Paula Treder was born in Rockford, Illinois. She received a bachelor of science in architecture (1951) and a master of science in architecture (1953) from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Treder worked in a variety of firms throughout the United States before moving to Rock Hill, South Carolina in 1964 and establishing an architectural firm under her own name.

From 1958-1960, Treder wrote on all aspects of housing design and construction including a large number of cover stories on residential design for House & Home where she was an associate editor. She moved to the Wall Street investment banking firm of Drexel Burnham Lambert, in 1972, where she developed an in-house facilities management office of 100+ professional and other staff responsible for the design, furnishing, construction supervision and maintenance of several hundred thousand square feet of office spaces for the firm in New York City, London, and throughout the Uninted States. Treder retired from DBL in 1988, as Director of Facilities Management and as a corporate officer with the title of First Vice President.

Treder is an Emeritus member of AIA (The American Institute of Architects.) She was instrumental in forming the Vancouver, WA chapeter of the AIA and served on the publications and women's committees of the New York chapter and the magazine committee of the South Carolina chapter. Treder was also involved in the Women's Equity Action League (WEAL) during the 1970s and held national and local offices.

She later moved to Tucson, Arizona.