Meet our leadership

Paul F. Pulver

Chief Executive Officer

Paul Pulver has served as the chief executive officer of Options for Learning since 2019. As CEO, he oversees all programs, strategy, and operations related to the child care services provided to nearly 11,000 children annually at 75 sites and through 2,000 child care providers across the greater San Gabriel Valley area. He has worked in the nonprofit arena for more than 40 years and is widely recognized for facilitating organizational growth.

Prior to joining Options for Learning, Paul served as the executive director of Pathways LA, vice president of development and communications at Maryvale, and executive director of United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Orange County. He has participated in numerous boards and committees at the county, state, and national levels. Currently, he serves as the vice president of the board of the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles (CCALA), a unique partnership of 10 member agencies that deliver services to thousands of families and child care providers across Los Angeles County. Additionally, he serves as a board member of Su Misericordia, a faith-based organization that supports indigenous people in Maneadero, Mexico. His prior affiliations include serving on the UCP National Affiliate Services Committee, chairing the UCP National Affiliate Charter Task Force, chairing the Orange County United Way Council of Organizations, and serving as a board member for the National Catholic Development Conference.

Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in Christian ministries and a ministry credential from Azusa Pacific University. He is involved in his church, enjoys sports and gardening, and cherishes spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren.

Dominic R. Alpuche

Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer

Dominic Alpuche joined Options for Learning in 2020, and serves as the organization's chief financial officer and chief operating officer. In this dual role, he oversees the Finance, Human Resources, and Business Services departments, managing the organization’s fiscal strategy, internal operations, and risk management efforts. Dominic is responsible for planning, reporting, record-keeping, and data analysis for a budget exceeding $100 million. He brings a collaborative, forward-thinking approach to the organization’s financial and operational leadership.

During his tenure with Options for Learning, Dominic led the acquisition of the organization’s new home office building and oversaw the construction and redesign of its office space, enhancing the infrastructure to better support staff and improve collaboration across departments. With more than 20 years of experience in grant management and financial administration, Dominic brings extensive knowledge of federal, state, and local grants, as well as foundation grants, having managed organizational budgets exceeding $90 million.

Prior to his role with Options for Learning, Dominic served as the director of finance and senior fiscal officer at the University of California San Diego's Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study, chief business officer for the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California, assistant director of business and technology for the Center for Urban Education, and assistant director of budgets and compliance for the TRIO Programs and School for Early Childhood Education.

Dominic earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy management from USC and a master’s degree in business administration, accounting, and finance from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Dominic enjoys traveling and hosting family gatherings and is most proud of his two children, Nathaniel and Lilia. He has volunteered for his children’s activities throughout their early years, serving as board treasurer for their preschool, vice president and coach for Little League, and Cub Scout chief and den leader for the Boy Scouts of America. He is passionate about providing environments where all children can thrive.

Paola Alvarez

Vice President of Human Resources

In 2025, Paola Alvarez joined Options for Learning as vice president of human resources. She brings a wealth of experience across diverse industries — including hospitality, aviation, and retail — as well as a deep passion for helping teams thrive. A certified executive coach, Paola has also worked in aerospace, supply chain logistics, food and beverage, and real estate.

Paola holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The George Washington University and a master’s degree in adult learning and human resources development from Virginia Tech. She also holds multiple HR certifications, including SPHR and PHRca. In addition to her work in the field, Paola teaches human resources courses at UCLA Extension and Claremont Graduate University, where she enjoys mentoring the next generation of HR professionals.

Raised across Central America, Europe, and the United States, Paola relocated to Los Angeles from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area in 2006. She is fluent in English and Spanish and is a proud wife and mother of two University of California graduates. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants, practicing yoga, listening to music, visiting museums, playing tennis, and taking long walks with her rescue Chihuahuas, Lucy and Milo.

Johanna Atienza

Chief Growth and Innovation Officer

Johanna Atienza became the agency's first chief growth and innovation officer in 2022. She has worked in higher education for more than 15 years and has served diverse roles in advancement, admissions, marketing, external relations, and community-based curriculum and programming. Prior to her position with Options for Learning, Johanna served as the associate vice president of advancement and external relations at Pacific Oaks College and Children’s School, where she was a member of the executive cabinet and directed aspects of development, grants, community partnerships, public relations, and alumni relations.

She is passionate about educational equity and fostering communities that nurture children and families to reach their full potential. Her social impact areas of interest include early childhood education and care, mental health and wellness, foster youth, anti-bias education, diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Johanna is involved in local initiatives, including Growing Together PASadena and All Children Thrive Pasadena.

Johanna holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, with minors in film and sociology, from USC, as well as a Juris Doctor from Golden Gate University School of Law. She currently resides in Pasadena with her husband and son.

Mildred Balderrama

Vice President of Educational Programs

Mildred Balderrama joined Options for Learning as a site director with the Surround Care program in 1989. Throughout her years of service, she has also had the opportunity to provide leadership to staff within the Enrichment Program and Head Start South El Monte division, where she served as the division director.

Mildred's goal is to continually equip her staff with the tools to become the leaders of tomorrow. For the past 20 years, she has actively participated in church and community activities, raising funds to support at-risk youth and women. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking for her family and friends.

Leslie Carmell

Vice President of Communications and Public Relations

Leslie Carmell joined Options for Learning as the director of communications in 2020, and became the organization's vice president of communications, marketing, and outreach in 2022. With the migration of marketing and outreach to the new Admissions Department, her role was changed in 2025 to vice president of communications and public relations to reflect the department's expanded focus.

Having worked in the nonprofit arena for more than 30 years, she has experience with a range of organizations, including K-12 independent and religious schools, a cancer support organization, and Catholic and Episcopal churches. Before joining the Options for Learning team, Leslie served as the director of communications for nearly 12 years at the nationally top-ranked Polytechnic School in Pasadena. She has also worked on a freelance basis, writing and editing for several San Gabriel Valley newspapers, book publishers, and other organizations.

Leslie earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in the study of women and men in society at the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in management with an emphasis in information systems from the University of Redlands.

Chad Detloff

Vice President of Strategy

Chad Detloff is a career educator and nonprofit leader focused on culturally responsive strategic organizational development. As the vice president of strategy at Options for Learning, Chad is committed to providing equitable, high-quality early education and child care services to children and families across the San Gabriel Valley by supporting teams focused on business development; data, evaluation, and impact; educational partnerships; external affairs; and project management.

Prior to working with Options for Learning, Chad was the senior director of strategic initiatives with the Institute for Global Learning, a network of approximately 400 schools around the world, where he led an organizational re-branding initiative and oversaw and evaluated programming expansion, stakeholder growth, resource development, partnership cultivation, data collection and research, and communications related to key strategic projects focused on climate/sustainability education, student action on local issues of global significance, intercultural competence and dialogue, and program- and risk-management of off-campus learning.

During his nearly 20 years in the field of global education, Chad has presented in 17 countries, authored numerous publications on topics related to intercultural and experiential learning, and worked directly with nearly 200 schools to collaboratively develop, grow, or assess their initiatives. Earlier in his career, Chad strategically developed Chadwick School's signature global programs across campuses in the United States and South Korea, ensuring that all students graduated with global competencies through a K-12 curriculum and accessible travel-based programming.

As a volunteer, Chad has served on the board of the Global Education Benchmark Group, including leading its Strategic Planning Committee, and currently acts as the inaugural executive director of the L.A. Choral Lab, a nonprofit dedicated to innovating within the choral music genre through working with living composers and artists of diverse backgrounds and identities. As a classroom educator, Chad has developed and taught a wide variety of humanities and global languages courses at the high-school level, as well as media and cultural studies at the University of Barcelona, and writing courses at the community college level. Chad graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with high honors in comparative literature (Spanish and Italian).

Alice Lai

Vice President of Enrollment

Alice Lai joined Options for Learning as the vice president of enrollment in 2025. A seasoned education leader and strategic partner, Alice brings more than 20 years of experience driving innovation, school improvement, and organizational growth across public and nonprofit sectors.

Before joining Options for Learning, Alice served as director of partnerships and client development at District Management Group, where she led national strategy for client engagement, revenue expansion, and cross-sector collaboration, achieving a 240% year-over-year increase in sales and closing more than 250 partnerships.

Previously, Alice was the founding principal at KIPP Academy of Innovation in East Los Angeles, where her leadership propelled the school to outperform state and district averages in math and English language arts. Her expertise includes recruitment and enrollment, instructional coaching, leadership development, strategic budgeting, and academic return on investment. She has guided school systems through transformative initiatives aimed at improving student outcomes and operational excellence.

Alice began her career in the classroom and rose through instructional and leadership roles, including assistant principal, instructional coach, and teacher leader. She holds a bachelor's degree in history with high honors from UC Berkeley, a master's degree in education and an administrative credential from UCLA’s Principal Leadership Institute, and a second master's degree in education from UCLA’s Teacher Education Program. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher and a passionate advocate for equity and innovation in education.

Tracy Lynch

Chief Program Officer

Throughout her 30-year career in the child development sector, Tracy Lynch has held various roles, including preschool and after-school teacher, education coordinator, education manager, director, and currently, chief program officer. She has actively participated in several child development committees within her community and school district and has presented at various conferences.

During her college years, Tracy worked in after-school and preschool programs while majoring in business marketing. She soon discovered her passion for serving children and families, which led her to pursue a minor in child development. After earning her degree, she worked as the student services director at a private school in Orange County for several years.

Tracy was later hired as an education coordinator with Options for Learning's Surround Care program, where she worked for seven years before taking a leave to care for her newborn daughter at home. During this time, she started her own landscape and design business, allowing her to run a business and work creatively while having the flexibility to care for her daughter. Some of her designs can still be seen throughout the Burbank and Toluca Lake neighborhoods.

Tracy enjoyed running her business and being at home with her daughter for the first six years of her life. However, she eventually returned to her true passion: making an impact on children and families. She rejoined Options for Learning in the School-age Program, where she developed a "Character Counts" curriculum and later became the director of the Enrichment Program in 2014. In 2022, Tracy became the organization’s first chief program officer, focusing on uniting and integrating center-based programs to effectively meet the needs of families, staff, and community partners.

Melissa Shu

Vice President of Finance

Melissa Shu joined Options for Learning as the vice president of finance in 2025. With more than 20 years of finance leadership experience across the media, entertainment, and technology sectors — including roles at 2K Games, NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros. — Melissa has focused on building strong teams, driving strategic planning, and aligning financial operations with mission-driven goals.

Melissa was born in Burma (now known as Myanmar), grew up in vibrant San Francisco, and now calls Southern California home. She lives with her husband and their two adult children. As a first-generation immigrant and former young working mom, Melissa deeply connects with the mission of Options for Learning and is honored to contribute to its continued success.

Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, discovering new restaurants, and celebrating cultures through shared meals with her family.

Jake Thompson

Vice President of Learning and Engagement

Jake Thompson joined Options for Learning as the vice president of learning and engagement in 2025. He brings more than 18 years of experience in early childhood education, instructional design, and school leadership. Jake is deeply committed to equitable, high-quality learning experiences and has led efforts in curriculum development, instructional coaching, and professional learning.

Before joining Options for Learning, Jake served as director of academics for a charter network in San Jose, where he supported transitional kindergarten through 12th grade instructional teams, expanded elementary programs and led initiatives focused on developmentally informed teaching practices. He began his career teaching pre-K and kindergarten in Atlanta, later transitioning into curriculum coordinator and teacher trainer roles with a focus on brain-based learning and child development.

Jake is also passionate about the arts and community engagement. He serves on the board of the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District and is part of the event planning committee for the Grand Vision Foundation. Outside of work, he enjoys paddleboarding, discovering new restaurants, and traveling with his husband, Pete.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in public health from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in early childhood education.

Leeann Yu

Vice President of Business Services

Leeann Yu joined Options for Learning in 2025 as vice president of business services, where she oversees the Purchasing, Information Technology, Business Operations, and Facilities departments.

Prior to joining Options for Learning, Leeann spent 13 years working in K–12 education, most recently serving as chief operations officer at Bright Star Schools, where she led strategic operational initiatives across the charter school network. She has also worked internationally as an English teacher in Taiwan and previously served as a financial advisor for Ameriprise Financial.

Leeann holds a bachelor’s degree in international development with a minor in education from UCLA and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Minnesota. An avid traveler, she has visited more than 40 countries across all seven continents.