Paula D. Cunningham is the state director for AARP Michigan. Prior to her current role, Cunningham was the CEO of Capitol National Bank (CNB), the only African American woman in the country to be president of a majority owned bank. Prior to joining Capitol National Bank, Cunningham was the first woman to serve as President of Lansing Community College. Additionally, Cunningham and her husband owned and managed an 18-hole golf course, and she was the founder of an entrepreneurial academy for young people.

She has received numerous awards and recognitions throughout her career, including the 2016 Michigan Black Caucus Trailblazer Award, being inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame, a former recipient of the prestigious Athena Award, featured in Ebony Magazine as a “Woman on the Move,” and featured in Bridge Magazine as a woman of “Breaks Barriers.”

Cunningham also serves on numerous boards including Davenport University, McLaren Health Systems – Lansing, and was the first African American female to chair the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce Board.