Paula Villescaz has served as Associate Director of Legislative Advocacy since May 2022 after one year as Director of Legislative Advocacy. In this role, Paula oversees CWDA’s sponsored legislation. She has expertise in emergency response and disaster preparedness, response and recovery, and also helms this area for the association.

Immediately prior to joining CWDA, Paula served as Assistant Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency. She also previously held positions as the Principal Consultant for the Assembly Health Committee and Advisor to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Paula has a B.A. in Political Science with a Minor in Public Policy from UC Berkeley. She is active in the community and a past elected member of the San Juan Unified School Board.