Dr. Paula Edwards

Dr. Paula Edwards started her career in accounting, working primarily for real estate companies specializing in pension funds and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT). In 2003, she started her own business, consulting in the areas of accounting, management, and leadership, encompassing such industries as entertainment, real estate, interior design, retail, e-commerce, and restaurant operations. Through her consulting work, she found a love of teaching and helping others. She started teaching at Saddleback College in 2011, with courses in Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, and Entrepreneurial Accounting. In 2015, she started the Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership program at University of Massachusetts, Global to hone her transformational leadership abilities, educational skills, and expand her teaching and consulting opportunities. While pursuing her doctorate, she taught various courses at numerous colleges and universities including on-campus, hybrid, and online courses in Introduction to Business, Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Cost Accounting, Entrepreneurial Accounting, Personal Finance, Financial Analysis, and Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. She has taught at Saddleback College, Irvine Valley College, Southern New Hampshire University, Concordia University-Irvine, and Chapman University.

She is a Certified Management Accountant and holds a Master of Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University and Bachelor of Science from California State University, Long Beach with an emphasis in Accounting and Human Resources. She has also attended two study abroad programs in Asia and Europe. She earned a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from UMass Global with a dissertation focusing on the role of management accountants in start-up businesses in Southern California. She loves being an Associate Professor in the Competency-Based Education program at UMass Global helping students achieve their educational goals.