Paula Ruiz Gutierrez
Paula Ruiz Gutierrez began her career in education by earning a B.A in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina in 2018. After graduating, she taught at elementary schools for five years both abroad and in Savannah, GA, then moved to Charlotte to pursue her M. Ed. in Educational Leadership (Higher Education concentration) from UNC Charlotte. Throughout grad school, she fell in love with Charlotte (the city and the institution!). After finishing her Master’s degree, she was thrilled to join SPS as an academic advisor in September of 2025. As of March 2026, Paula serves as the Associate Director of Online Student Success, where she hopes to continue building strong relationships with students that will help them achieve their personal, academic, and professional goals, and contribute to the growing impact of Charlotte Online.