Staff | Personal
To see full bios, click on the picture or the name of the staff member.
Executive Team
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×Matt Wells
Matt Wells is the Vice President of Development at PUENTE Learning Center. He is responsible for leading, planning, and implementing all external fundraising activities, including foundation, government, corporate, individual giving, and other revenue-generating activities. Matt came to PUENTE from DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion, a leading dance company that performs nationally and internationally. Matt served in several different roles at DIAVOLO: Chief Operating Officer, Director of Development, and Executive Director. During his seven years at DIAVOLO, Matt played a lead role in increasing the budget size from $800,000 to $2.3 million, including an increase in annual contributions from $50,000 to $1.4 million. He also launched the DIAVOLO Institute and grew its education and engagement programs to serve over 2,000 under-resourced Los Angeles County residents annually.
Previously, Matt was the President and co-founder of Laurus Tutoring, a company that provided academic assistance and specialized test preparation in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, for all grade levels K-12, including children with special needs. Additionally, Matt received the Ralph Parsons Foundation Fellowship for Nonprofit Leadership; he was selected to attend the American Express Leadership Academy by the Center for Creative Leadership; and he participated in Executive Service Corp’s Nonprofit Executive Institute, funded by Wells Fargo.
Matt has served on several nonprofit boards, including Dance/USA, the national service organization for American dance. He also enjoyed a successful career as an actor and theater producer. Matt is an alumnus of Claremont Graduate University (M.A., Arts Management) and Northwestern University (B.S., Theater). He is a proud husband, father, and hound owner.
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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. -
×Tesa Marquez
Tesa Marquez is PUENTE’s Human Resources Coordinator, 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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Staff
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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. -
×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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×Hector Espinoza
Hector Espinoza is PUENTE’s IT Network Administrator 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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×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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×Drew Allen
Drew Allen is PUENTE’s Senior Accountant and is responsible for the day-to-day financial operations of the center. After starting with PUENTE on a temporary basis, he was brought on as a full-time employee in October of 2017. Drew graduated from Brigham Young University in April 2017 with a Master’s degree in Accounting. While attending university, he co-authored two academic research papers, completed a minor in economics, and ran the university’s stand-up comedy club.
Drew also spent two years living in the Dominican Republic, where he developed a profound appreciation for the power of education and learned to speak Spanish fluently. On weekends, you can find Drew telling jokes at your local open-mic or poorly singing karaoke.
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Charter School Leadership
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×Diana Juarez
Diana Juarez has worked at PUENTE from its early years as a preschool and kindergarten teacher. She also currently serves as the Dean of Engagement of the PUENTE Charter School. She implemented the Charter Kindergarten curriculum and created the report cards currently in use at PUENTE.
Diana can often be seen toting around a camera on her shoulder. She enjoys implementing video and technology into the classroom and is a LAUSD Video in the Classroom (VIC) award recipient. She also authors a weekly newsletter in English and Spanish for PUENTE families to strengthen the home and school connection.
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Our Teams
Facilities Team:
Rosalba Soriano, Socorro Orozco, Brock McKenzie, Lilian Arriaga, Jose Gomez