Leadership at Pace

April Dobes joined the Pace team in October of 2024, having spent most of her career with Sysco, where she held several leadership roles, including CFO & Vice President of Finance for Sysco Jacksonville, Market CFO for the Southeast Region, President & EVP of Sysco Jacksonville, and most recently as Senior Director of Sales Finance for Sysco US, where she managed $50B in revenue and $1B in expenses. 

April holds an MBA from the University of North Florida and a bachelor’s degree in finance and international business from Jacksonville University.  April’s strong commitment to community service through her role as a Trustee for the River Garden Foundation aligns with her commitment to serving our mission. Her leadership is defined by integrity, collaboration, and a passion for fostering environments where caring, purpose, learning, and results thrive. 

Yessica Cancel is an accomplished leader with extensive experience spanning both nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Recognized for her dedication to scaling organizations and driving positive change, she has consistently focused on nurturing talent and fostering collaborative environments.

Yessica’s career began in the classroom as a passionate teacher, where her commitment to education laid the foundation for her future leadership roles. Most recently, she served as President of Saga Education, a national leader in high-impact, in-school tutoring, where she implemented innovative, research-driven strategies that resulted in measurable improvements in student outcomes.

"My career has always been focused on the development of others," Yessica states. "Whether as an educator or in an organizational development capacity, my passion lies in helping individuals and teams identify and leverage their strengths." This dedication has led to the creation of sustainable, thriving cultures wherever she has been.

Having previously served as Chief Operating Officer at Pace for 11 transformative years, Yessica is excited to return to the organization she deeply understands and values.

As the Chief Program Officer, Teddy Thompson oversees the overall implementation and performance of the Pace Center for Girls’ program models and leads the development, operations, evaluation, and growth of these models. He is responsible for developing, strengthening, and managing a comprehensive array of girl-centered program services across multiple states, setting organizational and programmatic vision and priorities, and building a strong and collaborative organizational and program team culture.

Thompson joined Pace in 2018 as the Chief Advancement Officer. Under his leadership, Pace has experienced significant 20% growth in revenue. He also oversaw the development and execution of a consolidated marketing and public relations strategy that has gained national attention and elevated Pace’s position as the nation’s leading advocate for girls.

Thompson has over 20 years of sales, marketing and leadership experience in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. He has a deep passion for working on behalf of youth and serving the needs of those most at risk in our communities. Prior to joining Pace, he served as Vice President of Resource Development at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, one of the largest in the country, where he was responsible for leading the board development and fundraising. He also served as a National Director of Corporate and Cause Partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs of America where he was responsible for a corporate development team in the Eastern United States that secured over $80 Million in revenue under his leadership.

Thompson is a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland with a degree in Secondary Education and serves as most favorite in his household of two beautiful daughters and amazing wife.