Community
of Care
At ARTS, we use a “Community of Care” approach, believing that each team member’s well-being is essential to our success. Our team consists of over 100 dedicated and compassionate individuals, including administrators, teaching artists, program assistants, youth and young adult interns, and volunteers.
We understand that by supporting one another, we can better serve our youth and the community. We believe in the transformative power of creativity, and our policies and procedures reflect our commitment to making everyone feel valued, safe, and empowered.
We bring this approach into our stories, decisions, and daily work. By focusing on care, we build a place where people can work together, be creative, and feel like they belong. Our Community of Care means we listen to each other, celebrate wins, and help each other through tough times. This helps us make a bigger difference and keeps our organization connected.
With this culture, ARTS keeps building a workplace where everyone, no matter their role, feels like they are part of something bigger.
Professional growth is a key part of our Community of Care. Many team members started at ARTS as interns or youth participants, and we are proud to help them keep growing and advancing here. One example of professional development at ARTS is our Lunch and Learn series, which gives everyone a chance to teach and learn new artistic and professional skills, helping us work together and come up with new ideas.
We also celebrate our team with regular appreciation events and gatherings, organized by our People and Culture Coordinator, Monica Bañuelos. These times together help create a welcoming and supportive place where everyone can succeed. We are also proud of our Volunteer and Internship program, led by Stephanie Rivas, which provides valuable opportunities for personal and professional growth for young people or those who are interested in working in community.
Meet Our Team
〰️
Meet Our Team 〰️
-
Ashley Aparicio
FACILITIES ASSISTANT & PROGRAMS ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Lerida Armendariz Vega
TEACHING ARTIST
(she/her) -
Monica Bañuelos
PEOPLE AND CULTURE COORDINATOR
(they/he/elle/el) -
Ayleen Bautista
EVENTS ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Kate Burgonio
EVENTS ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Katie Carrion
PROGRAM COORDINATOR
ARTS on Campus
(she/her) -
Amanda Castro
PROGRAM COORDINATOR
ARTS 4 Justice -
Isabella Cervantes
TEACHING ARTIST
-
Jose Contreras Jr.
OPERATIONS MANAGER
(he/him) -
Teresa Diaz de Cossio
TEACHING ARTIST
(she/her/ella) -
Sheena Rae Dowling
TEACHING ARTIST
(she/her) -
Leah Eria
TEACHING ARTIST
(she/they) -
Ulises Galicia
TEACHING ARTIST
-
Connie Garcia
COMMUNICATION & DESIGN MANAGER
(she/they) -
Jess Garcia
TEACHING ARTIST
(she/her) -
Lucia Head
EVENTS ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Alisha Hensle
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Ever R Herder
TEACHING ARTIST & PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(he/him) -
Kelsey Kenny
TEACHING ARTIST
(she/her) -
Mereb Khasay
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Jas King
EVENTS ASSISTANT (they/them)
-
Kimmie Kopp
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(they/she) -
Carla Labto
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(she/he/they) -
Zadé Helena
TEACHING ARTIST (they/them/siya)
-
Luz Lekhrajmal
EVENTS ASSISTANT (they/them)
-
Jose Lopez
ADVANCEMENT COORDINATOR
(he/him) -
Ross Majewski
TEACHING ARTIST
-
Mitzi Martinez
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Marina McClane
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Lilly Miller
TEACHING ARTIST
(she/her) -
Andrea Moreno
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Ray Navarrete
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(he/they) -
Alma Padilla-Iriarte
TEACHING ARTIST
-
Monét Panza
TEACHING ARTIST & EVENTS ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
David Peña
PROGRAM COORDINATOR (he/him)
-
Natalie Perez-Hall
EVENTS ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Adriana Quezada
TEACHING ARTIST
(she/her) -
Stephanie Rivas
VOLUNTEER & INTERN COORDINATOR
-
Amber Robinson
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Claudia Rodriguez-Biezunski
TEACHING ARTIST
-
Joshua Rosas
EVENTS ASSISTANT
(he/him) -
Anna Mia Ruiz
PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Community ARTS
(she/her) -
Alejandra Sainz
EVENTS ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Barbara Salazar
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Danniella Sanchez
EVENTS LEAD
-
T. Jay Santa Ana
COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
(he/him) -
Guillermo Santiago
FACILITIES SPECIALIST
(he/him) -
Kelsey Schneider
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Jerry Scott Lopez
TEACHING ARTIST
(he/him) -
Daniela Sebastian
PROGRAM SPECIALIST
ARTS on Campus
(she/her) -
Karely Serrano
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Katie Shackelford
EVENTS LEAD
(she/her) -
Melanie Taing
TEACHING ARTIST
(she/her) -
Rob Tobin
TEACHING ARTIST
(he/him) -
Christopher Tucker
TEACHING ARTIST
(he/him) -
Valeria Valenzuela Lopez
EVENTS ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Alo Varela Zamorano
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
(she/her) -
Olimpia Vázquez Ojeda
PROGRAM MANAGER & INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
(she/her) -
Adrianna Xibille
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
-
Volunteers and Interns
-
Amara Abaquin-Brown
INTERN
(she/her) -
Enjolie Meryem Arjona Cetinkaya
INTERN
(they/them) -
Shelby Buska
VOLUNTEER
(she/they) -
Isabel Castro
OPERATIONS INTERN
(she/her) -
Michael Cruz
OPERATIONS INTERN
(he/they) -
Ada Escamilla
RIPPLE EFFECT YOUTH INTERN
(they/them) -
Jane Esteban
COMMUNICATIONS INTERN
(she/her) -
Monze Gomez
PROGRAM INTERN
(she/her) -
Ashley James
VOLUNTEER
(she/her) -
Brynn Lundstrom
INTERN
(she/her) -
Michelle Mastroberti
INTERN
(she/her) -
Shayla Morreale
INTERN
(she/they) -
Licia Olisa
INTERN
(she/her) -
Giselle Pacheco
PEOPLE AND CULTURE INTERN
(she/her) -
Deane Palayon
INTERN
-
Lili Peixotto
INTERN
(she/they) -
Max Perez
VOLUNTEER
(he/him) -
Yul Shim
3C YOUTH INTERN
(she/her) -
Malani Valle
VOLUNTEER
(she/her) -
Matt Vee
INTERN
(he, him) -
Daniela Walach
INTERN
(she/her) -
Board of Directors
-
Tom Reise
California Institute of Contemporary Art Foundation
CHAIR -
Michael James Rocha
Creative Director for Digital, San Diego Union-Tribune
SECRETARY -
Patrick Stewart
CEO, San Diego Public Library Foundation
TREASURER -
Amalia Hernandez
Lecturer, School of Social Work San Diego State University
-
Lauren Lockhart
Executive Director, La Jolla Historical Society
-
Stephen Minix
Senior Director of Community Strategy, UpMetrics
-
Alyssa Mopia
Producer & Co-Founder, Future’s Past