2020 Founders Medal of Honor Award
A top entertainment industry professional and advocate for CMU’s interdisciplinary synergy, Paula Wagner brings energy, confidence and commitment to her leadership role within the Tartan community.
Paula develops and produces film, theatre and television projects through her production company Chestnut Ridge Productions. Her producing credits include the films “Mission Impossible I, II and III,” “Vanilla Sky,” “The War of the Worlds” and “Marshall,” and the stage shows “Pretty Woman: The Musical,” “The Heiress,” “Grace” and the Tony Award-nominated “Mothers and Sons.” Paula is a member of AMPAS, PGA, Broadway League and an ambassador of ReFrame for Women In Film, an effort seeking gender equality in the media industry.
She serves as a Carnegie Mellon University Trustee and a member of the Executive Committee and College of Fine Arts Dean’s Council as well as a master class instructor. Paula values the ideas created when the colleges and schools within the university combine their expertise, as evidenced in her support for the Entertainment Technology Center.