Meet Our Team

Adrienne Valencia

Adrienne Valencia brings more than 25 years' experience as an educator and non-profit arts administrator to her role at AECSD. Her wide range of skills include program development and implementation, community engagement, marketing, operations, finance, and fundraising. A pianist, singer and former music teacher, Adrienne holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Humboldt State University and a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky, Lexington.

Deirdre Moore

Deirdre Moore brings more than 30 years of experience spanning general, special, and arts education to her role as Program Manager for Residencies and Professional Learning at Arts Education Connection San Diego. Her areas of expertise include arts integration, professional learning, curriculum development, program design, and teaching artist mentoring. A former classroom teacher and teaching artist, she has partnered with educators to strengthen arts-integrated instruction, designed and facilitated professional learning, and worked with learners from early childhood through adulthood in schools and communities across the country. Deirdre holds a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from the University of St. Joseph and a Master of Education in Creative Arts in Learning from Lesley University.

Erika Paul

Erika Paul is the glue that holds us together. She does a myriad of tasks that keeps AECSD humming along smoothly.  A graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara, Erika has a degree in English and has a passion for creative writing and poetry. Erika utilizes her love for writing and her problem solving and organizational skills to support the programming staff and teaching artists.

Kimberly Acosta

Kimberly is a visual artist and graphic designer, having received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from UC Riverside and a Master of Fine Arts in Animation from UCLA. Kimberly also received a certification in Museum Studies from San Diego Mesa College. She has served as a teaching assistant in the School of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA and has experience working with numerous museums in visitor services, marketing, special events and education programming. Kimberly has a great passion for both the arts and arts education, which she uses to support the AECSD programming staff.

Ryan Spicer

Ms. Ryan Spicer brings a rich background in customer service, fundraising, marketing/communications, and brand management to AECSD. She holds a Theater Certificate from San Diego Mesa College and has taught and performed theater as a young adult.