Staff | Personal
To see full bios, click on the picture or the name of the staff member.
Executive Team
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×Jerome Greening
Jerome has more than 20 years of experience working in and managing the operations at PUENTE Learning Center. He was appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer in the fall of 2018. In his previous role as Chief Operating Officer, Jerome secured and sustained partnerships and funding to support services for the organization’s Preschool Readiness, Charter School, College & Career Readiness, and Adult Education programs. Through his focus on data collection and evidence-based decision-making, Jerome has strengthened program operations and outcomes for the thousands of students who attend PUENTE each year.
As Principal of PUENTE Charter School for over a decade, Jerome led three successful charter renewals as well as the charter revision to expand the school to serve grades TK-5 by 2022.
Jerome’s deep commitment to education and nonprofit leadership has been recognized by the Center for Nonprofit Management and the California Council on Economic Education. He is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.
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×Angelica Castro
Angelica Castro joined PUENTE as Vice President of Finance and Administration in July 2018. She is responsible for setting financial policy and for overseeing the financial affairs of the Organization’s Learning Center and Charter School. In addition, these key operational and administrative areas report to her: finance, human resources, information technology, facilities, and security.
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Prior to joining PUENTE in July 2018, Angelica has held various positions of increasing responsibility including Auditor – Singer Lewak, Director of Finance – The Autry National Center, Chief Financial Officer – Park Century School, and Director of Finance for The ALS Association Golden West Chapter. She received a B.S. in Business Administration with an accounting concentration from the California State University Northridge and is a member of the American Institute of CPAs. -
×Matt Wells, CFRE
Matt Wells serves as the Vice President of Development of PUENTE Learning Center. He works closely with and promotes collaboration between the CEO, staff, board, and donors to build relationships and to fund operating and strategic initiatives. Matt heads the group responsible for raising nearly $2 million in operating funds annually through foundation/corporate support, annual giving, government grants, special events, and more. He also oversees efforts to secure additional capital and special project funding.
Matt came to PUENTE from DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion, a leading Los Angeles dance company. During his seven years at DIAVOLO, Matt played a lead role in increasing the budget size and growing contributed revenue. He launched the DIAVOLO Institute and grew its education and engagement programs. Matt was also the President and co-founder of Laurus Tutoring, a company that provided academic assistance and specialized test preparation for all grade levels K-12, including children with special needs.
Matt received the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Fellowship for Nonprofit Leadership; he was selected to attend the American Express Leadership Academy by the Center for Creative Leadership; he participated in Executive Service Corps’ Nonprofit Executive Institute, funded by Wells Fargo; and he attended Annenberg Alchemy’s leadership development program.
Matt is active in the community and has served on several nonprofit boards, including Dance/USA, the national service organization for American dance. Previously, he enjoyed a career as an actor and theater producer. Matt is a Certified Fund Raising Executive as well as an alumnus of Claremont Graduate University (M.A., Arts Management) and Northwestern University (B.S., Theater). He is a proud husband and father.
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×Michele Wolfe
Michele Wolfe is PUENTE’s Senior Director of Education. She has served on PUENTE’s staff for 25 years, taking on this role after two years as Director of Education, five years as ESL Coordinator and 23 years of ESL classroom instruction. She is committed to PUENTE’s mission because it connects with her own personal and professional vision of serving the community: by serving as a bridge of opportunities for youth and adult students so they are able to reach their goals and improve their lives. She is proud to work with a dedicated staff and PUENTE’s partner organizations and to know the hard-working and committed students that study at PUENTE.
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Michele moved to Los Angeles in 1988 and it was while volunteering with the Latino community in Boyle Heights that she found PUENTE and made it her home. Michele obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Education from Regis University in Colorado. She holds a California teaching credential and is a graduate of the CALPRO Leadership Institute.
Michele is a writer as well as educator. Her first novel was published in 2014. She has been published in the L.A. Times and online literary journals. Further, she has served on various boards for different organizations over the years, currently serving on the board of the Women’s Chorus at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Michele is happily married and has two sons. -
×Tesa Marquez
Tesa Marquez is PUENTE’s Manager of Administration and Human Resources, a position she has held since 2002. Tesa is responsible for the implementation of the organization's policies and procedures that ensure compliance with local, state, and federal employment laws. Additionally, she leads the administration of the organization’s payroll.
Tesa’s involvement with PUENTE dates back over twenty years, and her knowledge and years of experience significantly contributed to the development of the Human Resources department. After volunteering in PUENTE's youth programs, Tesa was recruited to the staff in August 1994 to manage and administer a new government grant program from the City of Los Angeles. Over the years she has also served in supporting roles for development, finance, operations, and the CEO. In addition, she played a key role in the preparation of PUENTE's initial application to LAUSD for a Charter Kindergarten.
Tesa holds an Associate Degree in Accounting from the National Education Center and received her certification in Human Resources Management from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, much of Tesa’s personal and professional life is invested in the community served by PUENTE.
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Leadership Team
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×Hector Espinoza
Hector Espinoza is PUENTE’s IT and currently teaches Computer Repair. He first attended PUENTE in 1995 as a student in the Job Training program. Working with computers became his passion and PUENTE could tell. He was hired as an assistant for the Computer Applications classes.
After teaching Computer Applications classes for several years, Hector was asked to start a Computer Repair class. He received his CompTIA A+ and Network+ certifications in 2007 and also worked as a Network Administrator assistant for several years.
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×Andrea Griego
Andrea Griego is the Grants Manager at PUENTE Learning Center responsible for every step of grant administration including research, grant writing, data collection, grant tracking, and grant reports. She previously worked as Development Associate for Haynes Family of Programs to support all fundraising activities for a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the mind and spirit of children with emotional problems, special learning difficulties, and developmental needs. She served as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) member working with Los Angeles Unified School District and Learning Works Charter School guided by the mission of lifting people out of poverty through education.
Andrea began her career as a student of Anthropology and Archaeology earning a B.A. from UC Santa Cruz and M.A. in Anthropology with an emphasis in Historical Archaeology from Stanford University. Andrea is passionate about Los Angeles history, previously fundraising for and conducting research for local historical societies such as the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California and Maravilla Historical Society. She is a docent for Las Angelitas del Pueblo conducting tours of Historic Olvera Street and El Pueblo Historical Society for nine years and counting.
Born and raised in Boyle Heights, Andrea was passionate about returning to her community to serve its residents. She is mother of two who enjoys karaoke and cooking.
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×Brock McKenzie
Brock McKenzie is the Facilities Manager at PUENTE. Brock has been with PUENTE since 1991 when it was known as “the old trailers school” and functioned within doublewide trailers on a lot purchased by former Los Angeles Mayor, Richard J. Riordan. He was present for the opening of the new building in 1995 on that same lot.
Brock enjoys working with his hands and takes a liking to landscaping and architecture. He also enjoys working with youth and young adults. Brock and his fiancé are currently developing a program for young adults at their church, Highland Avenue Community Church.
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×Jasmine Medrano
Jasmine Medrano is PUENTE’s College and Career Program Coordinator responsible for implementing a pathways program that provides higher education awareness, preparation, access, and success for high school youth. She recently arrived to PUENTE seeking new opportunities to serve the Latina/o communities. She enjoys working in a setting that fosters a sense of community for its clients in order to promote a college going culture
Most recently she served at Bresee Foundation managing a pilot college to career pathways program that provides selected high school youth the opportunity to develop their workforce readiness skills and gain real-world work experience through job/internship placement. Jasmine’s professional history includes program coordinator at a higher education setting. She was responsible for the GO East LA initiative, a cradle to career program that promotes higher education in the East Los Angeles area. She also has a qualitative research background that has allowed her to gain authorship in a book chapter and manuscript. Jasmine has a passion for examining the role that Latina/o parents play in the educational persistence and success of their children. Her current research and writing focuses on how social and cultural forces impact the educational and career success of high school students.
Jasmine is completing her M.A. in Education (option in Social & Cultural Analysis of Education) at California State University, Long Beach and she received her B.S. at California State University, Los Angeles. She was born and raised in Koreatown, Los Angeles. She feels honored and grateful to join PUENTE and the vision of empowering lives through education.
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×Brenda Meza
Brenda Meza has been named the Interim Charter School Principal as of July 1, 2020. She supports teachers in delivering meaningful instruction through a rigorous and Common Core-aligned curriculum. She provides professional development for teachers and promotes best practices through coaching.
Brenda previously worked as an education consultant for Growing Educators. Prior to consulting, she taught in primary and upper grades at a dual immersion school in South Los Angeles. She holds a Masters of Education (M.Ed.) from Loyola Marymount University and a Bachelors in Psychology and Spanish from the University of California, Riverside.
Brenda is a native Spanish speaker raised in East LA. She enjoys giving back to her community.
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×Anton Qafaiti
Anton Qafaiti is PUENTE’s Staff Accountant and is responsible for the day-to-day financial operations of the center. After working for Brody Pennell Heating & Air Conditioning from January 2015 – October 2018 as a Bookkeeper Assistant, he was then brought on as a full-time PUENTE employee as of July 2019. Anton graduated from the University of Redlands in April 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Business with a Concentration in Accounting. In addition, he has been on the path towards completing and receiving the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) License. He is also a musician; this has been a hobby of his since he was young. He has performed many times in venues such as Disneyland and participated in many Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) competitions as the bassist in a jazz band, orchestra, and symphonic band.
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