Administration

Jennifer Thomasian

Principal

Dr. Thomasian is in her sixth year of leading the Wildcat Family as principal. Prior to that she served as an Assistant Principal at Paloma and before that as a science teacher in Lake Elsinore. Having grown up in this area in the early 90’s she has seen this region change and grow dramatically.  After graduating from UCLA she decided to come home in order to give back to the community that helped raise her.
She is a lifelong member of the Girl Scouts and helped put herself through college by working summers as a camp counselor.  She also enjoyed playing the trumpet in the UCLA Marching Band and traveling the country with the band to support Bruin Athletics. She is a self-professed “nerd” of all things Harry Potter, Star Wars, Disney and the like.
PVHS currently has over 2,800 students and 230 staff members. They are a diverse campus of dedicated learners. Dr. Thomasian repeats her personal goal often to students: that they will each discover what they are passionate about and have the skills to pursue that on day one after graduation. Go Wildcats!

Claire Reis
Assistant Principal

Claire Reis is excited to return as Assistant Principal at Paloma Valley High School. Previously, she worked as an Instructional Coach, Department Chair, Soccer Coach, and English Teacher in Fontana Unified School District. She has a BA in Program and Event Management and Single Subject Teaching Credential in English from California State University Long Beach. GO BEACH! She also has a Master’s Degree in Teacher Leadership from California State University San Bernardino, and a second Master’s Degree and Credential in Educational Administration from California State University San Bernardino. Claire grew up on the stage and has a passion for the performing arts. She is an Angels baseball fan, serial Crumbl cookie eater, and wears pink on Wednesdays. Claire looks forward to serving the community of students and being the positivity engager for the awesome team at PVHS.

Antoinette Miles
Assistant Principal

Antoinette Miles (Assistant Principal) is excited to begin her administrative career in the district that cultivated her love for education, as she is a Pinacate Middle School and Perris High School alumni! After high school she left California to attend an HBCU, but found her way back to Southern California and attended the University of California at Riverside. Before she started at Paloma, she held various positions, including coach, ASB Director, and English teacher in both California and Texas. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English, a Master’s degree in Education, and is currently working on a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership. Outside of school, she enjoys reading, shopping, spending time with friends and family, including a very creative and sporty daughter. She is happy to return to and serve the community and district that raised her.

James Wrede
Assistant Principal

James Wrede (Assistant Principal) James comes to Paloma Valley High School with a very diverse background. After graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Kinesiology, James worked in corporate wellness for nearly five years for multiple tech and health companies through Health Fitness Corporation as a Wellness Consultant and Program Manager. During that time, James coached varsity high school football and completed a M.S. in Kinesiology at CSUEB. However, his passion for being outdoors and interacting with high school students lead to a change of heart and ultimately a career change.

James left a successful career in corporate wellness and completed a M.A. in Education in Santa Cruz while working in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. There James gained experience teaching in a variety of roles including: Special Education, Health and Physical Education before ultimately teaching Biology and Integrated Science. From there James went on to work in the Santa Rita Union Elementary School District in Salinas where he gained further experience serving as a Language Arts, Social Science and Physical Education teacher while also providing leadership as an Athletic Director, Activities Director and Department Chair. James went on to earn an Administrative Services Credential and has served as an Assistant Principal throughout the past 6-years where he has provided leadership in a wide range of areas. He is most passionate about creating a positive culture that encourages collaboration, engagement, and inclusion in order to promote continuous growth. 

James currently lives in Carlsbad with his three young children where much of his free time is spent with them outdoors. James enjoys reading, jiu jitsu, surfing, tennis, riding dirt bikes, coaching and strength training. He has shared that he finds great joy in meeting new people and learning about their interests, passions, and ideas.

Julie Blied
Athletic Director/Dean

Julie Blied (Athletic Director/Dean) Julie Mendoza-Blied is excited to return as Athletic Director at Paloma Valley High School after being hired last April. She has served as an administrator for 10 years prior to Paloma and has taught Social Studies, Math and AVID in both California and Texas.  She has also served as a Principal at a middle school in New Orleans.  She is excited to propel sports and student-athletes to the next level at PVHS.  She earned her Bachelor’s from Biola and her credential and Master’s Degree from Chapman. If you need to win Julie over at any time, just bring her chocolate.

Ivan Lumba
Counseling

Ivan Lumba (Counseling) Mr. Lumba is entering his 3rd year as department lead for Paloma Valley High. He is an expert with English Language Learners and was chosen to serve as counselor for the AVID program. His mission is to help students graduate from high school and guide students as they reach their post-secondary goals.  Mr. Lumba has over a decade of experience in Youth Development and holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and has taught a wide range of students from 5th grade to alternative ed (high school students 16-24 years of age). He attended Riverside Community College, transferred to Cal State San Bernardino and holds two bachelor degrees from University of Phoenix (BA-Administration and Management). Mr. Lumba received his Multiple Subject Teaching Credentials and  Masters in School Counseling and Pupil Personnel Service Credential from the University of Redlands. On a side note Mr. Lumba’s hobbies include a  Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu  under the Gracie Barra Flag and he loves to spend his free time with his twin girls.