Paola oversees all the programming for PEP at the Theodore Payne Foundation. She has devoted her career to addressing environmental injustices that prevent low-income BIPOC communities from thriving. Her own experience and formal education at UC Berkeley have provided her with the tools necessary to build community and organize for positive local change. Her extensive involvement in the environmental world has given her access to work in spaces like the California Outdoor Engagement Coalition, National Park Service, Los Angeles Conservation Corps, and the Angeles National Forest. 

She is also the founder of REC, Recreate Educate Coadapt, which focuses on solving environmental justice issues through interpretative hikes, environmental education, and community beautification projects.