Since 2/4/2021 Maria Papa assumed the duties of the Commander of Civil Defense. She studied accounting at Sandwell College of Further and Higher Education / Emile Woolf College of Accountancy and is a Certified Accountant, member of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA). In 2003, she received a master’s degree in public administration from CIIM, while since 2007 she is a Certified Internal Auditor. She had been working at the Treasury of the Republic of Cyprus since 1991.