Paula Sullivan established herself athletically at Bridgewater State College in the sports of basketball and tennis. During her senior year she captained both teams. After leaving BSC she made a significant impact on the world of athletics when she established the women's basketball program at Stonehill College in 1971.

Paula served as the head coach at Stonehill for 25 years from 1971 through 1996.  Over that time span, the Skyhawks posted an overall record of 479-159 (.751) and captured six Northeast-10 Conference championships.  Paula's squads recorded winning seasons during all of her campaigns, and ten of those teams earned berths in the NCAA Division II Tournament.  Sullivan's most successful years came from 1993 through 1995, as Stonehill earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in each of those seasons, advancing to the national semifinals in 1995.

A five-time selection as Northeast-10 Coach of the Year, Sullivan was honored in 1994 as the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II National Coach of the Year.  Paula retired in March 1996 as the winningest Division II women's basketball coach in New England history.

Sullivan is a member of six Halls of Fame, including her alma maters at Archbishop Williams High School and Bridgewater State University. She is a charter member of the Stonehill Athletics Hall of Fame and has also been enshrined in the Northeast-10 Conference, New England Basketball Coaches and New Agenda Northeast Halls of Fame.

From 1984 to 1995 Paula served as the Assistant Director of Athletics at Stonehill and in 1996 she was named Athletic Director, a position she held until being promoted to Assistant Vice President in 2008. Paula retired from Stonehill in 2014.