As a results-driven, entrepreneurial executive with a twenty-four-year history of leading institutions across the educational spectrum, Paul has devoted his professional career to the advancement of student success in California. Known for his fearless commitment to institutional success, developing coalitions, and building trusting relationships, Paul delivers outcomes that advance student achievement and missions. He is regarded as a passionate advocate for academic excellence for all students, regardless of circumstance, propelling organizations to maximize performance on behalf of the children they serve.
Paul is currently the Senior Director and Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The Department of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese leads 252 Catholic PK-12 schools with nearly 70,000 students in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties. Together, they comprise the largest system of Catholic schools in the United States and the fifth largest system of schools in the state of California. He led the system through the COVID-19 pandemic securing over $100M in federal and state funding, while increasing enrollment for two consecutive years, growth in student academic performance, and increasing base pay for teachers and principals in the hardest to staff schools in the Archdiocese.
Inspired by great teachers, Paul’s servant leadership philosophy was formed as a student and would later influence his vocation in education. As fate would have it, a teacher from his parish school offered him his first professional role – Chief of Staff to a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) School Board. Paul would go on to develop public-private partnerships within the LAUSD facilities division, managing a $120M school bond program and raising $51M in matching contributions. He also served as Chief of Staff to the California Secretary for Education, Richard J. Riordan, Director of Operations for the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, an initiative of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villarigosa, and Senior Advisor for the California Charter School Association (CCSA).
Taking his experience to an institution close to his heart, Paul was called upon by his alma mater, St. John Bosco High School, to serve as President. His tenure focused on reversing enrollment declines, improving academic programs and student performance, elevating institutional reputation, and increasing fund development results. Under Paul’s leadership, the school witnessed a 12% growth in enrollment, 18% growth in four-year college bound graduates, 95% college persistence rate among graduates, and increased annual fundraising and pledges from $700K to $4.4M. These advancements, among others, led St. John Bosco to become one of the most prominent Catholic schools in Southern California.
In 2016, Paul was appointed as the founding Chief Executive Officer of Grimmway Schools, a public charter school organization educating over 1,300 K-8 students in California’s Central Valley. Compelled by his grandfather’s journey to America from Mexico, Paul advanced educational equity for children of migrant farmworkers in rural communities. Under his leadership, Grimmway successfully scaled to a multi-campus network – hiring over 100 employees, attracting $4M in philanthropic investment, selling $25M in tax exempt bonds to support the construction and opening of a new campus, and completed a five-year strategic plan and campus replication plan. During his tenure, Grimmway scholars outperformed their local and state peers on annual academic assessments.
Paul is a graduate of Cornell University, a Fellow of the 20th class of the Pahara-Aspen Education Fellowship and member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, served as a consultant with the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education, and has been a dedicated volunteer serving on several civic, non-profit, foundation and education advocacy boards. He resides in Long Beach with his wife, Noel, a teacher, and their two sons, William (11 yrs.) and Matthew (8 yrs.).