Professional Development Manager
Dixie Valdez is the Manager for UTeach Professional Development. In her role, she collaborates with academic partners to plan, develop, and implement professional development opportunities for inservice teachers and staff nationwide. Dixie partners with districts and schools to develop long-term professional development programs that support academic initiatives and educator training and development.
Dixie has more than 20 years of experience working in public education. Her passion for public education began when she was an undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Austin, where she received her B.A. in Applied Learning and Development. She started her career as a kindergarten inclusion teacher and was awarded Teacher of the Year in 2011. After teaching for five years, Dixie was hired as the first Early Childhood Instructional Specialist for North East Independent School District in San Antonio. She then worked for San Antonio ISD as a special projects and professional development coordinator.
Dixie received her Masters in Public Administration with a Nonprofit Leadership and Management Certification in 2021 from The University of Texas at San Antonio. She was the recipient of the Ruben Munguia Scholarship for her work advocating for improved recess policies at the state level.
She is the mom of three rambunctious boys and a proud Army wife. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with all of her boys, cheering on the Longhorns, and traveling.