MaryPaul Yates is principal of Yates Design Inc., which provides marketing, design, and color services to the interior furnishings field. She has pioneered innovative materials and environmentally intelligent business models, creating private label and signature fabric and furniture collections for extensive, diverse international clients.

Alongside her design practice, Yates has taught at Parsons School of Design, Fashion Institute of Technology, and Hunter College.  A leading color consultant, Yates is an emeritus member of the Color Association of the US, which nominates twelve professionals to create the yearly Interior/Environmental forecast that provides color information to major industries. Honors for Yates' work include a Ford grant, Coty, Roscoe, IBD, and Best of Neocon awards, and citing in Who's Who in America.   

She authored the fifth edition of a popular textbook, Textiles for Residential and Commercial Interiors (Fairchild, 2019) and is the author of Fabrics: A Guide for Interior Designers and Architects, the seminal reference for interior designer professionals, for which she was awarded an ASID Educational Alliance /Joel Polsky Award and Textiles: A Handbook for Designers (both from Norton). Her books are used internationally as texts in interior design and textile programs.

Active in numerous professional organizations and initiatives, Yates is honored to be a member of the UGA Board of Visitors. Yates teaches Finishes and Materials in Interior Design, and Advanced Studio Practices  and Design for Industry in the Fabric Design area.