Paula Blanchard has broad and extensive experience and expertise in the fields of communications, public relations, and fundraising. As a teacher, former First Lady of Michigan, and public relations practitioner, she has effectively guided individuals and organizations in meeting their communications needs. Currently, she is Founder and President of The Paula Blanchard Companies, a public relations consulting firm with clients in Detroit, Lansing and Windsor, Ontario. She is also a partner in McCarthy Blanchard, which specializes in presentation training for executives. Prior to those ventures, she was Director of Midwest Regional Communications for EDS. As Michigan’s First Lady from 1983 - 1987, she served as a top-level advisor to two former directors of the Michigan Department of Commerce, where she established the Office of Michigan Products Promotion and directed its activities for several years. Active in the promotion of travel and tourism, she was one of Michigan’s chief spokespersons. In December 1996, Governor John Engler appointed her as one of the five original members of the Michigan Gaming Control Board, which licensed three casinos in Detroit. He reappointed her to another three-year term in 1999. In May 2001, she was elected President of the Women’s Economic Club (WEC), the largest organization of its kind in the country, after serving as its Vice President and President-elect. During her term as President, she spearheaded the creation of the WEC Women’s Leadership Forum and its Center for Women’s Leadership. In 2002, Corp Magazine named her one of Michigan’s most influential women. She was chosen by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of Detroit’s 15 most successful women executives in 1990. She has also been the recipient of three honorary doctorate degrees, as well as a Distinguished Alumni Award from the Michigan State University College of Education, where she received her undergraduate degree in 1966. She has one son, Jay, 33. She lives in East Lansing, Michigan.