Paula Barney

Paula is dedicated to expanding equitable access to high-quality education for families. With nearly two decades of experience across both public and private sectors, she began her career in marketing and communications before transitioning into education, where she became a Broad Resident at the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). There, she played a pivotal role in expanding early college, dual enrollment, and Career and Technical Education opportunities for all Rhode Island students. She developed supporting policies and oversight systems that focused on quality and continuous improvement.

She later went on to lead RIDE’s charter office overseeing accountability and strategic planning for the state’s charter schools. Her work included redesigning the charter performance management system, managing new school applications, and launching a unified enrollment system. During her tenure, she secured over $6 million in federal and private grants to support key reforms to the state's charter authorizing and enrollment practices.

Paula holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Boston University, an MBA from DePaul University, and an M.Ed. in Education Leadership from the Broad Center, equipping her with a multidisciplinary approach to driving systemic change.