Teresa Paul, Executive Director of WCAA, studied communications at George Mason University and began her career working in restaurant publicity, first with a Fortune 100 company, and then as an account executive with one of the top restaurant PR firms in the DC area. With encouragement from friends and colleagues, Teresa launched her own public relations agency in 1998 and became the go-to firm for both profit and non-profit companies specializing in the interiors industry. Her firm represented several interior designers, as well as the NSO Decorators' Show House, C2 Paints and Mastercraft Interiors. Teresa moved with her family to Raleigh, NC in 2006 and was a stay at home mom and active volunteer until she came out of retirement in 2014 to be the Executive Director of WCAA. Teresa is an avid country music fan, has an admitted addiction to all things pumpkin spice and loves spending time at the beach. She has been married to her husband, Michael, for almost 18 years and is mom to their son Justin, who is 13 going on 25. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading and watching Justin, a second degree black belt, compete in Taekwondo tournaments.