Paula Boggs

Paula E. Boggs, is the founder and owner of Boggs Media, LLC. She's a member Board of Directors and Audit Committee for Avid Technology, since July 2015.

Ms. Boggs has held a variety of professional and community leadership roles over the past 25+ years.  She was previously a Starbucks executive vice president, general counsel and secretary, Paula E. Boggs lead the Law & Corporate Affairs department, advising a wide range of Starbucks partners (employees) on legal and business issues. Since joining Starbucks in September 2002, she has been passionate about hiring and nurturing partners to grow, develop and reach their potential. Inquisitive by nature, she believes that by being curious she will learn about those she leads, understand differences and successfully work through issues that begin as challenges but ultimately result in creating a better solution.

Paula's legal career began in 1984 as a United States Army officer assigned to the Pentagon. She also worked as a staff attorney for the White House before leaving the service in 1988. From 1988 to 1994, Paula served as assistant United States attorney in the western district of Washington State and was responsible for prosecuting fraud and regulatory crimes before trial and appellate courts.

Paula was a partner at Preston Gates & Ellis in Seattle, one of the premier, full-service law firms in the country, recognized for its expertise in technology, intellectual property and complex business transaction issues, as well as governmental and public policy work. During her tenure with the firm from 1995 to 1997, Paula was a trial lawyer specializing in corporate civil litigation.

Prior to joining Starbucks, Paula served as Dell Computer Corporation's Vice President, Legal for Products, Operations and Information Technology Systems from 1997 to 2002. She also supported the Audit Committee of Dell's board of directors.

Paula is an active volunteer in both legal and civic organizations. She serves as a Washington State Delegate to the ABA's House of Delegates, as Chair of the Audits, Compliance and Insurance Committee of the Johns Hopkins University Board of Trustees, as Immediate Past President of the Board of LAW Fund, as a member of the KEXP advisory board, on the board of directors of Premera Blue Cross (Chair, Compensation Committee) and Starbucks Foundation (Secretary). Her past activities include serving as Chair, ABA Standing Committee on Constitution & Bylaws, and adjunct professor at University of Washington School of Law. Paula has served on the criminal justice act panel of the U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington (Seattle) and as Vice-Chair of the Washington State Equal Justice Coalition (Legal Services). She is the recipient of the Corporate Legal Times and Lexis Nexis 2003 Distinguished Legal Service Award. Paula and Starbucks were awarded the Washington State Bar Association's 2005 Excellence in Diversity Award at its annual meeting. She is also the recipient of the ABA 2006 Spirit of Excellence Award and the 2006 Sargent Shriver Award for Equal Justice. Recently, she received the Urban League Spirit Award, a Council on Legal Education Opportunity award and the 2008 Wiley A. Branton Award for her demonstrated service in the area of civil rights.

Paula received her bachelor of arts degree in international studies from The Johns Hopkins University in 1981 and her juris doctor from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, where she was named the 1998 Recent Alumna of the Year in recognition of her professional and civic contributions. In her spare time, Paula enjoys running and is a singer and songwriter.