Originally a native of Waterford, Connecticut, Paul is a 1991 graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, MA and earned a B.S in Marine Transportation and an Unlimited Tonnage Third Mate License in the U.S. Merchant Marine. Upon graduation, Paul accepted a Commission in the U.S. Coast Guard serving 28 years on Active Duty. As a Marine Safety professional, Paul worked closely with the commercial maritime industry conducting vessel inspections, marine casualty investigations, personal action investigations regarding mariner misconduct, pollution response and prevention, law enforcement intelligence, and maritime security planning and response. He earned a B.A in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, RI in 2006.
After retiring from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2019, he accepted a position as Vice President of Compliance, Security and Safety at Turn Services, an inland towing and barge fleeting company located in New Orleans, LA. In 2021, Paul was selected to lead the Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association (GICA) as President. GICA is a 120-year-old trade association coordinating maritime stakeholder interaction with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S Army Corps of Engineers, and other federal, state and local government agencies. GICA ensures safe and efficient Gulf coast waterways focusing on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the third busiest inland waterway in the United States for cargo tonnage after the Mississippi and Ohio River systems.
Paul is married to the former Joan Elizabeth Bellefontaine, and they reside in Covington, LA and are the proud parents of four great kids.