Paula Finley

Paula was enticed by the idea of working at Becoming Independent as she was seeking a fun “retirement” job where she made a difference. Leaving Bank of America after 10 years, where she served as an AVP consolidating banking functions from branches into service centers, and wanting to forego the Petaluma to SF commute, Paula stepped out of the work world to raise her three children. She was very involved in the early years of the homeschooling movement, focusing on learning styles and curriculum development. This passion morphed into her tutoring high school students preparing for college entry math tests. Her subsequent work with SCOE, assisting in classrooms for medically fragile and students with autism and other IDD, led her to BI. Paula joined BI in February of 2011 and became Manager of the Production Services team in June of 2011. She had the privilege of leading BI’s vocational team through the transition from sub minimum wage to minimum wage in January of 2018. She continues to work to not only ensure BI remains a fun place to work but that it truly exemplifies its values in all areas, supports individuals to live self-determined lives and celebrates the staff who make BI the best. Paula is a graduate of the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities program through the University of Delaware.