Leadership & Founders

Alexis Birner is the Co-Founder, Principal, and teacher at Pear Tree School.

A seasoned educator with over a decade of experience in both public and private elementary schools, Alexis combines exceptional credentials with a deep understanding of the learning process to deliver a meaningful education experience to her students. She is dedicated to helping each child cultivate their individuality, and achieve not only academic, but lifelong success.

In her previous role, Alexis taught for 6 years at a private school, as well as in public schools in Richmond and Vancouver.

Alexis holds a Masters of Education, Bachelor of Education, and Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia. She is currently in her second year of UBC’s Doctorate of Education degree program.

A highly respected expert in her field, Alexis is a published researcher on the topic of ‘critical literacy theory’. Her article on Deconstructing gender representations in an elementary school classroom was published in the Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education in 2016. Her work has also appeared in the Australian Review of Applied Linguistics.

In addition to her published research, Alexis is also a recognized speaker, most recently speaking at the Vancouver EdTech Team Summit featuring Google for Education.

In her free time, Alexis enjoys cooking and exploring fitness and physical activity options within the city. She delights in sharing these passions with her students to enhance their education at Pear Tree School.

Paul Romani is the co-founder and director of Pear Tree School. In this role, Paul delivers an innovative, technology-enriched, and research-backed approach to education, helping both students and teachers achieve meaningful success.

A proponent of 21st century learning, Paul believes strongly in equipping students with real-world skills and abilities that will help them develop the confidence to excel both in and out of the classroom.

In his role as director, Paul also spearheads Pear Tree’s YouTube channel, a highly sought after resource on the topic of 21st century education. His videos have some of the top views on this topic and are used by American, British, and other international universities in their teaching training programs.

Paul began his career in education in 2001 after achieving great success as a computer engineer, receiving multiple accolades from such respected publications as PC Magazine. His background in education is exceptionally diverse, spanning a range of institutions, students, and countries, which provides him with a unique perspective on education and the learning process.

For 15 years, Paul gained extensive experience in ESL, career and vocational training, and education management. Most notably, he directed six summer residential language schools at the Oxford International Royal Holloway Summer School in the UK. In this role, Paul oversaw more than 1,000 students and 70 staff, making it one of the UK’s largest and most successful summer schools.

Paul has a Masters of Education degree in Educational Technology and Learning Design from SFU. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts from UBC.