After graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1986, Paul worked for The Boeing Company in Huntsville, Ala., writing systems engineering documentation for the NASA Space Station Freedom Program. In 1998, Paul began working as an electrical engineer for JVP Engineers, P.C., in Washington, D.C. This was the firm where Paul learned the ins and outs of the MEP engineering consulting business, including his first experience editing MasterSpec documents. In 2002, Paul obtained his Professional Engineer license. In 2004, Paul was hired by Teledyne Brown Engineering to work on a subcontract to The Boeing Company supporting facilities construction in Alaska and California for the Missile Defense Agency Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Program. Paul also wrote the first draft of a manual for conducting missile failure review boards, and systems engineering documentation for new naval vessels under development by Teledyne Webb Research. Paul was hired in 2014 by AECOM in Arlington, Va. Paul is very musical and is active in church choirs in Waynesboro, Va., where he lives with his husband and 2 cats.