administrator Chris Michels, outreach specialist Sam Stoltz, and case manager Jennifer Kissling.​

Project PEACE

Top row: outreach specialist Dominique Johnson and case manager Jeria Jenkins, program manager Faith Lofton, case managers Andre Knight, Dejay Johnson, and Nesha Adams. Front row: outreach specialists Undre Ellis and Juddah Battles (no longer with ONS).

Office Staff

Data analyst Andrew Mua, community-based organization liaison and NSCC manager Tyler Bouwens, ONS deputy director Rachel Holzemer. Not shown: office manager Shyrisse Tisdle.​