Senior Vice President, Meetings

Paula J. Staley, CMP, DES is Senior Vice President of Meetings. She’s responsible for overseeing the management and operations of the Meetings & Events department, which plans and executes all key Council meetings and events. Staley joined The Council in 1997 and received her Certified Meeting Professional designation in 2004. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Connecticut and spent four years as an Air Traffic Control Operator with the United States Air Force. Staley is currently a member of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and the Financial and Insurance Conference Planners Association.


First job: Washing dishes at a small-town diner when I was 15. Washing dishes was no fun and I could not wait to turn 16 and move up to waitress.

Last book read: The President’s Shadow by Brad Meltzer

Favorite place to travel: The beach

Favorite DC Landmark: The Lincoln Memorial

If I could retire tomorrow, I would… buy a beach house