Office of General Counsel Staff Spotlight

Paula Whaley | Deputy General Counsel

Paula Whaley is our Deputy General Counsel who provides support to the Vice President/General Counsel Tara Evans and leads the team of attorneys in the office to provide legal assistance and advice to all campus departments and units.  Paula received her B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and her J.D. from Gonzaga School of Law.  She is admitted to practice in the states of California and Wyoming and the United States Supreme Court.  Spending the majority of her 25 year law career in the public government sector and higher education, she enjoys establishing ongoing relationships with the departments and people she advises and has a dedication to helping those around her. 

In her role as Deputy General Counsel, Paula specializes in a number of areas of law, including real estate, construction, the Americans with Disabilities Law and healthcare law.  In the past year, Paula has been involved in the negotiations of complex commercial transactions and purchases for UW and continues to assist in all legal aspects of the ongoing construction projects on campus, including the Science Initiative and early planning of the new student housing project.  Other critical areas of support she has provided this past year include providing the legal support to the creation of various public partnerships: these include UW’s participation in the Pilot Hill Project (creating public recreational areas in Albany County) and multiple partnerships UW developed with the county and State in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paula has two daughters and is the proud Pokes parent of a UW sophomore majoring in Art Education.  In her free time she enjoys playing music- piano and fiddle, attending musicals and art exhibits, spending time with her family, and traveling (which she hopes to resume when the pandemic ends).

Paula Whaley headshot photo
Find us on Instagram (Link opens a new window)Find us on Facebook (Link opens a new window)Find us on Twitter (Link opens a new window)Find us on LinkedIn (Link opens a new window)Find us on YouTube (Link opens a new window)