Paula L. Chester is the Director of Private Equity in the Office of the State Comptroller. Prior to her appointment as Director, Ms. Chester served as Counsel to the Comptroller of the State of New York. She is admitted to practice law before the Maryland and New York State Bar.

The Comptroller is the chief fiscal officer of the State of New York, the administrative head of the State and Local Retirement Systems, and is the sole trustee of the State's Common Retirement Fund with assets of $115 billion. As the Common Retirement Fund's Director of Private Equity, Ms. Chester oversees a portfolio of over $15.5 billion of commitments in Alternative Investments and Opportunistic Real Estate. The portfolio includes buyout, venture capital, international, and special situation funds as well as certain pooled real estate transactions.

Prior to her appointment as Counsel to the Comptroller, Ms. Chester served as general counsel to the New York City Comptroller from 1990-1993. Before joining the City Comptroller's Office, Ms. Chester served as associate and later partner in the firm of Berger & Steingut. Between 1977-1981, she worked for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission - first as a branch attorney - in the Division of Corporation Finance; then as a special counsel of the SEC's Office of Small Business Policy.