Pretend City The Childrens Museum Of Orange County

Profile Current (Last updated: Jan 08, 2026 )

MANAGEMENT

CEO/Executive Director

Ellen Pais

CEO/Executive Director Experience

Ellen Pais joined Pretend City as the new Executive Director for the growing organization in 2021. Passionate about children, Pais has made a significant impact in early childhood and k-12 education by focusing on building collaborative education systems where parents and teachers integrate with community partners to meet the needs of children and their families. Pais’s extensive background in educational equity is a great compliment to Pretend City’s education mission. The museum’s goal is to ensure that children get the experiences necessary for success in school and a productive future. A graduate of UC Berkeley and American University’s Washington College of Law, Ms. Pais was recently the Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP).

Staff Information

Number of Full-Time Staff 25
Number of Part-Time Staff 20
Number of Volunteers 252
Number of Contract Staff 1

Staff Demographics

Ethnicity
Other 0
Caucasian 0
Hispanic/Latino 0
African American/Black 0
Asian American/Pacific Islander 0
Native American/American Indian 0
Gender
Male 0
Female 0
Not Specified 0

CONTACT

Pretend City The Childrens Museum Of Orange County

29 Hubble
Irvine, CA 92618

sue.harrison@pretendcity.org

Phone: 949-428-3900 #240

www.pretendcity.org