Aaron Villanueva is a Fiscal Coordinator in the Business & Finance Service department.

How long have you worked for ESD 112 and what does your job entail?
I have been at the ESD 112 for about 10 months now.  Most of my job consists of consultation, support, and problem resolution relating to fiscal matters for the ESD and our school districts.

What do you like best about your job?
I really like working with fiscal coordinator team that I am on. They have all been so supportive and encouraging since I arrived.  Also, I really enjoy working with our clients out in the school districts and helping them resolve their issues.

What do you find most challenging about your job?
Mastering the finance software has proven to be a big challenge as there are many aspects to it.  However, despite this I do feel I have learned a lot and am always looking forward to the next learning opportunity!

Single? Married? Kids? Pets?
I am married and actually, my wife, Andria, and I will be celebrating our 18th wedding anniversary this month!  We also have been very blessed with two awesome boys!  Our oldest son, Andres, is eleven and our youngest, Raphael, is seven.  We do have one cat named Rueben that has been a part of our family since 2004.

What do you enjoy doing with your free time?
I love playing football and riding bikes with my boys.  When we do get a date night my wife and I really enjoy trying out new restaurants or enjoying art and cultural experiences together.  Also, I am a musician and always welcome any opportunity to perform, or just practice. I play Classical Guitar primarily but also some bass guitar in recent years.

How did a musician end up becoming a finance guy?
I know it is a weird combination but my mom was a bookkeeper and my dad was a musician so I guess I inherited both skills! In college I was a music business major and that was my exposure to finance, accounting, etc.

My first “real” job out of school was working as a full charge bookkeeper for a local sheet music company in Portland.

Having background in finance and accounting has allowed me to land solid employment and also try a lot of different aspects with music without the pressure of “making it”. I have seen a lot of my colleagues have to have several jobs in music just to have decent income.

To dovetail on this, I also happen to be good friends with an IT guy who moonlights as a poet!

What is the funniest thing that you heard or saw recently? 
“Bad Lip Read – Star Wars” on YouTube.  I recommend looking it up as it is pretty hilarious!

If you could master one skill you don’t have right now, what would it be? 
Cooking!  This is something I have wanted to get better at for a long time and hopefully will soon.

If you could time travel, would you go to the past or the future?
I would go back in time for sure.  It would be so cool to witness many historical events and possibly meet some historical figures.

If you could play one instrument you aren’t able to now, what would it be and why? 
Cello.  This instrument is amazing to listen to and some of my favorite music has been written for it.

Would you rather live in the city or the woods? Why? 
Having both lived in the country as a child and in the city later on, I prefer a happy medium.  Somewhere where I have access to both, which makes Vancouver a good spot for me right now!

What was your most interesting past job?
I served as an Interim Music Director at my Church for a summer and found it to be a lot of fun!