Paola Fernandez was born in Argentina and arrived in Rhode Island at the age of 10. She is Vice President for Community Development at Centreville Bank. She formerly worked as the Assistant Vice President, Community Outreach and Business Development at Pawtucket Credit Union. In that role Paola oversaw PCU’s community giving program with the goal of delivering strategic financial support to diverse community-based efforts that positively impact the lives of underserved populations throughout Rhode Island. Prior to her work at PCU, Paola served as Director of Public Policy and Research at United Way of Rhode Island where she was responsible for development and coordination of public policy strategies and partnerships with local, state, and federal government. Her career in the nonprofit sector has been focused on social issues and spans across grant allocations and management, outcomes and performance management, advocacy campaign development, lobbying and coalition building. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management with a concentration in Human Resources from Johnson & Wales University. Paola is active on various boards, and most recently became co-chair and one of the founding members of the newly created Asociación Argentina de Rhode Island. She also serves as the co-chair of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University. Paola resides in Cranston with her husband and two children.