Leadership

Jerome was appointed Chief Executive Officer in March 2020 after having served as Interim CEO since 2018. Jerome brings extensive experience working in and managing the operations of PUENTE Learning Center. A PUENTE employee for 23 years, his previous roles include Chief Operating Officer and Charter School Principal. As Chief Operating Officer, Jerome secured and sustained partnerships to support preschool, college and career readiness, and adult education. As Principal, Jerome successfully led the school’s charter renewal process as well as the revision petition to expand the charter school through 5th grade.

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. 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.

Prior to joining PUENTE Learning Center in 2019, Dominic was an ECE Educator at Anna Bing Arnold Children’s Center. During his tenure at Anna Bing Arnold Children’s Center, he was responsible for training staff and university students. Dominic was also responsible for securing NAEYC accreditation, maintaining developmentally appropriate practices, and working in partnership with community at California State University of Los Angeles to provide a safe and enriched learning experience.

Dominic is a graduate of California State University of Los Angeles, where he majored in Early Childhood Development and obtained a Masters in Early Childhood Education.

Angelica Castro is responsible for setting financial policy and for overseeing the financial affairs of PUENTE Learning Center. In addition, these key operational and administrative areas report to her: finance, human resources, information technology, facilities, and security. Prior to joining PUENTE in July 2018, Angelica held various positions of increasing responsibility including Auditor for Singer Lewak, Director of Finance for The Autry National Center, Chief Financial Officer for 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 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 $1.5 - $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 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.

Michele Wolfe leads the youth and adult programs teams and manages PUENTE’s relationships with external partners to bring the very best classes, instructors, and services to our student community. Her leadership in these areas has contributed to the development of the organization's strength and sustainability.

She has served on PUENTE’s staff since 1992, first as an ESL classroom instructor, then ESL Coordinator, Director of Education, and appointed as Vice President of Programs in 2021. She is committed to PUENTE’s mission because it connects with her own personal and professional vision of serving as a bridge of opportunities that enables students to reach their goals and improve their lives.

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 publishing credits include a novel, a memoir essay and two pieces of short fiction. Further, she has served on various boards for different organizations over the years, Michele is happily married and has two sons.

Tesa Marquez 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 five 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.

Brenda Meza 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 has served in her current role since July 2020.

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 and was raised in East LA. She enjoys giving back to her community.

Hector Espinoza first attended PUENTE in 1995 as a student in the Job Training program. Working with computers became his passion, and PUENTE hired Hector as an assistant for the Computer Applications classes.

After teaching Computer Applications classes for several years, Hector also started 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.

Brock McKenzie is the Director of Facilities 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. Brock 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 landscape and architecture. He also enjoys working with youth and young adults. Brock and his wife developed the young adults program at their church, Highland Avenue Community Church.

Jasmine Medrano is responsible for implementing a pathways program that provides higher education awareness, preparation, access, and success for high school and college youth. 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, Jasmine 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 was also responsible for the GO East LA initiative, a cradle to career program that promotes higher education in the East Los Angeles area. She 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 focus 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 work at PUENTE and serve the vision of empowering lives through education.