Paula Sims

Paula Sims is senior vice president of corporate development and improvement, and chief integration officer at Progress Energy.

At UNC Kenan-Flagler she teaches “Applied Leadership for Elected MBAs,” which is part of the Leadership Initiative at UNC Kenan-Flagler. The class provides valuable leadership practice and executive-level coaching to MBA students elected to leadership roles in the MBA Student Association, career clubs and on advisory boards.

Since joining Progress Energy in 1999, Sims has held a variety of roles including senior vice president of both power operations and regulated services; vice president for both, fossil generation and regulated fuels; and chief operating officer of Progress fuels. She played a key leadership role in the integration activities during the CP&L/Florida Progress merger 10 years ago.

Most recently, Sims was named chief integration officer for the planned merger between Progress Energy and Duke Energy. With her counterpart from Duke Energy, she will spearhead the company’s efforts to combine systems and structures to create the nation’s largest electric utility.

Sims spent 15 years with GE Aircraft Engines in various engineering, operations and plant management roles before she joined Progress Energy.

She received her MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler, a master's degree in engineering from Boston University and a bachelor's degree in engineering from Virginia Tech.