Raina Faisca, CPCPCorporate Card Manager, Weill Medical College of Cornell University
December 2022 Featured Member

You’ve spoken at past NAPCP events about being passionate about automating process and finding efficiencies. Can you share some examples of recent accomplishments you’ve had in these areas?

We are currently testing a new audit system with hopes to reduce the audit timeframe and keep all audit correspondence in one central area.

You currently hold the Certified Purchasing Card Professional credential (CPCP). What value have you achieved from earning the CPCP?

Obtaining my CPCP has provided a substantial foundation of knowledge in the P-Card industry, which has allowed me to manage every aspect of my card program efficiently and effectively with confidence and poise.

About Raina

Raina Faisca began working for Weill Cornell Medicine College (WCM) in 2015 as a Procurement Card administrator. In 2017, she was promoted to Commercial Card manager and obtained her CPCP in 2018. Raina has over 15 years’ experience in purchasing, finance and customer service. Her experience has fostered her ability to manage a diverse card program, which includes, P-Cards, One Cards, executive cards, vendor cards, emergency cards and ePayables. In her time at WCM Raina implemented numerous changes which resulted in streamlining and automating several processes, freeing up her team’s workload to focus more on program retention, customer service and program audits. Her efforts have included automation of the monthly and year-end accrual process, working with the IT team to develop a mandatory receipt attachment option within the ERP system resulting in the program becoming 100% paperless as well as creating a new online training module.

What are you most proud of about your job?

Being caught directly in the epicenter of the pandemic was a great challenge as many departments were looking to us for assistance with hardware purchases for employees’ remote work as well as assisting the Purchasing Dept with purchasing PPE from outside vendors to ensure our clinical spaces and hospitals had adequate supplies. I am proud to say we were able to accommodate all requests without a break in operations or customer service while simultaneously launching a new online training module and Virtual Card campaign.

Any current challenges?

We recently went live with a new spend management system and due to the amount of manpower it requires from our IT team we’ve had to pause some system enhancement to the P-Card system.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

I am extremely passionate about mentoring underprivileged youth and providing a positive influence and wisdom to help them navigate through life challenges and become successful despite adversities they may face.

Fun fact about you? 

I am co-owner and co-host of a podcast and owner of my own business.

Program details:

• $80M annual spend
• 60K annual transactions
• 500 cards (combination of P-Card, One Card, Executive Cards, Vendor Cards and Emergency Cards) ePayables   

Jennifer Steier, CPCP, MBA
Director, ProCard and Procurement Systems, University of Louisville
September 2022 Featured Member

Jennifer Steier has worked in the procurement services department at the University of Louisville since 2012, first as a Procurement Card Compliance Analyst, and now as the director of ProCard and Procurement Systems. Her responsibilities include management of the Procurement Card (ProCard), Fleet Fuel Card, and Procurement System. Recently, Jennifer has taken the ProCard reallocation process from paper to 100% electronic utilizing OnBase. Jennifer holds an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from Bellarmine University and recently became a Certified Purchasing Card Professional (CPCP). Jennifer recently became a member of the NAPCP Higher Education Advisory Team.   

What are you most proud of about your job?

People and processes are my passion! Helping others around me succeed in what they are doing and helping them to overcome any challenges they may encounter is something I take great pride in. I am always looking for ways to improve processes within our department to aid in time spent completing a task and reduce the end user’s time spent.

Any current challenges?

We are gearing up to start the process of moving to a new ERP system starting in January 2023, which is both exciting and scary! It is exciting, since I am hopeful we will be able to automate some of our current processes, which will allow us to move away from manual entry of things (application entry) and move toward being 100% electronic.

You currently hold the Certified Purchasing Card Professional credential (CPCP). What value have you achieved from the CPCP?

For me, I have a newfound confidence in my ProCard knowledge. It is knowledge that I have always had and earning my CPCP just validated that I knew it.

Fun fact about you? 

I love baking (anything!) and making custom birthday cakes for my son and two nephews. I enjoy watching the Great British Baking Show and doing some of the ‘technical’ bakes to challenge myself. I also find baking to be my stress relief. 

If you could visit anywhere in the world, you’ve never been, where would you go and why?

Having an undergraduate degree in History/Art History, Europe has always been TOPS of my travel bucket list. I was fortunate enough to study abroad for three weeks in Rome, Italy, while obtaining my MBA. My next destination is Greece, specifically Athens. I could spend DAYS at the Acropolis Museum alone.

Program details:

ProCard and Fuel Card spend for FY22 (July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022)

• ProCard—1,000 cardholders, $61 million in spend with 112,000 transactions
• Fuel Card—140 cards, $245,000 in spend with 6,000 transactions     

 Laury Chesbrough, CPCP
Corporate Credit Card Administrator, Cambia Health Solutions
August 2022 Featured Member

In 2006 Laury took a position introducing her to Corporate Credit Card programs and expense auditing at KinderCare. She found her passion and strength and took on the challenge to increase her knowledge in 2008 when she took certification exam and received her Certified Purchasing Card Professional credential, CPCP. Laury joined Cambia in 2008 to develop and implement with leadership their first ever Corporate Credit Card program. She is currently a Corporate Credit Card and Exp Admin II. This consists of assisting with updating the travel and expense policy, creating cardholder and manager agreement forms, creating the standard operating procedures, designing the Corporate Card website, automating application and additional forms, using audit best practices, creating metrics and developing training. Laury's passion is to streamline processes, provide outstanding customer service, automate processes and train employees. In 2018 Laury applied and was honored to be accepted on the Purchasing Card Professional Certification Council (PCPCC) with NAPCP.

What are you most proud of about your job?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the team rolled out a new provider to cardholders and designed and implemented our new ERP system for expenses seamlessly.

Could you share some of your biggest lessons learned from going through the RFP process for finding a new provider?

The biggest lessons learned from our RFP are to make sure you have thought through all items that are required and critical for your company; and to have the administrators be able to go into the provider's test environment to run sample reporting and test functionality that is frequently utilized—as an administrator and an end-user—to ensure the program provides what has been promised. Make sure that verbal promises are converted into written guarantees.

Any current challenges?

Our current project is focusing on creating new visual and written training tools. In conjunction with this we brought back monthly live trainings with teams, new cardholders and administrators. Live trainings are being well embraced and the administrators thrive on our monthly meetings to connect where questions can be answered and demonstrated for them.

You are a member of the Purchasing Card Professional Certification Council (PCPCC). What value have you achieved from being part of the council?

It is an honor to be on the Council, to ensure the certification meets NAPCP’s standards, to partake in reviewing the questions and Purchasing Card Essentials to ensure they are well written, accurate and up to date.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Hiking to see the beauty of the world especially to see waterfalls.

Fun fact about you? 

Every year I can relish, spaghetti sauce and cowboy candy with the veggies from my garden. A little bit of work in the summer brings delicious food in the winter.

Program details:

Cambia Health Solutions uses a One Card program with 1,930 cardholders for travel and business expenses.     

Angelina Linnett, CPCP
Operations Manager and Purchasing Card Program Administrator, Salt Lake County Government
July 2022 Featured Member

Managing Salt Lake County’s P-Card program for nine years, and in collaboration with other county and regional partners, Angelina has improved processes that have resulted in enhanced integrity and efficiency of the program. Angelina graduated from Westminster College with a Master of Arts in Community Leadership and has worked for Salt Lake County Government for 25 years in various positions and departments. Her experience offers a unique vantage point that is used to guide cardholders and stakeholders with their program needs.

What are you passionate about in your job?

One word: Potential. The incredible opportunity to provide service that allows my county colleagues to fulfill their important work within the community brings a lot of joy and inspiration. I’m constantly motivated to explore new ways to grow our program while improving safeguards and taking advantage of industry enhancements.

Any current challenges?

The current challenges we face revolve around managing plastic cards while working remotely. Another challenge is onboarding new cardholders and revamping our training program to ensure that it’s effective on an online platform. Luckily, the 2022 NAPCP Annual Conference offered many resources for these challenges. We are actively collaborating with NAPCP peers to implement best practices.

Can you tell us about your experience and successes found with implementing a new reconciliation platform recently?

In May 2020, our organization moved from reconciling within our provider’s online platform to PeopleSoft 9.2. This was an immense project that took over two years of exploration, planning and budget advocacy. Just two weeks before we were scheduled to go live with the developed in-person training workshops for our 600+ cardholders and 150+ approvers, we were sent home to work remotely due to COVID-19. This caused panic and doubt that the implementation could continue.  We needed to quickly figure out how to move forward with the training with limited resources. We virtually trained our cardholders and approvers on the new platform, which was a surprisingly huge success since we weren’t limited to room/class size, and the sessions could be recorded for those unable to attend. The launch of “P-Card Place” came in on time and under budget. The biggest benefits for moving to the new platform were a real-time budget update for approved transactions, a common repository for all backup documentation, internally customized reports and queries and the potential for contracts and purchase orders to be directly linked to Purchasing Card spend.

What value have you achieved from the CPCP?

While facilitating many efforts for program improvements, the CPCP certification has added an understanding that I am a professional within my field and that I have a commitment to the P-Card industry standards and knowledge base. Frankly, it has helped to gain a serious audience with decision makers. The CPCP certification also allowed for my position to be reclassified into an elevated grade level, which is the ultimate form of recognition within my organization.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Outside of work I am passionate about my family. I am the proud mother of a 22-year-old son, Chase, who will be graduating from college this year. I also have two bonus children, Kortnee (14) and Lucas (11). I have a four-legged child as well, Buddy, who is a micro-dachshund smooth red dog that can be found at my side/on my lap all hours of the day. My husband and I are deeply inspired by traveling together and take every opportunity to catch a flight on a new adventure. Our next adventure will be in October 2022, where we will be traveling all over Italy for a month!

Fun fact about you? 

Like many others, I gained a LOT of weight to my already overweight body during COVID-19. Thanks, DoorDash! In January 2021, I decided to change my lifestyle. I was a size 24 and couldn’t even walk quarter mile without stopping for a break. I began tracking my eating habits, going on daily walks and started to learn about personal discipline and mental toughness. Over the last 18 months I have lost 140 lbs (and still losing) and gained a love of triathlons, weight training, running and hot yoga. My whole life has changed and I’m tremendously grateful for the patience and support my family offered while I took the time to finally take care of myself.

Program details:

Our current provider is U.S. Bank and we have 610 cardholders and 140 approvers. We have between 55,000-65,000 annual transactions and an annual spend of $16 million to $18 million. Salt Lake County’s Purchasing Card program was adopted in 2000 and steadily grew up until 2013. Beginning in 2013, the P-Card program doubled in spend over a five-year period. This growth inspired many opportunities for new program processes and improvements since 2018.

 Travis Henderson
Director of Procurement Services & Materials Management, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
June 2022 Featured Member

Travis Henderson joined UNC-Chapel Hill in October 2017 after nearly 20 years working for IBM and Lenovo in various supply chain roles, including more than five years in P-Card program management. At UNC-Chapel Hill, he is currently the Director of Procurement Services & Materials Management, which includes Purchasing Services, Travel and Payment Card Services, eProcurement, Capital Asset Management, Surplus Property Operations and the Central Receiving warehouse. Travis has overseen significant growth in UNC’s P-Card program during his tenure, which has nearly tripled its annual spend volume. In addition, UNC-Chapel Hill implemented a new Travel Card program and new expense management solution in 2021 and expects substantial growth in Ghost Card and virtual payments in the eProcurement space. Travis graduated from Purdue University with a degree in industrial engineering.

What are you passionate about in your job?

I challenge myself and my team to always look for ways to increase efficiency and drive continuous improvement for ourselves as well as our campus stakeholders. Reducing the time spent on tactical work enables us to focus on higher value activities for our organizations.

Any current challenges?

Our tremendous growth in card spend and program complexity over the past four to five years has created an opportunity to re-engineer our audit/monitoring activities to ensure we are growing in a controlled manner. We haven’t quite settled into a rhythm yet, but we are getting there!

Can you tell us about the success you’ve found implementing a “card payments first” supplier onboarding process?

In 2019, we launched an operational efficiency project focused on low dollar spend transactions. We developed a purchasing method decision tree and shared across all University units to drive users to the most efficient purchasing method. Sometimes that was a purchase order, sometimes it was eProcurement, but most of the invoice volume shifted to our P-Card program. Additionally, we recently launched a new T&E card program for frequent travelers as well as a virtual payables program.

You are a current member of the Higher Education Advisory Team (HEAT). Can you share what value you have received from being a member of the team?

Coming from a long stint in the corporate world, working in higher education is certainly a shock to the system in many ways. HEAT has been a great resource to benchmark how other colleges and universities have tackled some of the same challenges we’ve experienced at UNC-Chapel Hill. It’s a very collaborative team, which mirrors the higher education industry.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

As many families with children do, we spend quite a bit of time shuttling our kids around to their various sports and school activities. Now that we are approaching summertime, we enjoy relaxing at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia during warmer weather.

Program details: 

• P-Card: ~$65 million annual spend, ~2,100 cards
• Travel Card:~$20 million annual spend, ~3,500 cards 
• Virtual Payables: ~$60-65 million annual spend 

The NAPCP Contributor of the Year recognition is given to one end-user and one provider each year at the NAPCP Annual Conference for their outstanding contributions to the Commercial Card industry during the previous year. Congratulations to the 202s recipients! Want to get involved with the NAPCP? Learn more here. 

Lesley Lackore, CPCP
Card Services Manager, Procurement Services
Iowa State University 

Lesley Lackore is card services manager for procurement services at Iowa State University, with over 20 years of experience in card program management and procurement systems. Lesley is a graduate of Iowa State, earning a BLS with an emphasis in business and communication. In 2006, she earned the designation of Certified Purchasing Card Professional from the NAPCP. A member of the NAPCP Higher Education Advisory Team, Lesley earned the NAPCP Community Champion Award in 2016 for her contributions in leading that team. As a speaker and facilitator at the Cards and Payments on Campus conference, NAPCP national and regional meetings, and regional meetings of the National Association of Educational Procurement, Lesley has presented on topics such as eProcurement, card fraud and misuse, study abroad card programs, evaluation and focus groups and effective communication.

Tiffany Lovelace, CPCP, CPBI
Commercial Card Sales Leader, SVP
Regions Bank

With over a decade of real-life, in the trenches procurement and Commercial Card experience, Tiffany Lovelace views Commercial Card payment solutions as more than just a swipe—a true strategic payment vehicle, delivering tangible bottom-line results for corporate and public fund entities.

Incorporating experience from serving as the senior manager of International Procurement for Kansas City Southern Railway, with an inherent level of passion for the Commercial Card industry, Lovelace joined Regions Bank in 2015 as Commercial Card sales leader, senior vice president, where she is responsible for designing innovative payment platforms and uncovering new Commercial Card opportunities within the Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas markets.

Tiffany supports the NAPCP organization through serving as a member and sits on the Purchasing Card Professional Certification Council. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and is a Certified Professional in Business Intelligence and holds the Certified Purchasing Card Professional credential. Carrying out the meaning of the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child,” Lovelace serves as a volunteer for the Boys & Girls Club and Junior Achievement of Dallas, Texas.

  

Josh Paddock
Global Corporate Card Program Administrator
AbbVie Inc.

Josh Paddock is the Global Corporate Card program administrator for AbbVie Inc., with 11 years of T&E, meeting, P-Card and expense reporting experience. He is an active participant on NAPCP’s Global Advisory Team. Josh plays a critical role in implementing new card programs. He is responsible for AbbVie’s Global Card program governance by communicating policy updates, program changes and biannual certifications to local card administrators. He actively participates in Purchasing and Supplier Management’s Governance Committee that decides allowable payment types and whether a legal contract is required. Josh supports day-to-day activities addressing cardholder inquiries, issuing cards and reconciling individual accounts. Prior to his current role, Josh was an expense report auditor and has a background in education.

What are you most proud of about your job?

I am most passionate about doing my absolute best and helping others around me succeed in what they need to accomplish to perform well.

You’ve found success implementing card programs in several countries. Could you give us a quick overview of the countries in which you have card programs and if there are any additional countries on the horizon?

AbbVie is truly a Global Corporate Card program having programs in North America, LATAM, JPAC and EMEA.  There could be a few new countries included within the integration project. These would include Philippines, Thailand, and India

What has been your key to success for global implementation?

Having the support of senior leadership from the beginning of a major project and having an organized project manager.

What is something you wish you would have known before starting global implementation?

With every large project expect the unexpected. Mistakes will happen, it’s a matter of how you go about correcting those mistakes.

What piece of advice would you give to others about to implement a global program?

Know how long your card providers' KYC process takes. Get in front of the timelines by getting a list of which countries you’re implementing to your card provider as early as possible to determine the KYC requirements for each. Form a relationship with the key internal stakeholders who can provide the proper signatures and business requirements of the KYC process.

Any current challenges?

Trying to be as agile and transparent to our internal/external stakeholders as possible during integration schedule changes and getting them to adapt as quickly as the schedule is being adjusted.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

I love family time and camping. Our recent camping trips include Eagle River, Wisconsin; Mackinaw, Michigan; Custer, South Dakota; and Two Rivers, Wisconsin. I enjoy woodworking projects whether it’s updating the trim in the house, building a bench, or putting bird houses together with my kids.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, you’ve never been, where would you go and why?

I’d like to visit as many national parks as possible. I love road trip adventures, so anywhere I can get to with my camper that includes hiking, site seeing, etc. is where I will be off to next.

Program details:

• Global
• 65+ countries
• 26,000+ cardholders 
• Travel Card, P-Card, Meeting Card, Central Travel Account, Prepaid

 

Shelley Shearer Director, University Payables
George Washington University

Shelley Shearer, CPCP, is the director of university payables for The George Washington University (GWU). This department includes the Procurement Card (P-Card) program, Supplier Maintenance, Expense and Invoicing. With over 10 years of experience, Shelley strives to automate the areas she oversees with a focus on analytics. She is currently on the Higher Education Advisory Team for NAPCP. She has provided training sessions and presentations at conferences during her career.

What are you most proud of about your job?

I am most proud of the variety of ways we’ve moved away from manual and paper-based processes and continue to offer high quality customer service and reporting to our internal and external customers. We continue to beta test or attempt new processes whenever we can to become more efficient. Reporting and analytics are something you are passionate about.

What is your best piece of advice for someone who is wanting to create reporting on their card program for the first time?

There is such a large amount of possible data that it can become overwhelming. The first step is to figure out what areas you care about and want to analyze. Are you wanting to know the top 10 spenders? Or if the card is being used for items that shouldn’t be on there? I found that going through our policies and procedures manual and determining what we’ve stated there as the areas we want to evaluate helps in reviewing reports.

Do you have advice for someone who is further along, looking to optimize/expand?

For those further along, I would recommend changing up what you review for a few months. It might not be a priority area, but may lead to finding areas that could be tightened up or even just finding training opportunities to offer.

You are going to be a speaker at the upcoming Annual Conference, with a session on using artificial intelligence. What are some of the latest payment/technology trends that you have on your radar/horizon?

I’d like to see us use Robotic Process Automation(RPA) and automated training tools/virtual assistants. We continue to look at areas we spend a large amount of manual labor hours on and try to see where RPA can do the work. For instance pulling a list of individuals with aged P-Card expense reports that need to be submitted and then auto mailing a reminder and a note on our timeline requirements. If the employee is unfamiliar with the process or needs to know what the policy requires, they could go into our expense system and get automated training by clicking on the areas they have questions about.

Any current challenges?

We recently brought the Medical Faculty Associates(MFA) under the GWU umbrella and we’ve needed to bring them up to speed quickly on our processes. They didn’t use P-Cards and had very little in the way of reporting on their data. Getting them up and running with P-Cards, training on expense reporting and transitioning them to GWU has been a large undertaking. We’ve also found that we need to update our reports to accommodate the different structure. We’re not even a year in yet so I imagine there will be more challenges still to come.

What is a fun fact about you?

Let’s see. For the past three seasons I’ve been on a local axe throwing league. It’s a great social night out with friends.

Program details:

• Number of cardholders: 1,544
• Annual transactions: 85,000
• Annual spend: $34 million 

 

Paul Anderson, CPCP
Purchase Card Analyst
University of Texas, Arlington

Paul was appointed to his current position of Purchase Card analyst in September 2017 at the University of Texas at Arlington, (UTA). He is also an Alumni of UTA with both a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Bachelor of Business Administration with Management Concentration. Paul obtained his CPCP credential in October 2020 and joined the Higher Education Advisory Team (HEAT) in 2021. He is passionate about assisting all payment cardholders to become aware of the university payment card policy and become completely satisfied with the commercial bank and university services that are offered. Paul assists the procurement department to accomplish payment cardholder program compliance with university purchase card policies that are currently in place in a vast number of different ways. Paul is planning on pursuing his MBA graduate degree at UTA in the summer of 2022 to continue to enjoy lifelong learning and growing personally and professionally.

What are you most passionate about within your job?

Helping others, which is the core function of my role. There are many different facets of our university payment card policies. Refreshing the existing cardholder’s policy knowledge, delivering the needed training to new cardholders, or getting long-term cardholders back onto the compliant pathway is very rewarding and a constant challenge on my plate every day.

Are you facing any current challenges in your role? 

To keep up with all the different requirements of our payment card program daily, weekly and monthly is a challenge. The different times of the month bring more questions or inquiries from cardholders and administrators my way, which takes me away from my core but does not stop my mission, only making it more of a challenge to keep up with.

What made you want to pursue the CPCP credential? 

Being in an educational organization having as much credibility as possible helps me to get my messages sent out to the cardholders with empowerment and deeper knowledge of my field. When you know your organization’s policy and you have the CPCP credential you will rarely feel the lack of confidence dealing with any question or compliance matter from what I have experienced since gaining the credential.

What advice do you have for those who are considering pursuing the CPCP?

I would highly advise getting the P-Card Essentials book from NAPCP for starters in pursuing the CPCP certificate. Then also research into the massive NAPCP database of articles and overall information found on their website. You need to have the mindset that you may be hired on or asked by your current organization to change your payment card supplier and as a CPCP certified professional you will have the confidence to see it all the way through!

What are you passionate about outside of work?

My family is absolutely amazing and definitely what I am very passionate about. My wife Mary Jane and son Paul John are what I live and breathe for every single day. I feel my heartbeat increasing just thinking of them both! I am also still passionate about the sport of bowling, even though I do not bowl regularly anymore. In the past I have bowled five sanctioned perfect 300 games and had two 800 three-game series in league competition and truly love the game. I am hoping to shoe up again soon!

Do you have a New Year's Resolution for 2022?

I have made a couple of resolutions for 2022. The first is staying healthy as much as possible, along with steering clear of this horrible virus that can’t seem to get the hint to go by now! The second resolution is to pursue an MBA graduate degree to enhance the bachelor’s degrees that I have earned in Accounting and Management. We also have an offering within our University business unit to provide our team the opportunity to cover the voucher cost to get the Microsoft Excel Certification. I am going to do that sometime in 2022, which is on the resolution list.

Program details:

• P-Card: roughly 680 cardholders; 60,000 annual transactions; estimated $15 million annual spend
• One Card: 10 cardholders—only used in Athletic department
• Travel Card: 100 cardholders—rolled out recently to staff or faculty who plan on traveling at least three times in the coming year

 

Frances “Sally” Helms, CPCP
P-Card Program Administrator, City of Longmont, Colorado
Featured Member for December 2021

Sally has been with the City of Longmont since April 2007 and in her current role as P-Card program administrator in the Purchasing & Contracts Division since 2011. She is responsible for managing all aspects of the program including many of the strategic business accounts such as Amazon, Home Depot, Staples and others. Sally has been a member of the NAPCP since 2012 and has been a CPCP (Certified Purchasing Card Professional) since October 2013. With over 25 years of experience in the business and high-tech industries, Sally has used every aspect of knowledge gained in those areas to manage her City’s P-Card program.

Sally’s program includes a mix of Purchasing Cards, Department Cards and virtual accounts. In the time that she has been responsible for her City’s program, Sally has changed providers once; implemented a site coordinator’s program; revamped and re-launched the City’s P-Card program including re-writing policies and procedures; changed program reconciliation platforms twice; and rolled out a Department Card program and use of virtual accounts. She was the P-Card program subject matter expert for implementation of a new ERP Financial System and worked with the project team to set up the P-Card module in the new ERP system. This included moving all transaction processes, reconciliation and approval system workflows, hard copy documentation and receipts, to online processes. Sally has worked closely with her Purchasing Card team in a dedicated effort to more than double P-Card spend and rebates over the last 10 year and has worked through two major emergency events (a flood and COVID-19 pandemic). She has implemented several training classes and online tutorials.

What are you most proud of about your job?

I am very proud of the technology and efficiencies implemented in our program over the last 10 years. I am proud to say that our program is 90% online. The only remaining elements that still have a physical component are the card disbursement process, repayments to the program and termed employee record retention.

What value have you achieved from the CPCP credentials?

The CPCP credentials have brought a sense of legitimacy to our program and to my position. By having this certification, my management can be confident that there is a trained professional making day-to-day decisions and managing the program.

What is a current challenge you are facing?

Keeping our P-Card spend up.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

My latest passion outside of work is my new granddaughter, Grace, born November 7! Aside from little Grace, passions are faith, family and friends. My husband and I also love just about every outdoor activity from kayaking to biking, a little hiking and just exploring. We love finding new places in Colorado to experience.

Fun fact

I met my husband, Dave, at a luau in Hawaii. He lived in California and I in New Mexico. We married two years after we met — 36½ years ago!

Program details:

• Provider – UMB
• Active Cards – 450+
• Card Penetration – ~80%+
• Transactions Pre-Pandemic 2019 – 26,060 Spend Pre-Pandemic 2019 – $9,321,634.50  

>>Learn more about Sally in this recorded interview. 

Randy Legaspi
Director, Accounting, Kinder Morgan, Inc.
Featured Member for November 2021

Randy is passionate about discovering, unlocking and maximizing value both on a personal and business level. This is evident from his BBA degree from The University of Texas, a public state college with the No. 1 undergraduate accounting program in the nation, to the establishment and growth of Kinder Morgan’s virtual credit card program. Throughout his career working in the defense, consulting and energy industries, he has improved revenue, reduced expenses, improved both sides of the balance sheet, and streamlined processes in various roles and responsibilities. It’s not all about business for Randy. He enjoys all sorts of outdoor activities from mountain biking, stand up paddle boarding, and skateboarding. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he is spending more quality time with his 13-year-old daughter, training for Ironman Texas, cooking clean nutritional meals, reading, and connecting with family and friends.

Tell us a little bit about Kinder Morgan, Inc.

Kinder Morgan is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America. We own an interest in or operate approximately 83,000 miles of pipelines and 144 terminals. Our pipelines transport natural gas, gasoline, crude oil, carbon dioxide (CO2) and more. Our terminals store and handle renewable fuels, petroleum products, chemicals, vegetable oils and other products.  

How long have you been in your role and what is your favorite part?

I have been with Kinder Morgan for over 21 years with the last 9 years as a director. I am fortunate to be in a unique position. Although there are day-to-day tasks and management of employees involved, I am also able to present, lead, and participate in special projects. Work is definitely fluid and there is never a dull moment. My current credit card role began during the implementation of the Virtual Card program in the latter half of 2009. There are many aspects that I enjoy including being part of the management team, vendor on-boarding, and developing strategies.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

This is a tough one because it depends on the situation. I draw information, inspiration, and encouragement from a number of sources. One piece of advice that comes to mind came from General Norman Schwarzkoph, the commander of the U.S. Central Command who led the coalition forces in the Gulf War. General Schwarzkoph was a keynote speaker at a conference and said, “If there is something from the military handbook that you should remember, it’s these two: First, when given command, take charge. Second, do the right thing.” If nothing else, we have command of ourselves. No matter what happens or what we encounter, we have control and can “take charge” of our thoughts and actions. As far as “doing the right thing," that is self-explanatory. If there is some kind of gray area or a questionable decision to be made, this mantra can be useful.

Where do you want to retire?

My retirement from my day job may come within a few years from retirement age, but I’ll always be working to some degree. It can be anywhere from managing investments, volunteering, or advising, all remotely on an island deep in the Caribbean.

Randy's program details:

There is a full suite of card programs under Kinder Morgan from P-Card, T&E, Fleet, and Virtual. Notably, there are over 18,000 suppliers that are currently enrolled in the Virtual Card program.

Since its creation in 1999, the NAPCP has relied on both end-user and provider volunteers to serve on its five Advisory Teams. Members help move the industry forward with their insights and first-hand experiences. In addition to meeting regularly, team members serve as event speakers, lead virtual webinars and virtual roundtables, and provide critical content to keep our evolving industry apprised of changes and innovation.  Members of all Advisory Teams foster support and give guidance for payment card professionals across sectors to assist in the development and attainment of goals for their programs which bring value to their organizations.

Learn more about the NAPCP advisory teams here. 

 Demetria Brewster
Staff Analyst, City of Houston 
Featured Member for September 2021

Demetria joined the City of Houston in 1999 as a management analyst IV. She has over 25 years of customer service and management experience. Her P-Card experience began in 2011 when she joined Strategic Procurement leaving the 311 center after 13 years. Demetria has been a part of the P-Card administration team since 2011 for the City of Houston. She proceeded Pat Lewis who retired in 2015 after 35 years. Demetria became the lone P-Card administrator for the City of Houston in 2016, and decided to revamp the P-Card program, in order to make it efficient and accountable—that is when she attained her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification. Demetria has had the pleasure of working with a very knowledgeable team of P-Card coordinators across the City of Houston who provide excellent support and program advancement. Their advancement has included developing a web-based training class, virtue training and revised P-Card policy. Additionally, Demetria is responsible for the distribution of the P-Cards throughout the city, ensuring the statement is paid in a timely manner and ensuring all P-Card transactions are uploaded in the City’s ERP system monthly and accurately.

Demetria earned her Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management from Grambling State University in 1986. She enjoys spending time with her daughter Deane, attending sporting events and volunteering for events across the City. Her goal for the City of Houston’s P-Card program is a flawless audit.         

>> Learn more about Demetria in our recorded interview. 

Details about City of Houston One Card Program (FY2021)

• Issuer: JP Morgan Chase
• Total number of P-Cards: 1,195
• Total spend :$21,171,611.11
• Total number of transactions per year: 69,615

 

Kerri Reece Procurement Card Administrator, University of Memphis
Featured Member for August 2021

Kerri Reece is the Procurement Card administrator for The University of Memphis. With over 20 years’ experience in accounting, office management and card program oversight, Kerri is familiar with internal controls, accounting procedures and other aspects that need to be addressed when looking at taking a program paperless. She has worked through a company-wide paperless initiative in the private sector and recently developed a departmental initiative to convert processes and procedures to a paperless environment at the University. Kerri handles training for the Procurement department at the University on the purchasing, P-Card, and travel systems. She has worked in the private, public and non-profit sectors.

Learn more about Kerri in the interview below. 

Please tell us a little about where you work and your card program.

I am the procurement card administrator at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee. I currently administer the P-Card program and the eProcurement system. My position was created with the goal of gaining control of our program and expanding it to include Travel Cards.

What are you passionate about with your job?

I am most passionate about empowering our employees to obtain the materials they need to complete their tasks efficiently and effectively. Procurement has always been a dreaded aspect for other departments here and I strive to make the policies, processes and procedures as clear and user-friendly as possible. I run interactive training sessions and I create step-by-step instructions with screenshots and arrows to ensure everyone can be successful with their P-Cards and eProcurement.

What are you most proud of about your job?

I am most proud of taking our P-Cards from an afterthought or necessary evil to a valued payment solution and revenue stream for the University. Employees used to avoid having P-Cards, and now they see them as a valuable tool that makes life easier. I’ve been able to increase policy compliance and grow our rebate and communicate these positive changes to upper management. Newfound confidence in the program is paving the way for us to expand into travel, per diem and research subject payment cards.

What is a current challenge you are facing?

One of our biggest challenges right now is long-term employees retiring and taking knowledge with them. I believe the pandemic spurred people to rethink their retirement plans, and having these long-term people leave is creating knowledge gaps in some departments. I’m seeing employees everyday who have had to take on new tasks and I need to get them up-to-speed and comfortable fairly quickly.

You were a speaker at the 2021 NAPCP Annual Conference. What value did you realize from that experience?

The tangible benefit of attending the virtual conference for free was a huge plus for me and a win for my department. Increasing our knowledge with a zero-dollar investment is always a good thing to be able to report up the line. Personally, I really enjoyed pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and stretching my skills putting together my proposal, fleshing out my presentation, and recording the session. It was a tremendous confidence booster to have others recognize I have something valuable to contribute. The NAPCP folks were amazing to work with and supported me throughout the process. Having my supervisor and our director see that I am valued outside the organization is also a plus.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Outside of work and family, I am passionate about animal rescue. I serve on the Board of Directors of a local animal rescue group and my family fosters cats in our home. We specialize in litters of kittens and adult cats with emotional special needs. Serving together as a family has been a great experience for us. I enjoy helping transform a mistreated or neglected animal into a loving family pet.

Do you have any pets?

Ha! My house is sometimes referred to as “the island of misfit cats”. We have three adopted rescue cats and currently have three foster kittens.

For those who want to connect with you, what are topics are you passionate about?

Going paperless Auditing transactions without a paid software solution Creating clear policies and user-friendly instructions Making your cardholder training more effective

Card Program Details: 

• Program Type: P-Card, Travel, ePayables, Athletics Per Diem
• Number of Cards: 800
• Annual Transactions: 18,000 

 Jennifer Baerren
T&E Analyst, OSI Group, LLC
Featured Member for July 2021

Jennifer Baerren is the accounts payable and disbursement supervisor within the shared services team for the last one and a half years. She is responsible for managing all aspects of the T&E Card program from policy development to policy compliance to program execution. Additionally, she is responsible for company disbursements including payment of invoices and expense reports. She also manages the ePayables program. Her passion is to help EVERY cardholder understand the policy and process so they have a positive experience.

>>Learn more about Jennifer in our recorded interview.

Card Program Details:

 

Juanita Yarneau, CPCP
Purchasing Specialist, City of Sugar Land, TX
Featured Member for May 2021

Juanita has been with the City of Sugar Land since March 2003. Currently, she is the purchasing specialist and is the main day to day contact for the P-Card program with approximately 160 cards, as well as the City’s Liaison for the P-Card issuing bank. She earned her CPCP Certification in October 2014 and in October 2016 joined the NAPCP Government/K-12 Advisory Team. Juanita has been in the Purchasing Office since August 2010. Prior to 2010, she was an executive assistant in the Assistant City Manager’s Office and started as the executive secretary in the City Engineer’s Office. Prior to working in local government, Juanita worked more than 23 years for a Fortune 500 Energy Company in the Refining & Marketing Division. Juanita is the proud mother of one amazing daughter, is a native Texan, and calls Houston/Sugar Land her home.

What are you passionate about with your job?

I am passionate about monitoring transactions for fraud and verifying with cardholders any suspicious transactions. Catching fraudulent transactions early allows us to cancel the card and stop the fraud before it continues. I enjoy listening to the cardholder about their fear of how fraud has affected them. I always explain to the cardholder how fraud can occur and provide steps to try to prevent it from happening again.

What are you most proud of about your job? 

I am most proud about implementing a new P-Card process as we transitioned to Tyler Munis. Learning the new ERP system and creating training tools to assist our cardholders as we all learn together was an exciting time. It's important to me to communicate to all our cardholders that I am here to help and available anytime.

What value have you achieved from the CPCP?

Having the CPCP designation allows me to be a contributor to more changes, modification and/or decisions on policy and procedures.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

The Houston Astros! My dad took us to games all the time when we were growing up and it’s fair to say; I was raised in the Astrodome. I’ve watched many future Hall of Fame legends play baseball and even had the opportunity to meet many of them after the games. I’ve even been to Spring Training in Florida. Yes, you can call me a life-long Astros fan!

Fun fact: 

When my daughter was a missionary in Ukraine, I traveled to be with her for the Christmas holidays. We celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the Vatican in Rome. Later, for the Ukrainian Orthodox Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we celebrated with a Ukrainian family in a small rural village in Ukraine. Best Christmas ever!

Program details: 

• One Card Program about 12 years active
• 100% Audit
• Approximately 160 active cards
• Approximately 8-9K transactions annually

 

Karen Brookbanks, C.P.M, CPCP
Manager, P-Card, University of Arizona
Featured Member for April 2021

Karen Brookbanks is the manager of the Purchasing Card programs at the University of Arizona. She is a Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.) and a Certified Purchasing Card Professional (CPCP). Karen has been a member of NAPCP since 2007 and previously served on the NAPCP Higher Education Advisory Team (HEAT), and currently serves on the NAPCP PCPCC (the council that manages the CPCP certification). In addition, she is also a member of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) and an NIGP Copper Chapter Local Member serving on various committees. Karen's background includes over 20+ years of experience in the procurement field, in both the private and public sector. Prior to her position at the University of Arizona, Karen was the purchasing manager at The Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB). Her enthusiasm is evident in the passion she displays for her card program at the University of Arizona, and her desire to work towards advancement of the Commercial Card industry.

What are you passionate about with your job?

The procurement field and the industry is where my career passion resides. Having worked in various procurement positions throughout my career, I would have to say the Purchasing Card and Commercial Card industry has been where I have placed my focus on and explored my passion in depth. Having a background in all aspects of procurement from previous positions have provided for the cradle-to-grave knowledge base which has become instrumental in my current role as manager of the P-Card program here at the University of Arizona. In addition, having the ability to push myself outside of my own comfort zone, and take on new projects and/or challenges as they present themselves certainly drives my passion further.

What are you most proud of about your job? 

The ability to provide excellent customer service not only to our campus community, but also being able to present at various industry conferences on a plethora of Purchasing Card related topics with my peers. Having a network of peers in the industry has provided long lasting friendships over the years. Being the manager of the Purchasing Card program has allowed me to not only build, but also foster working relationships with the university campus community. Having obtained my CPCP certification and serving on various other NAPCP committees/teams including the PCPCC highlights one area I am extremely proud of. With a robust P-Card program in existence, the ability to continually expand the P-Card offerings and work towards growing the program beyond the previous level will continue to fuel my pride.

What value have you achieved from the CPCP?

The CPCP certification has added such a tremendous value not only personally, but also professionally. This certification demonstrates the accumulation of Purchasing Card knowledge learned and provides for recognition from within one’s organization and outside of the organization. This certification has provided me with the opportunity to present at conference and to serve on various teams/committees including the NAPCP certification council. The recognition as a Certified Purchasing Card Professional translates across the public and private sectors of not only education, but also corporate and other business entities.

Any current challenges? 

As with most entities, this past year of the ongoing pandemic has been a monumental challenge for all. However, from a work perspective, there have been some working changes that have yielded fantastic enhancements to our program. We implemented a secure upload for Purchasing Card applications and documents, and the Purchasing Card team has been able to receive and process items promptly, while many employees are in a remote working environment. This has created more efficiency and has propelled us toward a more sustainable solution for the program. As with most challenges, there is often a way to turn those into learning experiences, and possible enhancements to one’s program.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

My passion outside of work is my family. Spending quality time together is of the utmost importance to me. Having a wonderful balance between work and home is essential. We often are attending sporting events, movies and having adventurous outings as a family. Fun fact:  I am an immense hockey and baseball fan. If there is an American Hockey League (AHL) team game in Tucson, Arizona, you will most definitely find me in attendance. Supporting our local team here in Arizona is not only exciting, but it also allows for watching these players move up and on to their affiliated National Hockey League. Truly, I feel lucky for living in a location where spring training for Major League Baseball (MLB) is also underway. Arizona is a wonderful place to be at this time of year for sports.

What is your go-to TV show to watch at night?

I recently finished watching the Netflix series "Cobra Kai" and am now patiently waiting for the fourth season to begin. Of course, I am always open to watching new and exciting shows as they come out, or by recommendations from others.

Program details: 

• JPMorgan Chase–Visa
• One Card Program–Procurement
• 2,400+ cardholders (Individual/Department P-Cards)
• 240k transactions annually

 

Mariel Hayward, CFE Global Expense and Card Support Analyst, Noble Energy Inc.
Featured Member for March 2021

Mariel Hayward is the Global Expense and Card Support Analyst for Noble Energy Inc., recently acquired by Chevron Corporation. Mariel graduated from Texas A&M University in 2009 (Whoop!) and worked in an elementary school for about a year before joining a tax consulting firm in Houston, Texas. Finally, in 2012, Mariel began her career in the Commercial Card industry by joining the global travel, credit card, and expense team at Noble Energy. Since then, she has participated in Global Card and expense implementations and has administered several types of card programs including Travel Cards, P-Cards, One Cards, and most recently ePayables. She also serves as the program administrator for Noble’s expense monitoring system and with an increasing interest in fraud, she pursued and received her Certified Fraud Examiner certification in October 2019. Mariel has been a member of the NAPCP since 2013 and is looking forward to obtaining her CPCP credential.

What are you passionate about with your job?

Building relationships! Being a part of the travel, card and expense program has given me the unique experience of helping and talking to people in every part of the organization. There have been several occasions when I’ve seen someone’s name on their badge and realize that I’ve spoken to them many times or someone would see my name on my office door and pop in for an in-person introduction because I helped them with an issue previously via phone or email.

What are you most proud of about your job? 

For the last few years, the travel, card and expense team consisted of only my manager and myself after we lost a couple people due to organizational changes. Despite this, we were able to run a successful, Global Card program. We embraced innovation, technology, and the partnerships necessary to optimize and expand the program. One of my favorite process evolutions is our card ordering process and I think it’s a great example of how we used technology to advance our program. When I started with Noble in 2012, the process was very manual and time consuming. There were several changes over the years to improve the process but finally, in 2019, we used a combination of DocuSign and RPA to completely automate it. This process was implemented just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic work-from-home orders in early 2020 and proved to be an invaluable tool for business continuity.

Any current challenges? 

The ongoing pandemic has presented some unique challenges. We’ve had to change how we’re getting cards to employees since most are no longer visiting the office. Previously, new cards were sent to our headquarters and then distributed internally. Since the pandemic started, we’ve had to become more proactive and flexible with how we get cards to employees. Also, the types of expenses we were seeing changed dramatically with travel needs changing practically overnight and demands for office supplies and IT equipment increasing as work transitioned from offices to homes. However, we found that overall, the processes we already had in place allowed our program to continue functioning without much interruption. 

What are you passionate about outside of work?

I have been married 12 years to a fellow Aggie and we have two boys, ages 6 and 4. Some of our favorite activities are trying new restaurants, visiting the zoo and playing at the park. Most of all, I look forward to traveling with them again soon. I finally got my passport in October 2019 and did not get the chance to use it before the pandemic so I intend to change that as soon as I can. I also enjoy watching scary movies, reading, and running.

Fun fact: 

I’m a huge fan of horror and science fiction. Some of my earliest memories are of watching Nightmare on Elm Street, LOL. I’m from Louisiana and grew up hearing scary stories so I developed a fascination with the paranormal. Some of my favorites are "The Walking Dead", "The Conjuring", and "The Exorcist".

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Well you may notice a theme, LOL, but I wanted to be a horror author. I loved R.L. Stine as a kid and read most of the books from his Goosebumps and Fear Street series.

Program details: 

• MUFG Union Bank Mastercard
• One Card and ePayables
• 2,000 cardholders
• 120K+ transactions

 

Badrani Amaratunga, CPCP
Global Credit Card Program Manager, CFA Institute
Featured Member for February 2021

Badrani Amaratunga is the global credit card program manager under the treasury department at CFA Institute, a not-for profit global organization. She is growing and expanding the program to support key organizational initiatives and very excited to be a part of the NAPCP community as a new CPCP.

What are you passionate about with your job?

I think it's interesting and fun to find different, creative solutions to match the needs of the organization.

What are you most proud of about your job? 

The part of my job that I am most proud of is being able to support new and existing organizational initiatives to find more productive, innovative and efficient solutions.

Any current challenges? 

A current challenge for me is being up to date with new and emerging technology and solutions and finding ways to incorporate them to provide a holistic corporate solution.

As a newly credentialed CPCP, what advice would you offer to someone who is thinking of testing?

Pursuing the CPCP is a great way to expand your knowledge of the industry and learn about the ins and outs of all the practices. I used the “Purchasing Card Essentials: The NAPCP's Guide to Establishing and Managing a Program” book as a resource to prepare for the exam. It was very helpful. As an added bonus, you get to display your credential, CPCP.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family. We like to hike, explore and try different food. We also love to travel and discover new places.

Fun fact: 

A fun fact about me is that I speak two languages fluently. One language is derived from Sanskrit and it is called “Sinhala”.

If you could star in a movie with any famous actor/actress, who would you choose as your co-star?

Hugh Jackman

Program details: 

We have a mandated global corporate credit card program, governed by a credit card policy.

Over the span of several decades, my career path has led me to my current position as accounts payable specialist.Prior to this position, I worked in a hair salon, was a caretaker, politician’s office assistant, financial institution customer service representative and central teller, and I worked in a restaurant (all positions). I also became an entrepreneur by purchasing a small business and growing it to four times its volume within a year and sold it for a profit. I have also been an educational assistant and financial secretary. With each position held, I have thoroughly enjoyed the experiences and the amazing people I have met. Along with the various career positions held, professional development on a monthly basis has always been maintained. Being resourceful in seeking out “at no charge PD”, along with PD for a fee, has been key for diversification. An array of experiences through employment, professional development and volunteering, help to draw from your schema to converse with people in all situations. All positions in multiple forms of employment are valuable and serve an important function for assuring the employer's continued success.

What are you passionate about with your job?

The component of my position that I am most passionate about is customer service. Assisting and resolving cardholder’s queries and unusual anomalies. It is extremely rewarding. I enjoy a challenge and on a daily basis, I’m always learning new key elements of the Purchasing Card industry.

What are you most proud of about your job? 

The part of my job that I am most proud of, is the foresight of our leadership. The use and willingness to proceed in the implementation of technology advances during the early stages of awareness of these utilizations, is embraced. Encouraging continued professional development in the Purchasing Card industry is greatly appreciated.

Any current challenges? 

Current challenges are those of staying aware of new industry innovations. Technology is always evolving and ensuring that any changes that affect cardholders need to be clearly communicated for Purchasing Card program optimization.

As a newly credentialed CPCP, what advice would you offer to someone who is thinking of testing?

The most beneficial part of passing the certification testing for me was the expansiveness of resources that are available from the NAPCP website. The Purchasing Card Best Practices: The Key Elements of Building a World-Class Program book (for purchase) was extremely insightful and another great resource to reference. Scheduling time for studying several months prior to testing helps to establish confidence and proficiency with knowledge of industry standards.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

My extra curricular activities outside of work include, above all, my husband, our five children and currently two grandsons, reading, travelling locally and abroad, visiting museums, landmarks and volunteering for various charities in the community.

Fun fact: 

A fun fact about me is...to be honest, fun is not a description my children would use to describe me or about me, nor myself (laughter, laughter), as I am more of a serious person. However, I would have to say my love of miniatures! I LOVE miniature items such as mini dice, mini books, mini decks of cards, museums displaying miniature cities, etc.—anything miniature sized.

What is one important skill that you think everyone should have?

An important skill that I think everyone should have is to put yourself in someone else’s shoes in order to obtain a better understanding with communication in any situation ... professionally and/or personally.

Program details: 

Our public school division has 650+ Purchasing Cardholders. All detailed, itemized receipts are submitted digitally online for each transaction. Once the cardholder completes their reconciliation of their transaction, the approval process workflow continues for review and approval from the financial secretaries, the principal and then lastly, to the accounting department. , the

 

Priscilla Kung is a P-Card Program Administrator for Howard County Government in Maryland, and was recently named as the Deputy Procurement Administrator for the Office of Purchasing. She works with all program stakeholders to uphold County policies and procedures, while ensuring the P-Card remains a useful tool for them in their jobs. Priscilla is also Resources Team Manager for the County’s Emergency Operations Center and has a special interest in how P-Cards can effectively support the operational mission during a disaster. She has been CPCP-certified for five years and is a member of the NAPCP’s Government/K12 Advisory Team.

What are you passionate about with your job?

Customer service! I have always thought that 95% of the problems in a card program come back to genuine mistakes and misunderstandings. Investing time upfront to educate cardholders and approvers and build relationships pays off in the long run when users make fewer mistakes.

What are you most proud of about your job? 

I always try my best to approach every interaction with a cardholder as an opportunity. Some are quicker to understand a process than others; some are great with technology and others not so much. Some know the rules while others just don’t bother. I keep in mind that a Purchasing Card is a tool for our users, and not their entire job. I’d rather meet them where they are and work together on a solution.

What value have you achieved from the CPCP?

When I started in the field of public procurement, I had absolutely no idea how to manage a card program. I have learned everything from NAPCP. As soon as I was eligible to apply for the CPCP credential, I was excited to do so, and I was thrilled to actually pass! Since then I feel that the CPCP has made me feel more confident in my work. If I’m ever unsure of the best way to handle a situation, I know I have NAPCP resources and members I can reach out to for help and advice.

Any current challenges? 

As with all card programs, it’s always a challenge to provide great service with fewer staff members than we’d like to have. With our current COVID situation, where most cardholders are working from home, we’ve had to spend more time on program supervision, potential policy exceptions, and helping reconcilers and approvers learn how to handle processes remotely.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Years ago, I was performing my first audit of card use at our local Board of Elections, and they asked if I’d ever considered being an Election Judge. (I’m pretty sure they ask everyone!) I said yes, and it turns out I love doing this for my community. The job involves long hours, but it’s fascinating and incredibly rewarding. I’d encourage anyone who’s interested to give it a try.

Fun fact: 

I’m a certified scuba diver. If you had a time machine, would you go back in time or into the future?  Definitely the future.

Program details: 

Our program includes around 650 cardholders and 50 departmental cards. Our annual spend is $28 million per year. We recently switched providers, and we’re currently working to optimize our program by closing rarely-used accounts and consolidating spend on open cards. 

 

Lynda began her career in interior design, with a focus on commercial space planning. A 10-year stint as VP Design & Marketing for the largest office furniture and supplies dealers in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area was cut short when the “big-box stores” took over in the late ’80s. The next phase of her career found her as marketing director for the regional offices of IKON Office Solutions, the world’s largest independent provider of document management systems. Moving IKON’s regional offices from Dallas to Houston in the early ‘90s paved the way for a new career path in procurement. Working for the American Heart Association, managing procurement contracts for 132 affiliate locations for seven years locked in her interest in purchasing. While at AHA, Lynda held positions on the Board of the Institute of Supply Management and Southwest Purchasing Conference programs and was instrumental in developing the ISM Excellence in Procurement Award.

In July 2016, Lynda joined Tarrant County College District with one directive, to expand on an existing P-Card program with less than 200 cards. Cards were primarily restricted to facilities personnel and staff who required an option for making small purchases outside the realms of general purchasing procedures. Lynda believes the culmination of her tenured experience and expertise greatly enhanced her ability to contribute to an expense program's management. Utilizing her varied program implementation experience, she understands all aspects of different collaboration and management styles, including program execution and implementation. 

Lynda began implementation to launch the new TCCD OneCard Program in September 2018, with the creation and Board Approval of the TCCD OneCard Guidelines. Lynda has since updated all aspects of the program, coordinating compliance issues with employee reimbursement and expense audit solutions with a fully electronic, digitally formatted process. 

What are you passionate about with your job?

One of the many reasons I love my job is helping our students indirectly and contributing to the community's future within Tarrant County and the surrounding areas. Students at TCCD are always the number one priority. I am passionate about ensuring we create communication, training documentation, and one-on-one guidance to provide ease of use for our faculty and office administration. If the faculty and support staff can do their job with few problems, they, in turn, have more time to spend on teaching our leaders of tomorrow. We have 5,700 employees using Concur Expense Management at any given time. The implementation and training are an ongoing process. As a state agency, we must stay current on all State of Texas Higher Education regulations related to procurement and expense reimbursement. There is never a slow day or a dull moment, and the rewards of working with staff and faculty are abundant. 

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Family—watching my grandchildren mature and become young men and women. The seven range from age 21 to 29 and have all begun their life journeys. The oldest already has his own little family. The oldest girl was married this past September. Another will be marrying November 1. One has begun a rather serious relationship, and three are thriving in college, close to graduation.

Fun fact: 

In the late 70s, I acquired several trophies attributed to checkered flags, figure eights and dirt tracks around Texas. Driving a ’58 Chevy modified stock with chicken wire windows at 80-90 mph on a quarter-mile track isn’t something your average mom does in her spare time. But I always enjoyed hearing my children (and later my grandchildren) brag to their friends about my driving prowess. I didn’t have the heart to interject how Powder Puff Races rarely had many entries, so there was never much competition for those trophies.

What is your favorite dessert?

Six thin layers of moist, chocolate (cocoa) sponge cake soaked overnight in Kirschwasser (fermented, tart cherries at 40% alcohol content). In between each layer, plump, dark Griotte cherries smothered in a layer of freshly whipped heavy cream. Cover the entire cake in more whipped cream and garnish with (room temperature) shavings of Kinder chocolate. Refrigerate until cake is cold, and chocolate is brittle. Drive 2.5 hours southwest of Spangdahlem to Black Forest, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, via the autobahn. Nothing in the world can compare!

Program details and recognitions: 

• Tarrant County College is the third largest Community College in Texas
• Aspen Prize Top 150 Community Colleges in the Nation
• 1,300 Cards | 5,600 Employees | 98,600 Students | 6 Campus Locations and an Online eLearning Program

TCCD OneCard Program and Expense Management 

• JPMorgan | Mastercard | SAP Concur Expense Management  Combo Card
• Travel & Travel Expense Card
• Goods & Services Card
• Single Trip Declining Balance Card
• Student Group Travel Card
• Global Learning and Travel Card
• Eliminating Barriers Student Aid Card
• Employee Reimbursement
• District Mileage and Day Trips
• Work from Home Card Services

Audit Control and Fraud Management 

• $5,000 Monthly | $3,000 Daily | $1,500 Transaction
• 100% Transaction Line Reconciliation Audit
• Internal and External Digital Audit Accessibility
• Strictly limited and managed MCC Group Program
• Fully electronic Adobe Digital Signature compliance on all legal documents
• Microsoft Teams Monthly Training on Expense Management
• Outlook Groups Communication Program for important updates

Program Recognition and Participation

• Chancellor’s Employee Excellence Award
• TCCD Police Department Citizen of the Year -- Award of Distinction
• National Procurement Institute AEP Award 2018, 2019 and 2020
• NAPCP Higher Education Advisory Team Board Member

 

Wendy Flood, Travel, Expense and P-Card Administrator, Aimbridge Hospitality
Strategic Facilitator of the Job Search, Career and Mentoring Group, TAMS (Travel and Meeting Standards) Featured Member for October 2020

Wendy Flood has 18 years of experience in the Business Travel and Commercial Card industries. She joined the Interstate Hotels & Resorts team (now Aimbridge Hospitality) in 2018.  Wendy began her career as the purchasing assistant at Caremark (now CVS Health) where she was responsible for supporting the non-merchandise procurement department as well as overseeing the Corporate Card and Procurement Card programs. With Caremark for 9 years, she managed $8 million in these programs and provided support to the Travel program. 

As the corporate travel and card administrator for Michaels for six years, Wendy continued her growth in the industry. There she oversaw the $10 million Corporate Travel, Corporate Credit and Procurement Card programs and facilitated expense report management. 

Prior to joining Aimbridge, Wendy was the travel and relocation administrator at Freeman where she managed the $60 million Corporate Card and $650K employee gift card programs while supporting relocation and travel management projects.

In her two years at Aimbridge, Wendy has managed the travel and expense programs as well as the Corporate Card program. She also lends support to the P-Card program. Leveraging her diverse experience with program implementations and travel services optimization, Wendy assists with Payment Optimization projects.

Wendy has been an NAPCP and NAPCP Travel Card Advisory Team member for two years and is a member of the local GBTA chapter.

What are you passionate about with your job?

I’m passionate about helping and improving my customers’ experience and continually streamlining and improving our operational system to accomplish this goal.

What are you most proud of about your job?

I’m proud to be the SME empowered with the trust and ability to make recommendations that improve our programs.

Wendy's current challenge:

My biggest challenge is a common one in the industry ... having travelers understand the importance of booking travel through preferred agency and completing their expense reports in a timely manner.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Animals! I would like to be able to rescue homeless animals and provide safe homes where they never have to do without shelter, food, safety and care.

Fun fact: 

As a child, I spent time with my sister and her husband who played in a band. I many times had close encounters with musicians who became well-known in the music industry. Hence, my love for The Eagles and Don Henley. 

What time (in the future or past) would you like to go to and why?

I would find it interesting to go into the future to see how we depict 2020 and all that is now happening. I would like to see how 2020 changed the world socially, politically, economically and health-wise. How was travel changed long term? Are they still predicting cars will fly?

Program details: 

• 600 cards
• Card Programs: T&E and P-Card
• Planning to double T&E Cards and triple P-Cards as we merge two  companies

Dianne Hernandez, Global Card Program Manager, Transocean Inc.
Featured Member for September 2020

Dianne joined Transocean in March 2010 and is responsible for their Global Card Program which consists of Purchasing Cards, Travel Cards, CTA and Virtual programs. In this role, she manages the strategic design and direction of the program along with all aspects of card and relationship management. Based in Houston, Texas, she has leveraged her 15 years of card experience to expand their card program globally while streamlining processes, increasing operational efficiencies, controls and gaining visibility into spend.

What are you passionate about with your job?

I love being able to work with others. This position allows me to interact with employees from different disciplines across the enterprise and to help and empower others to achieve common goals. I am passionate about the success of our Global Card program ensuring that we have the right programs in place with proper controls.

What are you most proud of about your job?

Process efficiencies! I am all about streamlining and automation. Since growing our program from a U.S. only program to a global program, and there was a need to address the reconciliation process as it was manually intensive. We were able to automate the back-end reconciliation which reduced effort and increased efficiencies and controls surrounding the process. We also implemented automated AI for auditing card transactions which has allowed us to increase our audits to 100 percent and manage only the exceptions and false-positives. I am so pleased that my contributions over the years have made such a positive impact to our program and the company.

Dianne's current challenge:

While there may not be any current challenges, I am always looking for ways to improve and build on what we have in order to work more efficiently and bring value to the program. This month, we will begin transitioning our expense management tool from Concur to Workday, so I am unsure what challenges that may bring, but I know it will be a busy few months!

What are you passionate about outside of work?

I love reading and going to the beach. But what I love the most is being with family—having fun together and creating great memories!

Fun fact: 

I played on co-ed and women’s softball teams from the time was 15 until I was 40ish when I had to hang up my cleats due to a back injury. One of my favorite memories was that one year, my husband, my 16-year-old daughter and I played on the same co-ed team. It was such a super-exciting season and we had so much fun. 

If you could visit anywhere in the world you've never been, where would you go and why?

That is really hard as there are so many beautiful and interesting places I have not been to. But I would love to travel to an exotic beach, sit in the sun, relax and just listen to the waves.

Program details: 

Our program consists of T&E, P-Cards, ePayables, CTA Air and VCA for hotels, and have local currency programs in UK, Norway, Brazil and U.S.

• Number of cards – 850
• Spend - $70.3M
• T ransaction volume – 325,000 

Shari Purnell, CPCP, P-Card Administrator, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
Featured Member for August 2020

Shari Purnell has worked with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority since December 1990 when she started as a student intern. She helped roll out the pilot P-Card program in 1995 while working as a buyer in the procurement department. In 2001, Shari became the Airports Authority’s first P-Card Administrator. In her time as the program administrator, Shari has made process improvements that have increased the efficiency of the program and has also implemented best practices to improve auditing and compliance.

What are you passionate about with your job?

I am most passionate about the level of customer service I provide to my cardholders. They may call with the same questions and they feel bad because they know they’ve asked before; I don’t want them to ever feel bad about calling, even if I answered the same question last month. They all have jobs that entail more than P-Card purchases and verifications and I understand that. They are so gracious and I just love helping them.

What are you most proud of about your job?

There have been so many proud moments over the past 25+ years, I don’t know that I could narrow it down to one. If I were to summarize what I am most proud of, I would probably say my innovation. I’m not afraid to say, “Could we do this differently?” I love to go to conferences and see what kind of innovations, process changes, policy updates, auditing initiatives, etc., that I can take back and implement into my own program.

Shari's current challenge:

We are researching the ability to purchase inventory items on the P-Card. Our accounting structure and/or our ERP system have limitations that cause accounting issues for this type of purchasing. Things seem to work great on the front end, but the back end has reconciliation issues we are trying to find a resolution for. 

Shari currently holds the CPCP designation. What value have you achieved from the professional credential?

Having the CPCP certification provides validation of the skills I have as a program administrator. There is a level of respect and credibility from management, co-workers and peers.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

My family. My youngest just graduated from high school and my oldest will be graduating from college in December. Time just flies by so fast that I want to spend as much time with them as I can before my house becomes an empty nest. It is important to find the positives in every situation, even the bad ones. Due to COVID-19, my family has had more time to spend together than we normally would have and I feel this extra time has strengthened our family bond even more.

Fun fact:

I love to plan parties and family gatherings. I’m really in my element with the planning, decorating, food preparation, invitation design, all of it! Some people get stressed out by these things, but I just love it!

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

I never really thought about wanting a superpower. I’m not sure I would want one. You know what they say, with great power comes great responsibility! LOL.

Program details:

We currently have 192 P-Cards and 261 Virtual Travel Cards which are only used with the travel agency for airfare. In 2019 we had 18,065 P-Card transactions totaling $7.6M.

Mistie Meisner, Global Card Administrator, Markel
Featured Member for July 2020

Mistie Meisner has over nine years of Commercial Card experience. She currently administers Markel’s Global Card programs. With a background in teaching and executive administration she especially enjoys developing and maintaining the card training program. In 2019, she worked to establish a new Global T&E Card program at Markel and is now working to improve efficiencies in the program. 

What are you passionate about with your job?

I have a split personality in that I love helping people and I love figuring out a process. Card program administration combines both of those in a wonderful way.

What are you most proud of about your job?

Establishing a new T&E Card program where there were only personal reimbursements before. I enjoyed crafting a new policy, cardholder training, and compliance activity processes based on helpful information found on the NAPCP website.

Mistie's current challenge:

Reconciling the clearing accounts for card activity in Oracle Fusion Expenses, It is currently a manual process that needs to be automated. 

What are you passionate about outside of work?

I sing on the karaoke app, Smule Sing! and participate in a Broadway video competition every year on the app. I especially enjoy putting on costumes and painting my face for the competition. I also am owned by a sweet Doberman named Teeter.

Fun fact: 

I hold a BS in Music Education and an MMus in Church Music.  

If you could visit anywhere in the world you’ve never been, where would you go and why?

Switzerland to visit Näfenhaus, the home of my many times great grandfather (b. 1495) and to see his sword that he used in the battle of Zurich to save the banner. My husband and I have this on our list for our next Europe vacation.

Program details: 

• Number of Cards:1,500
• Card Programs: T&E Card, CTA Card, P-Card, One Card 
• Countries with card programs: U.S., Bermuda, UK, Germany, Ireland, Spain, The Netherlands
• Program Inception Dates EMEA: P-Card: 2012, T&E Card: 2019 U.S.: P-Card: 2019, T&E Card: 2019

NAPCP Peer-to-Peer Awards and Outstanding Contributors

Lisa Rosales, Sr. Accounting Clerk, Hunt Oil Company
Featured Member for May 2020

Lisa Rosales fulfills the responsibilities of the program administrator for Hunt Oil Company’s One Card program. Since 2007, she has worked to improve processes, automation and reporting. She is now working to further improve processes, compliance and efficiencies within the program. She is an active member of NAPCP’s Corporate Advisory Team.

What are you passionate about with your job?

I love working with people, which makes my current position perfect. I interact with employees across the organization, from meeting and training new employees to developing reports for managers to analyze their spend.

What are you most proud of about your job?

I am most proud of the process improvements in which I have been involved. The program has grown from separate Purchasing and T&E Cards to a One Card program. In the beginning, the Purchasing Card monthly statements and expense reports were reconciled and approved manually using paper copies. Through the years, we have made incremental improvements to automate and improve the process. Recently, we have implemented a new Travel & Expense tool that can be accessed remotely using the internet or mobile app. Soon after, we implemented a new audit tool that uses AI.

Lisa's current challenge:

My current challenges involve meeting the needs of cardholders and maintaining compliance while almost everyone is working from home. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to contact co-workers, from cell phones to TEAMS. It has been challenging to work through issues, such as receipts left at the office and attaching receipts without a scanner.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family. This has been a unique challenge lately, with social distancing. We keep in touch with Facetime, for the time being, and make plans for future outings and vacations together.

Fun fact: 

Though I have worked in accounting my entire career, I got into Commercial Cards purely by accident. When an opportunity opened to move within my department to help with Commercial Cards, I jumped at it. I have learned so much and cannot imagine doing anything else now. 

If you could visit anywhere in the world you’ve never been, where would you go and why?

If I could visit anywhere in the world, it would be Alaska. I have never been there, but it is on my bucket list because of the beautiful scenery and wildlife. It would be fantastic to see the Aurora Borealis, whales surfacing in the ocean and bears fishing in a river. I love travel and nature.

What is your favorite food?

My favorite food is seafood. Whenever we have a chance to dine out, it is my first suggestion. It is fun to look for new seafood restaurants when we travel. Different restaurants often have their own twist to dishes.

Program details: 

• Number of Cards: 650
• Card Programs: One Card
• Card Program Began in 2001 

  Rachele Caturano
Director, Finance, Kronos Incorporated
Featured Member for April 2020

Rachele Caturano is a Director Finance, GPO AP and T&E, at Kronos Incorporated, a global workforce management and human capital management company. With 12 years of risk advisory, control assessment and audit experience and four years as a global process owner, Rachele oversees accounts payable, T&E expense reporting and the card program (Travel, P-Card, Virtual Payables). Rachele is responsible for process improvement initiatives designed to gain efficiencies, cut costs and increase revenue. Further, Rachele is responsible for globalization and standardization of key finance processes in these areas.

What are you passionate about with your job?

I am passionate about 1) building standardized, scalable processes and as a result the team can engage in more value-add tasks, allowing them to have a great experience working for Kronos; 2) challenging how things are done and challenging suggestions for how things should be done—taking perceived best practice "with a grain of salt"; 3) empowering people and acknowledging their commitment and contributions to the goals of the organization; 4) improving myself by building strong collaborative relationships with people from other departments and learning from them; overall, if we can keep learning every day and have more of an appreciation for how other groups operate, we will in turn be in a better position to serve everyone’s needs, solve problems, and improve the organization as a whole; 5) helping others and supporting our global finance services team; 6) making people feel good about themselves, making them laugh and letting them know I care 7) helping people be just as passionate about all of the above!

What are you most proud of about your job?

I am proud of the relationships I have built through collaboration and trust. And I am most proud about the fact that I have always been, and continue to be, myself.

Rachele's current challenge:

Selecting the right solution to achieve our goals of automation and efficiency. And prioritizing. There is so much we can do to automate and focus on for process improvement, however, our world is heavily transactional and plagued with audits and requests for data to support other team’s initiatives. Its challenging to dedicate the time and resources to engage in all the initiatives and push forward toward our goals.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Taking care of myself and helping others. If I feel good about myself, that confidence has a direct effect on my personal and professional life. Regarding helping others, I have a bleeding heart. I am always trying to help people and fix their situations.

Fun fact: 

I was a surrogate for a family who was struggling to have a child. Back in 2015 as some of my friends and coworkers were turning 40 and getting botox and vowing to get in the best shape of their life in preparation for 40, I started to think about what I wanted to do for 40. I decided that I didn’t want to do something that I could do at any time like botox or get in shape, instead I wanted to focus on what I would not be able to do after the age of 40. Pregnancy popped into my head. My husband and I didn’t want any more children, so I started researching how to be a surrogate. My husband thought it was just another one of my out-of-this-world ideas, but after sharing the story of the couple who tried for years to have a child, finally getting pregnant with twins, only to lose them at 22 weeks, one stillborn, the other dying in their arms, he came around. They transferred two embryos in January 2016, one didn’t survive, but the other did! On September 12, 2016, I delivered their child and the doctor handed them their beautiful baby girl. We still stay in touch, which is a blessing! 

What is the best piece of advice you've been given?

I struggled with this one and then I asked my 9-year old daughter this question, curious if she would even understand it. Without skipping a beat she said “Always prepare for things ahead of you.” This advice now rings in my head as I set my intentions each and every day. 

Program details: 

• Global Card programs covering EMEA, APAC, U.S. and Canada—Corporate Card, P-Card, Virtual Payables, BTA
• Annual transactions: Virtual Payables and P-Card – ~25,000
• Corporate Card – ~400,000

Matthew McCallister, CPCP,
Senior Director, Accounts Payable, Credit Card Services, Property Tax Payments and Fleet
Brookfield Property REIT, Inc.
Featured Member for March 2020

Matthew McCallister joined Brookfield Properties (formerly General Growth) in 2004, and manages the Credit Card services team, expense reporting team, accounts payable group, co-manages the company’s fleet of vehicles, and is responsible for the company’s property tax processing and payments. The company’s card programs are in excess of $100 million and include Purchasing Cards, Travel Cards, Ghost Card/BTA, Fuel Cards and ePayables. Matt has full responsibility for these areas of the business, which serves internal customers at 170 locations in 43 states. Matt brings more than 30 years of experience in Credit Card programs and accounting when sharing his industry knowledge via webinars and in-person presentations for multiple institutions (including NAPCP, U.S. Bank and American Express) over the past decade. Matt is currently a member of the NAPCP Corporate Advisory Team.

What are you passionate about with your job?

I have always enjoyed the process of things, and that is what my departments are all about: whether processing invoices, credit card transactions, expense reports, etc., it’s about maintaining order and making sure things flow. There is also a rather large element of creativity in looking for and implementing efficiencies. It’s like a puzzle you are trying to solve. By finding efficiencies I am creating value for the company. I am passionate about making sure the process runs as it should and in finding efficiencies that help my company’s bottom line. I also am passionate about solving problems. Again, it’s like a puzzle you are trying to solve, and I enjoy that challenge. 

What are you most proud of about your job?

I think the thing I’m most proud of is the efficiencies my team and I have created at our company. Those efficiencies help my company’s bottom line and have created a revenue stream where none existed before. This tangible multimillion-dollar revenue stream helps the profitability of my company and makes me very proud.

Matt's current challenge:

There are ALWAYS challenges. Currently, we are looking at ways to increase our use of ePayables, evaluating the implementation of a new Fuel Card, as well as better protect PII in our systems.

Matt currently holds his CPCP designation. What value have you achieved from the CPCP?

The CPCP gives me recognition from a national organization that I am a subject matter expert. In many ways I think this helps me earn respect from my peers and company management.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Outside of work I love doing handyman projects in our home, as well as at our rental property. It gives me great satisfaction to fix something or install something new that brings more usability or fun into our home. I am also passionate about travel. We love to travel in the U.S. and also to different parts of the world.

Fun fact(s): 

• I was a college instructor for almost 20 years!
• For the past 30 years I have volunteered on the Boards of various non-profit organizations.
• We travel to Destin, Florida about six times a year. Love the powdery white sand and turquoise waters!
• In 2015 we traveled around the world using airline points! We booked our tickets nearly a year in advance. We started in Chicago, then flew to Hawaii, Sydney Australia, Cannes Australia (where we swam on the Great Barrier Reef), then onto Hong Kong, then continued west to Rome (where we went to Mass with the Pope), then Madrid Spain, and then home to Chicago. The total journey was about 25,000 miles and took about a month, spending a few days or so in each city. 

If you could visit anywhere in the world you've never been, where would you go and why?

That’s a tough one, because there are so many places to see in this world. Thailand would be great because it is so different from what we do and see on a day-to-day basis. I have a mental list of other places I’d like to visit and hope to be able to get to them all.

Program details: 

• U.S. Only
• Annual spend ~ $30M
• ePayables Spend: $70M
• Annual transactions ~ 211,000
• ePayables Transactions: 13,000

Avril Henry, Procurement Specialist, Purchasing Card Administrator
Calgary Catholic School District, Alberta Canada
Featured Member for February 2020

Avril Henry started working for Calgary Catholic School District in 1994, when a smaller school district was amalgamated into the large urban school jurisdiction boundaries by the provincial government. Initially, she was assigned to a buyer position with Purchasing Services and was involved in the original implementation of a Purchasing Card program with the district in 1997. During the next few years, Avril held the position of a senior high school business manager, accounting services; first at a small high school and then at a mid-sized high school. In 2005, Avril returned to the Purchasing department as a buyer/procurement specialist which included the role of the district’s Purchasing Card administrator. The skills and knowledge gained through her financial experience have been important assets in her role as P-Card administrator. In 2009, Avril was involved in the district’s review of the P-Card program. This review resulted in implementation of updated guidelines for card eligibility, credit limits and expansion of usage through the change from a traditional Purchasing Card to a One Card program. These changes resulted in growth in the program that doubled the district’s annual spend. In 2012, Avril was involved in implementation of a cardless/Ghost Card program to address the need for an innovative payment method for school administrative support staff. The cardless program resulted in another significant increase in annual spend. In 2017, Avril was involved in the project that moved the district’s One Card program to an online system for paperless account reconciliation and approval. During 2020, the district will be undertaking another in-depth review of their One Card program and Avril is looking forward to the challenge of implementing the potential changes this review will bring to the program and her role as P-Card administrator.

What are you passionate about with your job?

The ability to provide high-level support to cardholders on a daily basis. Having worked in a school environment provides me with an empathic insight into the challenges that school-based staff are faced with on a daily basis. I am passionate about providing the support, help and answers that cardholders need in a timely manner while still balancing the need to maintain procedural and professional requirements with understanding and compassion.

What are you most proud of about your job?

The implementation of the online system was a project that required a very detailed and systematic approach. I am proud that my analytical skills and strengths made this project a successful implementation and that I am able to use my problem-solving abilities on a daily basis to address cardholder and account issues, as well as the occasional software/end-user problems that arise with any technology solution.

Avril's current challenge:

Due to the current economic pressures and reduced financial resources, senior administration sometimes focuses on program enhancements that have easily quantifiable and measurable results. Therefore, it is becoming a challenge in public sector organizations to quantify and defend the “value-added” portion of the support services we provide to our internal customers.

Avril currently holds her CPCP designation.  What value have you achieved from the CPCP?

I have found that the work to prepare for the CPCP examination reinforced what I have learned over the years. It has broadened my knowledge base of best practices, innovative methods of program implementation, training methods and audit requirements. The designation provides a method to recognize this increase in knowledge and experience, especially working in an environment that places value on employees participating in lifelong learning.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

I love to travel and would like to do more of that in the future. My son and daughter have always been a significant priority in my life, and it is a pleasure to watch them move into the “adulting” stage of their lives. While I will always be “Mummy,” it is a joy to also become their adult friend and confidante. Fun fact:  When I was much younger, one of my first careers was as a “driver examiner.” I conducted driving tests for new drivers, including automobiles, school buses, and even “big rigs.”

If you could visit anywhere in the world you've never been, where would you go and why?

I would love to visit Thailand and Vietnam. The beauty of the countries, the people, the culture, as well as so many different smells, tastes and visual wonders is something to behold.

Program details: 

• Card products: One Card
• Total number of accounts ~1,000
• Annual spend ~ $13M CDN
• Annual transactions ~ 50,000

  Jennifer Gruich, Supervisor, Corporate Cards and Expenses, Southwest Airlines 
Featured Member for January 2020

Jennifer Gruich has been the supervisor of Corporate Cards and expenses at Southwest Airlines since 2013. Prior to that, she was the program analyst for over a year, and served various roles including supervisor in cargo accounting operations for 15 years. Since moving to the supervisor role; Jennifer has overseen a move to a new card provider, implementation of a new expense application, as well a new expense audit tool. She has presented on industry and company culture topics at Finance and Payment conferences. Jennifer and her team are focused on using payments in new and innovative ways to help keep costs low. 

What are you passionate about with your job?

I love finding ways to use card payments to improve processes, lower costs and help drive efficiency.   

What are you most proud of about your job?

I am extremely proud to work with people who inspire me to find ways to do better. It’s so rewarding to see an idea you’ve had come to life! Knowing others helped see it through because they also believed in it makes me want to continue to push myself.

Jennifer's current challenge:

I think we are all challenged by how fast paced technology has become. I remember when AI and RA were only something we’d see while watching The Jetsons as kids! It can be difficult to keep up, but it’s exciting to find creative and innovative ways to overcome these challenges. I’m looking forward to see how we live and work in the next 5 to 10 years.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

I am very passionate about ensuring we take care of our oceans, the environment and animals.

Fun fact: 

I was an extra in the movie Born on the 4th of July when I was younger. My friends and I were in line to audition and we actually got pulled by Oliver Stone. My 5 seconds of fame!

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Advice as simple as that has saved me countless hours of unnecessary worry!

Program details: 

• US Bank Mastercard  One Card Program 
• Company Liability 
• Over 2,000 Cardholders 
• Over 3,300 Point of Sale Cards 
• Over 300 Ghost Cards 
• Over 48,000 Virtual Card Transactions (2018)
• Average of 1,500 declining balance cards issued monthly for meal per diems 
• $172m total spend (2018) 

 

Stephanie Dowell, CPCP Senior Manager, Procurement Systems
Cox Enterprises, Inc. Supply Chain Department

Stephanie Dowell has been employed with Cox Enterprises since January 2008 and currently serves as the senior manager of the Procurement Systems team in Supply Chain. Stephanie’s background and expertise span over 20 years of experience in purchasing, procurement, customer service and finance. Her years of experience have contributed to the success of managing a diverse Procurement Card, Travel Card, Fuel Card and eProcurement Catalog Programs at Cox Enterprises and its subsidiaries of companies, Cox Communications, Cox Automotive and Cox Media Group. Stephanie and her team serve over 11,000 cardholders with a card base of 20,000. Stephanie is supported by wonderful and knowledgeable team members. Stephanie has experience in policy and manual creation, developing card trainings and auditing. Stephanie has been a member of the NAPCP since 2011. She achieved her Certified Purchasing Card Professional (CPCP) certification in July 2014. She is a member of the NAPCP Corporate Advisory Team. She has been a member of the Atlanta NAMIC Chapter since 2008 and has served as co-chair of the membership committee. Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in finance from Mercer University. Stephanie serves as a Sunday school teacher at New Birth Baptist Church. Stephanie is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and serves as a financial officer for her chapter. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with her family, spending time at the beach and attending Atlanta Falcons football games. Rise Up!

What are you passionate about with your job?

I’m passionate about serving my team and our internal and external customers. I’m passionate about the success of the Cox Card Programs with making sure we have the cards (P-Card, Travel Card or Fuel Card) in the right hands and proper controls. My focus is making sure that the cards are utilized for day-to-day business of the organization while minimizing risk to Cox.  

What are you most proud of about your job?

I’m most proud of my team members and how we have grown the card programs through continual policy and procedure training of our new cardholders and seasoned cardholders on what purchases can be made on the cards. I’m most proud of how my team serves selflessly to our internal and external customers. My team gives exceptional customer service and always goes the extra mile of the way to resolve an issue and to make sure our cardholders needs are met. One more thing that I’m most proud of is working for a blessed and people-oriented company like Cox that has an amazing senior leadership team. Alex Taylor, Cox Enterprises CEO, and the Cox Family have a generational anointing of generosity and kindness towards their employees that has proven to be a solid foundation for success.

Stephanie is a Certified Purchasing Card Professional (CPCP). What benefit have you realized as a result of the CPCP?

One major benefit was aligning our card program with card industry standards and best practices. Achieving my certification has positioned me for additional professional success in my career. 

What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing the CPCP?

The best advice would be to study, study, study. Also, to purchase and read "The NAPCP’s Guide to Establishing and Managing a Program Guide"–the best foundational tool to help build a successful card program. The guide was a critical tool towards helping me and my team members to achieve our certifications and to grow our card program. Focus on card industry standards and best practices.

Stephanie's current challenge:

I have challenges BUT I don’t talk about them. I take them to God.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

I serve as a Sunday school teacher at New Birth Baptist Church and I love my class and they love me 😊. I’m a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Theta Xi Omega Chapter in LaGrange, Georgia where I serve as a financial officer. I love giving back to my community and volunteering. I have a sponsor child in Mozambique, Africa, who I email, write letters and send packages. She is a beautiful and smart young lady with a big family. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, traveling, spending time with my family, spending time at the beach and attending Atlanta Falcons football games. Rise Up!

Fun fact: 

Once, I had a job repossessing cars for a banking institution. I love to collect angel statues or ornaments, and I’m a big kid at heart.

What superpower would you like to have and why?

I would like the superpower of healing. If I had this power, I would heal people of their physical, emotional and mental pains. I wish I could have healed my mom's illness so she could still be with me and my family now. I know she is with us spiritually. My mom is always with me in My Heart and as my angel.

Program details: 

Cox Enterprise Supply Chain Procurement Systems: 3 Team Members

Cox Enterprises has 3 Card Programs: 

Procurement Card Program

• Spend: $140M
• annual # of cardholders: 2,500+
• # of transactions: 312K+

Travel Card Program

• Spend: $122M
• annual # of cardholders: 8,000+
• # of transactions: 747K+

Fuel Card Program

• Spend: $23M
• annual # of cardholders: 9,000+
• # of transactions: 480k+

 

Monica O'Brien, Assistant Director of Technology and Payment Programs, NC State University
Featured Member for November 2019

Monica O’Brien, CPCP, is the assistant director of technology and payment programs at NC State University located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her 22 years of experience in the procurement and business services division includes over seven years as P-Card program administrator and now she leads what continues to be the largest P-Card program within the State of NC System. Monica has been responsible for engineering the implementation of the Virtual Payables program and ERP automations such as P-Card electronic approvals and a card center for processing card requests. She is the strategy expert for utilizing Ghost Cards as the payment mechanism for eProcurement orders. Monica continues to support these initiatives while striving to leverage existing technologies to continue growing the P-Card program and enhance the user’s experience through intuitive designs.

What are you passionate about with your job?

I love being in a position where I provide payment tools that can be used across diverse areas. It allows me to hear about what others do and how the tools we provide bring efficiency and value to their life. I love the constant state of improvement that comes with being involved in both the technology and payment fields.  

What are you most proud of about your job?

Truthfully, I am most proud of my CPCP credential. As someone who did not graduate college and works in a higher education setting where the more decoration you have the better, I find it rewarding to be part of such an elite group of professionals who know the ins and outs of the card industry. It is always exciting, engaging and humbling to be around peers who understand and find value in what you do.

Monica's current challenge:

One of our current challenges is to implement a payment strategy. In higher education we tend to let the supplier dictate how they want to be paid. With new solutions on the market every day, it provides us with an opportunity to be strategic about how we can leverage these tools to mitigate risk, generate new revenue streams and streamline the payment process. We are working toward this one step at a time with the hope that one day in the future we can offer a card-first payment strategy.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Being fit. I never thought I would be a gym rat, but I totally love it. The threat of diabetes, which runs heavily in my family, pushed me to the gym and I’m proud to say two years later, I am still going five days a week—successfully keeping diabetes at bay. Outside of that, my three kids keep me on the go and I love showing them just how much of an adventure life can be.

Fun fact: 

I am fascinated with aviation. I am scared to fly, but force myself to do it. I will honestly pretend to be the pilot as I am driving my 10-year old Honda Pilot down the road. If you see if take off, be worried.   

If you could visit anywhere in the world you’ve never been, where would you go and why?

This one is easy for me—Paris. I studied French for several years and just fell in love with the language and the culture. I would love to brush up on my French and say au revoir for a few days so I can sail down the Seine, visit the Louvre and eat pastries at a small sidewalk café.

Program details: 

Our program here at NC State is very mature. We will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of our P-Card program in 2020 and have expanded it over the years to include Ghosted Credit Cards and Virtual Payables. We provide P-Cards to over a third of our campus employees and manage those 3,000 cards with three full-time employees. With over $100MM in annual spend across these automated payment solutions, NC State’s card program is the largest program in the State of North Carolina government and higher education arena, accounting for 20 percent of the spend. 

Phil Caldarella, Business Services Coordinator
Fort Osage R-1 School District, Independence, Missouri

Phil Caldarella started working for Fort Osage R-1 School District in May of 1994 as an accounts payable clerk and relief switchboard operator at their central office. A year later, he became a business services representative for the district continuing to handle accounts payable duties along with some accounts receivable duties including the data entry of cafeteria and student activity deposit receipts, and handling student accident insurance. Around 2010, Phil’s job title changed to business services coordinator which he still holds today and encompasses the same responsibilities that he had been doing with the exception that he added the role of P-Card Administrator in May of 2012 when they implemented the P-Card program. Phil has been a proud member of the NAPCP since June 2012. Phil attended his first NAPCP Annual Conference in 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has been attending ever since. Additionally, Phil has served as a panelist on several NAPCP webinars and attended an NAPCP Regional Forum in Kansas City. Besides the NAPCP, he is also a proud member of NIGP (The Institute for Public Procurement), MACPP (Mid America Council of Public Procurement) and MoASBO (Missouri Association of School Business Officials).

Fort Osage R-1 School District implemented their P-Card Program back in 2012 using the state’s cooperative contract and they have been with the same provider since. After three years on the state contract, they negotiated a new rebate scale on their own as a district with their provider. The district started their P-Card program with about 30 cards and today have around 310 traditional P-Cards. In 2016, they also implemented an ePayables program with their current provider. The benefit to the district by using the same provider for ePayables was that the spend on their traditional P-Cards would combine with our ePayables spend, driving up their annual rebate amount. They started with about 45-50 ePayables vendors and currently have 160 active ePayables vendors! What are you passionate about with your job? Being able to provide our staff with a payment tool that makes the purchasing or procurement process easier for them and has allowed them to become better shoppers while helping them to stretch their budgets further.

What are you most proud of about your job?

In a time where we have seen our share of budget cuts as many others have, we have been able to provide our district with a source of income they would not have had.

Phil's current challenge:

Being able to get our electricity vendor as well other big utility or food service vendors to accept P-Cards/ePayables. The fees, whether it be the transaction charges or surcharges, seem to continually be an issue for vendor acceptance.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Spending time with family and friends. Helping coach my summer baseball team for 28 years. Volunteering for various groups and foundations within my community including the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts, the Independence, MO Police Department (VIPS-Volunteers in Police Service), the Big 12 Sports Conference, the Kansas City Sports Commission, the Pujols Family Foundation and Strike Out Slavery.

Fun fact:

I have been an MSHSAA (Missouri State High School Activities Association) certified official in the sports of baseball and basketball for over 25 years.

What is the most significant difference between when you started your career and now?

Professional development has immensely improved from when I first started and has allowed me to grow more professionally in my position. My district allows for us to take advantage of professional development and networking opportunities whenever we can, and the NAPCP provides some of the best along with the other professional organizations I belong to. This has allowed me to keep up with emerging trends and best practices as it relates to my job in the P-Card/ePayables world.

Program details:

P-Card program established in 2012 and ePayables program established in 2016

This information below reflects the last 12 months:

• Number of P-Cards/ePayables: 470
• Card Products: Purchasing Card and ePayables
• Spend on P-Card: $3,020,000.00
• Number of P-Card Transactions: 9,800
• Spend on ePayables: $678,459.00
• Number of ePayables transactions: 204

 

Karen Rodgers, CPCP, Procurement Card Administrator, City of Port St. Lucie
Featured Member for September 2019

Karen Rodgers has worked in accounts payables and for a certified public accountant's office as a bookkeeper since 1991. Before that, Karen worked for  Florida Power and Light for 10 years in the Nuclear Control Room. She started working in accounts payable for the City of Port St. Lucie in 1999 and has been there for 20 years. She moved to the procurement management department in the new role of Procurement Card administrator in 2006. She has an Associate of Arts degree in business. She became a member of NAPCP in 2006 and received her CPCP certification in June 2007. She has presented at three NAPCP Annual Conferences, one educational webinar for the NAPCP and one presentation at an NIGP conference. Karen has also contributed to a white paper on paying for large construction projects with P-Card where she outlines her experience paying for the construction of a bridge worth $89 million. Before that, she paid for an eight-lane highway for approximately $80 million. One transaction can go as high as $4 million on some monthly payments. 

Even though they have had the same provider since Karen started at the City of Port St. Lucie, she has implemented a new software that came out by the provider and trained all of the employees that were involved. 

In 2010 she implemented a Travel Card program that started with 10 cards and now has grown to 66. She implemented and trained all personnel that were involved with travel. The program continues to grow with current plans of development. In 2017, Karen implemented a Fuel Card program which was piloted with the police department for about six months. It now has grown to 1,525 cards. 

What are you passionate about with your job?

Making sure that all of my cardholders are happy and able to do their job.  

What are you most proud of about your job?

Being able to say that my cardholders love using the P-Card. And that we have purchased a multi-million-dollar bridge and road on the P-Card. 

Karen's current challenge:

The transaction fee and the surcharge fee are a constant challenge. 

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Spending time with my daughter and my family.   Fun fact:  I love to make people laugh.  

What is the most significant difference between when you started your career and now?

The struggle of getting merchants to accept the P-Card is an ongoing issue due to fees. Our contracts now have language that requires P-Card acceptance. And fraud has increased. You must be more alert now than ever. But the P-Card is still the most cost-effective way to pay our merchants.  

Program details: 

Last fiscal year:

• Number of Cards: 430
• Card Products: Purchasing Card, Travel Card and Fuel Card Spend on P-Card: $70 million
• Number of Transactions: 18,346
• Average Spend: $3,323.26
• Largest Payment to Merchant: $3.9 million
• Program established in 2003

Terri Moreno, GTP, Travel Manager, Production Resource Group
Featured Member for August 2019

Terri has been working in the corporate travel industry since 2000. She began her career with Anaren, Inc., where she built their managed travel program from the ground up. Having recently joined Production Resource Group, she is currently in the process of integrating two recently merged companies’ travel, expense and card programs into one. This entails centralizing two policies, three travel management companies, four booking tools, two expense tools and two banks into one cohesive program. Her experience runs from end-to-end including vendor negotiations and relations, Sabre reservations and ticketing, Concur implementation and back-office administration, policy compliance, traveler satisfaction, T&E card administration and expense auditing. Terri is an active member of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), volunteers at its annual convention, serves on the Chapter Presidents’ Council, and is president of GBTA’s Upstate New York Chapter. She has been the recipient of the Concur Community Service Award, the GBTA CPC Business Travel Service Award and her GBTA’s Chapter Direct Member of the Year Award. Terri is also a founding member of the NAPCP Travel Card Advisory Team. Over the course of the past year and a half, the team has developed a best practices series covering topics such as benefits of card mandate, the liability debate, managing delinquency and selecting billing and payment options.

What are you passionate about with your job?

At work I am passionate about serving our employees—whether it is educating them in policy, giving them travel tips, or training them on our booking and expense tools. What are you most proud of about your job? I am most proud when I provide value to my Company. By accomplishing the task at hand—whether it is increasing compliance, saving money or reducing burden on our employees. Then going a step further to exceed expectations...this is when I am most happy in my work. 

Terri's current challenge:

Our card program is less than ideal, and we currently don’t have a data feed set up with our card provider into our expense tool. This is presenting quite a few challenges, and we are working to resolve them.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Outside of work, I’m most passionate about neglected and abused animals...I wish I could rescue them all.

Fun fact: 

I love to travel, but I don’t like to fly.

What time (in the future or past) would you like to go to and why?

I don’t think I want to be in a different time. It would be nice to have some of the pleasantries of the past return—when it seemed that people were kinder to each other. But the past isn’t perfect. I like to reminisce about the past and look forward to the future.

Program details: 

Total 400+ cards. T&E cards are Individual Bill/Individual Pay with company liability. Our Ghost and Purchasing Cards are Central Bill/Company Pay. North America only, $17M in total spend.

 

Mike Molloy, Global Category Leader—Travel and Expense Management, Rio Tinto
Featured Member for July 2019

Mike has been involved in the travel and expense management industry since starting in Tokyo in the 1990s. For almost 20 years, he has managed industry-leading global programs spanning numerous corporate services for Credit Suisse in Hong Kong and Singapore, and Citibank from London.  The allure of Asia Pacific brought Mike back to Singapore in 2013 and since then he has managed one of the largest and most complex global travel and expense programs in the world at the mining and resources company, Rio Tinto. As Global Category Leader for Travel and Expense, Mike has total oversight of a program encompassing over 2 million transactions per year spanning 35 countries across cards and payments as well as commercial air, accommodation, charter aircraft, helicopters, car rentals plus the associated policies and risk management strategies. He manages all commercial aspects of the technological support for these services including expense system, online booking, travel security and other tools. This is done with a lean, "cracker-jack" crew scattered across the globe yet focused together on innovation and seamlessness. 

When he isn’t travelling for work, Mike can often be spotted travelling with his family. He’s covered about 60 countries and territories around the globe so far. Otherwise, you’ll find him on the back of a bike, swimming laps or (begrudgingly) running in preparation for his next triathlon. 

What are you passionate about with your job?

SERVICE: Making my colleagues' work lives easier and smoother. With over 2 million transactions per year across our area of remit, there are plenty of chances for things to go wrong. In the Travel and Expense (including Cards and Payments) world, plenty of things CAN go wrong. We strive to PROTECT—keep colleagues safe and secure, PREVENT—issues from causing disruption and PREVAIL—by responding quickly and improving systems or processes. By doing these, we continue to reduce friction in the program and enhance the user experience.

My small team runs a 24/6 Travel and Expense community on Yammer where colleagues can get real-time assistance (from people, not bots!), exchange tips and help find solutions for a better overall program. Our Yammer Community is one of the Top 10 most active groups amongst thousands and has grown organically to over 2,000 users. 

What are you most proud of about your job?

Quickly rolling out an exceptionally complex Travel and Expense and B2B program across a diverse geography ranging from China to Chile and from the remote Outback (“the red dirt”) of Australia to the Arctic Circle in Canada to the plains of Africa. To start, we went from inception (not having KYC-know your customer or AML—anti money laundering—started) to delivering 5,000 cards on three continents in only six weeks. The program won Treasury Today Asia Pacific 2017 Card Program of the Year.

Mike's current challenge:

The saying goes that “the last mile is the hardest mile.” This is true. I think getting a consistent solution in some of our remaining markets takes way too much time. It really is nobody’s fault, but there are just hurdles in many places that take time to cross.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

FAMILY, fitness and travelling. I am married and have two beautiful, intelligent girls. We have been fortunate to live in Singapore and the U.K. together and I’ve also worked in Japan, Hong Kong, China and, of course, the U.S. We love to travel as a family and last year undertook a three-day sail through the spectacular Flores Islands in Indonesia (including Komodo). My wife and I have been to about 60 countries and hope to reach 100 before we…errrr, reach 100.

Otherwise, to counterbalance my addiction to sweets, I work out regularly by biking to and from my office (have done so every day for over five years), swim laps most nights and begrudgingly run on the weekends in preparation for my annual triathlon. 

Fun fact: 

I studied ethnomusicology in university for two years. Specifically, I learned and participated in an Indonesian gamelan (orchestra of metal percussion instruments and gongs, drums). To be clear, this wasn’t my major, but I got into it purely by chance and it was fun. I even earned some credit!

What superpower would you like to have and why?

It’s a toss-up between flying and invisibility. I guess the latter as … who wouldn’t?

Program details: 

Thirty countries, heavy use of Central Bill Accounts (CTAs) in Australia for airline ticket purchases, 9,000 or so “cards in hand,” P-Cards in North America and a few elsewhere. We have a very creative use of some payment solutions in some locations and probably do things with centralized car and accommodation billing that hasn’t been done before thanks to innovative collaboration between our issuer, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the scheme Mastercard, our TMS American Express GBT and a number of other supporters.

Alison Anders, CPCP, Senior Manager, Charles Schwab

Alison’s career in Corporate Cards began in 2010 when, working in the gold mining industry as a buyer, she inherited the Travel and P-Card programs. She was thrown in head-first as she was asked to lead a One Card RFP to consolidate the two programs and hasn’t looked back since. She successfully rolled out that new card program, while writing and releasing a new Travel and Expense Policy and implementing a new expense software system. In 2015, Alison joined Charles Schwab to manage the Travel and Expense (T&E) and P-Card programs. Alison is responsible for all aspects of the program and for leading the team that oversees 12,500+ card accounts, related policies, expense system, and all audit processes, along with cardholder training and communication strategies. Most recently, Alison implemented an artificial intelligence expense audit solution and is launching a new declining balance program. Alison earned her CPCP designation in fall 2018. She loves getting involved any way she can with the NAPCP and is currently a member of the NAPCP Travel Card Advisory Team.

What are you passionate about with your job?

What I love about my job is that it is never boring and there is never a lack of things to do! Even in a mature program like ours, there are always new, innovative ways to solve old problems. I am passionate about brainstorming new ideas on ways to enhance our existing program—and nothing is more satisfying than seeing a little idea I hatched come to fruition and make a positive impact on cardholders and the business. 

What are you most proud of about your job?

I am most proud of the fact I was thrown into a role years ago that involved card management, which I had no exposure or experience with before. It was truly a sink or swim moment in my career. Without any formal training or knowledge transfer, it was truly “trial by fire” to learn the role and became familiar with the card industry. Thanks to organizations like the NAPCP, I was able to find great resources and great people willing to share their knowledge, which has helped me succeed—and continue to succeed!—in this career path.

Alison's current challenge:

Growing our P-Card program to make it more than just an “Event Card”. In a company where a good bit of our non-T&E spend is services based and we’re regulated, to include requirements around purchasing/contracting and third party oversight processes, this has always been a challenge.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Outside of work, I am a country girl at heart—I have two horses and am an avid equestrian. I also have a 5-year-old son who keeps me on my toes—we love going on ice cream dates and catching the newest kids’ movies as soon as they hit the theater.

Fun fact: 

Colorado is my home state, and I have lived here the majority of my life; however, I have never been on a pair of skis.

Favorite pizza topping: Pineapple and jalapeño!

Program details: 

12,000+ cards, mix of T&E, P-Card and Declining Balance, U.S. Only, $110MM+ spend

Renee Merritt, Senior Purchasing Specialist, Temple University

Renee Merritt is an accomplished procurement professional with more than 15 years of experience within the public and private sectors, including higher education, corporate maritime and hospitality.Renee holds a degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. In her current role with Temple University, she serves as the Purchasing Card manager.For the past six years, Renee and her team of one, has managed all aspects of development, oversight, customer service, reporting and auditing for 800+ P-Card accounts.She is continually focused on process improvements and thrives on training and collaboration.Renee has one son who is currently a junior at Temple University, and she enjoys volunteering with her church at women’s shelters and nursing homes throughout Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jeri Winkleblack, CPCP, Card Account Manager, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Jeri Winkleblack is a card account manager with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and has been in the card industry for over 20 years, also working with two other card provider organizations. Jeri currently manages the State of Florida card program as well as two other large card consortiums in Florida, including a wide range of public sector clients from cities and counties to public higher education, school boards and special districts. Jeri earned her CPCP and has been an active member of the NAPCP since it formed. She is excited to be a part of the NAPCP Government-K12 team. In her spare time, Jeri likes to travel, which is a good thing, since she is on the road for work much of the time.

JoAleen Ainslie, CPCP, Manager, Accounts Payable & Procurement Card, City of Tacoma, Washington

JoAleen has often been described as a passionate visionary and innovator who loves the question, "Why not?" She is a believer in lifelong learning for both business and pleasure. She has an intense interest in human psychology, worldwide cultures, religions, history and current events—all of which translates to her love of the Procurement Card and Commercial Payment industry. This has paid off as evidenced by her recent promotion from management analyst II, Procurement Card program manager to management analyst III, accounts payable manager with oversight of ePayables and the new Procurement Card program manager. She is currently tasked with expanding the City of Tacoma’s card program exponentially through its new P2P eProcurement/eInvoicing platform that went live May 22, 2017.

Her career consists of many milestones in this chosen field, which includes frequently serving as a contributor to white papers and articles, and presenter, panelist and facilitator at supplier outreach sessions, conferences and forums for various organizations (NAPCP, NIGP, NLC and Washington State to name a few). She has an extensive background ranging from being a private credit collections firm partner, the manager of the Office of Student Accounts at a private business college, to finance, procurement and payables for many years in the K-12 environment where she was exposed to Commercial Cards as their very first coordinator. This fueled her passion for this industry, which resulted in moving to the City of Tacoma to expand their program. She credits her success in this arena to her long-time, valuable membership in the NAPCP since 2002.

She loves storytelling, and even more, hearing other folks' stories—just ask a few of the NAPCP members who waited in line for a table at past conferences. She is a proud and loud Seattle Seahawks and Sounders fan. She has converted her kids, grandkids and great grandkids to that end, all of whom love to watch football and soccer at Grandma Jo’s house.

John Stockinger, CPCP, Director, Global Commercial Services, American Express

John Stockinger is a director of global commercial services for American Express. He leads a team of professional account managers responsible for optimizing supplier payments programs with global Fortune 100 organizations. He has been in the industry since 1994, working directly with large corporate customers for more than 17 years.

Prior to joining American Express, John was a global account manager for GE Capital, leading MasterCard Incorporated and Visa commercial relationships. His corporate expense management experience also includes operations, credit and risk management, and product development.

John is a Six Sigma Quality Greenbelt and Certified Purchasing Card Professional, and 14-year member of the National Association of Purchasing Card Professionals. His experience in the procure-to-pay space includes a focus on Virtual Card ePayables.

John has supported the NAPCP in the following areas:

• member of the NAPCP for 14 years
• member of the Purchasing Card Professional Certification Council for four years
• generous contributor of his knowledge in the following ways:
  • facilitator of two NAPCP workshops
  • regular content contributor and consultant
  • voted best dancer at NAPCP events

Denise Caissie, CPCP, GWCCM–Featured Member for April 2019
ProCard Administrator, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Denise is the ProCard administrator at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF). With over 11 years of procurement experience, and five years as the Purchasing Card program administrator, Denise is responsible for managing both the Purchasing and Travel Card programs at the UAF. She has overseen and participated in dramatic changes to the program during the last five years including implementation of a Single Use Account (SUA) program for the entire University of Alaska system, and the current implementation of a Corporate Travel Card system in conjunction with launching Concur for travel expense, and looks forward to expanding the program in the future. Denise obtained a Master’s Certificate in Government Contracting from the George Washington University in 2013, the Certified Purchasing Card Professional designation from the NAPCP in 2016 and became a member of the NAPCP Higher Education Advisory Team in 2016. Denise also has made many valuable contributions to the NAPCP over the years, including a facilitator for the Virtual Roundtable, Reporting: Who, What, Where, When and How and a panelist on the CPCP panel during the 2017 NAPCP Annual Conference. 

1. What are you passionate about with your job?

This is a difficult question to answer, and I am going to sound really corny when I say it is my cardholders. But that is the truth. I tell my cardholders in their training that I am here for them, to help them get their jobs done in the most efficient way for everyone involved, while adhering to our policies and regulations. My cardholders know they can email, Google chat or pick up a phone to ask me questions, and while it can be daunting to deal with all of it, I really believe that it is one of the most important parts of my job.

2. What are you most proud of about your job?

The customer service I provide for the cardholders on this campus.  As a one-person show, with 1,200 cardholders (and growing every day), it can be a very difficult thing to balance helping cardholders and the other tasks I still have to complete that aren’t related to the card program. I always feel rewarded when I have a cardholder tell me in person how much they appreciate the help they receive.  

3. Denise's current challenge:

We are currently in the midst of implementing a new travel expense tool, Concur, and an entirely new corporate paid Travel Card to use along with it. We have three different campuses all using the same cards, but my campus is the only one that has one administrator managing all the different card programs, while helping the travel team with training users on Concur and the new card usages. It will be great when it is done, but it is definitely a stressful process getting there.

4. What are you passionate about outside of work?

Outside of the office, I collect pretty paper and photos and pretend that I will actually put them together some day. Actually, I have a craft room devoted to scrapbooking and I love to spend a few hours in there assembling a layout and keeping the memories from my family alive in that way. Someday I would like to actually produce something that might get published in one of my favorite magazines (if those are still around by that time!)

5. Fun fact: 

The day the NAPCP Annual Conference starts in Miami is also my birthday! What an awesome present!

Program details: 

• number of cards: 1,200
• card products: Purchasing Card, Individual and corporate-paid Travel Cards (soon only Corporate), Single Use Accounts 
• annual spend: $40 million 
• annual number of transactions: 180,000
• year program was established: 1996 

Terrence Wilson, CPA, MBA, CAPA–Featured Member for March 2019
Accounts Payable Operations & Compliance, Altria Client Services, LLC

Mr. Terrence Wilson serves as a sr. financial analyst for Altria, parent company to Philip Morris USA, which is headquartered in Richmond, VA. Mr. Wilson began his career as a staff auditor at KPMG. After three years in the public accounting field, Mr. Wilson sought to further sharpen his skills in accounting and finance by earning an MBA in 2004 from the College of William and Mary. Shortly thereafter, he began his tenure with Altria in the Corporate Audit department. Currently, he holds the position of sr. financial analyst in the Accounts Payable department, an area in which he has spent 10 years. One of his roles includes focusing on performing compliance auditing for the Company’s travel and entertainment expenses. 

1. What are you passionate about with your job?

With reference to card programs, most of my time is spent analyzing and/or auditing some aspect of T&E expenses. My passion is finding new ways to analyze or audit my data so that it tells me a story that I might not have paid attention to in the past…while at the same time, not impacting or enhancing how our employee users feel about submitting expenses and adhering to our T&E policies.

2. What are you most proud of about your job? 

The thing I am most proud of about my job is the flexibility. We’ve used some aspect of T&E expense reporting for a long time. But despite our maturity in this area, my management gives me freedom to change a process if I can show the benefit, and I always have support to enhance the process if I find a way to do things better. Another great thing about the T&E industry in general is that the T&E landscape continues to evolve as technological innovations make an impact, T&E systems get more sophisticated and artificial intelligence continues to become more of the norm.

3. Terrence's current challenge:

The biggest challenge is allocating the proper time to analyze/audit data to its fullest. There are so many ways and tools to use to view massive amounts of data, but it’s difficult at times to implement new ways to analyze and audit this data due to limited resources.

4. What are you passionate about outside of work?

Outside of work, I enjoy working out. Nothing makes me feel better than knowing I finished a good workout, whether it's lifting weights or going out for a jog.

5. Fun fact: 

I’m coming upon my second anniversary of marriage in April so I’m ending (as people have told me) the "honeymoon" phase of the marriage. I can say thus far that marriage has been a rewarding experience for me as I learn more about my wife and even discover new things about myself. We shall see what the third year brings. 😊

Program details: 

Our Company currently uses Concur as our T&E platform which houses approximately 3,800 cards, $39.5 million worth of T&E spend flow through our systems every year. From a Purchasing Card perspective, we have approximately. 400 P-Card holders that generate about $50 million of spend annually.  

Lynn Moreira, CPCP–Featured Member for February 2019
Purchasing Card Administrator, The Regional Municipality of Peel, Ontario, Canada

Lynn has close to 38 years of public sector procurement experience having worked for municipal governments including the City of Vaughan, the Region of Halton and the Region of Peel. For 23 of those years, she was responsible for procuring goods and services required by the various program areas including health services, public works, police and social services, just to name a few. An opportunity arose about 15 years ago to work in a more administrative capacity where P-Card administration was only a very small part of her job responsibilities. Since then, our P-Card program has grown substantially, and she is now the Purchasing Card administrator.      

1. What are you passionate about with your job?

I am a great believer in communication and education. The last thing we want is for cardholders to feel uneasy about using their P-Cards. After all, we want the program to grow! Although cardholders and their supervisors are required to take mandatory e-Learning training, there are always questions. We offer small group training sessions to review key points regarding P-Card use and to provide staff with an opportunity to ask questions. The most important thing for me, however, is to build a rapport with staff so that they feel free to contact me or my associate to ask questions. In turn, they tend to use their P-Cards more and become more confidently.      

2. What are you most proud of about your job?   

I am proud of a few things. First, when I assumed P-Card Program responsibilities, the annual P-Card spend was somewhat flat, so we went to work on finding ways to augment P-Card use and increase the spend. Since 2008, we have managed to double our P-Card spend through a few initiatives such as increasing limits on P-Cards and implementing P-Card payment on contracts. The second thing I am most proud of is our customer service. We have been told by staff on many occasions that the P-Card team is so responsive and helpful. I know how important customer service is to me and want to ensure we provide that level of service to staff. It helps our cause to support our cardholders.

3. Lynn's current challenge:  

Our current challenge is not having automation or technology in place to support growth initiatives. Our needs will eventually be addressed, but it will take time as other corporate initiatives are taking precedence. In the meantime, our processes and audits are very manual in nature because we are dealing with a paper-based system. Allocations are performed in our ERP system but the paper statement and receipts are manually routed for signing and sent for retention. As a result, we are spending much of our time chasing paperwork and our audits take more time. We look forward to the day when everything is online, and we can produce reports to detect non-compliance especially when we want to optimize P-Card use here at the Region of Peel.          

4. What are you passionate about outside of work?

The most important thing to me is family. I come from a large family and enjoy having gatherings to keep everyone connected. I am a foodie, so I love to research and test out new recipes. I am also an animal lover and am the proud parent of three adorable rescue cats.

5.  Fun fact: 

I  am married to a wonderful man and we are blessed to have a son. I met my husband at a ski club dance. The funny thing is that neither one of us skis. We do, however, love to dance. We just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and my husband surprised me with a two-week trip to Italy. It was absolutely beautiful and so very memorable.  I also love to sing and joke that one day he’ll have to take me to the Alps so that I can test out my yodeling skills.   

Program details: 

We currently have 920 P-Cards issued to our cardholders and 191 Fuel Cards assigned to our ambulances. We also utilize Ghost Cards on some of our contracts. The P-Cards are used to pay for goods and services as well as travel, food and accommodation expenses. In 2018, we spent close to $19 million and our provider is the US Bank of Canada. Our program has grown year over year since 2008, and we expect that this trend will continue.

 

Larry Coffey, CPCP–Featured Member for January 2019
Regional Category Manager–Indirect, Linde North America Inc.

The NAPCP kicks off 2019 with Larry Coffey as Featured Member. Larry is the longest tenured member of the Purchasing Card Professional Credential Council (PCPCC), joining the Council in time to add some finishing touches to the popular Purchasing Card Essentials book, now on version 3. When the NAPCP set its sights on going global, Managing Director Diane McGuire considered Larry the "go-to" guy and someone who is always willing to share his expansive knowledge. Read more about Larry in his impressive professional bio and interview below: Over 30 years of progressive procurement and management experience ranging from indirect materials and services, chemicals, electronic systems, component parts and strategic outsourcing. Proven abilities to lead cross-functional teams, negotiate contracts, develop long-term commodity strategies, utilize e-sourcing and e-commerce tools, manage working capital and develop total cost analysis.  Over 15 years of experience in Commercial Card programs for several large enterprise industrial and medical device companies. Instrumental in the early adoption of ePayables solutions as a significant savings tool. Experienced in development of a Global Commercial Card program with one of the largest programs in the manufacturing sector. Fifteen year membership in the NAPCP including 12 years as a Professional Certification Council member. Career military officer serving 21 years in the United States Navy. Holds an MBA from University of Georgia.

1. What are you passionate about with your job?

I have always been passionate about being a procurement professional. There is no other profession that offers such opportunity to contribute to the success of the company, with the fruits of your efforts going directly to the bottom-line. I take great pride in being able to negotiate fairly with our vendors and try to always achieve a win-win scenario for both parties. I love being able to lead and develop younger procurement folks while at the same time learning new techniques and ideas from them.

2. What are you most proud of about your job? 

My pride in my job comes from many avenues. I have been very successful in achieving significant savings for the companies that employed me. I am well-respected at work by my colleagues who often see me as the go-to guy. I have employees who have complimented me to my wife and family as the best boss they ever had. Hard to not view that with pride.

3. Larry's current challenge:

The current challenge is that our company has been going through a divestiture and merger for the past 12 months. We are getting to the end of the process, but it has required us to remain focused on generating savings while at the same time splitting all of our systems in two. Our Commercial Credit Card program has become instrumental in getting us through the system shutdowns, but will have to be rebuilt after the merger into something even better.

4. What is your favorite part of being part of PCPCC?

I have been on the Council for 12 years. I learned a lot from my colleagues and fellow council members, specifically Dave Tyson, a mentor and the person who encouraged me to join the council. Our proudest moments were in developing Purchasing Card Essentials, where I was able to contribute a small part in its creation. My favorite part is often fielding various questions from those seeking the CPCP credential and trying to maintain the integrity of the credential program.

5. What advice do you have for those interested in pursuing the CPCP credential?

I learned more about Commercial Cards during my pursuit of the CPCP than any of my professional jobs would have afforded me. It gave me the knowledge to be viewed as an expert in the field with my own organizations and also with other companies who have called on me for reference calls, participation in conferences or speaker panels. Click here to learn more about the Certified Purchasing Card Professional (CPCP) credential.

6. What are you passionate about outside of work?

Outside of work I have many passions, but primarily I have focused on two of these: 1) bike riding for charity and 2) woodworking. I have been riding in annual long-distance charity rides for Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Cancer, ALS and Juvenile Diabetes for over 15 years raising over $25,000 from colleagues and friends. Woodworking is a recent hobby-passion in the last few years starting with small DIY pieces to building furniture for our home and for others. I am continually taking classes to perfect my craft and see myself doing this for a very long time.

7.Fun fact: 

I am married to my high-school sweetheart after an absence of 28 years. I joined the U.S. Navy right out of high school, and after traveling all over the world, reunited with her post-9/11 through a website. We married about two years later and just celebrated our 15-year anniversary. She remains the love of my life! We raised two great kids, one who will follow in my footsteps in the Supply Chain & Procurement field after graduation from Penn State University. Probably a result of many dinner-table conversations.

Program details: 

Current program is with a large industrial gas manufacturer and includes approximately 2,000 P-Cards, Virtual Card program, Dedicated-Supplier Cards and customized HR candidate cards. We use an automated transaction monitoring system that monitors our P-Cards and our T&E cards with a different provider. Our T&E program has over 4,000 Travel Cards, Meeting Cards, and integrated Travel Management and Expense Tool. Total P-Card program is $110 million. JP Morgan is the provider. T&E program is with American Express and has a value of $120 million.

Lesley Lackore, CPCP – Featured Member for December 2018
Card Services Manager, Iowa State University 

Lesley Lackore serves as card services manager for procurement services at Iowa State University, with 18 years of experience in Purchasing Card program and procurement systems administration. Lesley is a graduate of ISU, earning a BLS with emphasis in business and communication. In 2006, she earned the designation of Certified Purchasing Card Professional (CPCP) from the NAPCP. A member of the NAPCP Higher Education Advisory Team, Lesley earned the NAPCP Community Champion Award in 2016 for her contributions in leading that team. As a speaker and facilitator at NAPCP national and regional meetings, the Cards and Payments on Campus conference, and regional meetings of the National Association of Educational Procurement, Lesley has presented on topics such as eProcurement, P-Card fraud and misuse, study abroad card programs, evaluation and focus groups, and effective communication. 

Read more about Lesley in the interview below:

1. What are you passionate about with your job?  

The procurement process at a public institution of higher education with an emphasis on research can be daunting, and our card services team is ready to assist faculty, researchers and staff with our card programs, but also when a card is not the right choice. Maintaining a close working relationship with our cardholders and system reconcilers has allowed me to be their voice in management decision making. I have had the opportunity to influence both program and system programming decisions over the last 18 years, seeking input from our customers through various means including surveys, email feedback, and focus and pilot groups. 

2. What are you most proud of about your job?

Our card programs impact Iowa State faculty, staff and students close to 200,000 times a year–whether it’s pizza for a student event, a centrifuge for scientific research through eProcurement, or airline tickets for the athletic department. The customer service our card services team provides to campus is many employees’ day-to-day interaction with procurement services. Keeping our card programs and online systems up and running is job one.

3. Lesley's current challenge:

Iowa State’s implementation of Workday, set for go live in July 2019, is bringing not only systems changes to the university, but also policy changes affecting both procurement and travel. ISU will be implementing corporate-liability travel and expense cards and an ePayables program at the same time, which will require a realignment of commodities allowed on Purchasing Card to match Workday reconciliation processes.

4. What are you passionate about outside of work?

Outside of work, I am a passionate advocate for music education–I would not be able to do the job I do today without learning to perform in front of an audience. I believe singing is for everyone, and I am privileged to make that happen as the director of a small church choir and performing with a local concert choir.  I also have a lot of cats.

5. Fun fact:

I have performed with choirs at Carnegie Hall, the Moscow Conservatory, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, and the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts outside of Washington, D.C.. As the tour manager for the Iowa State Singers on our trip to Poland and the USSR in 1989, I had to negotiate with the Soviet Consul to Poland in Warsaw to get a visa for one of our students!

Program details:

• Number of cards: ~4,000
• Card Products: Purchasing Card, eProcurement Ghost Cards
• Coming soon: Corporate Card, ePayables
• Annual spend: >$72 million
• Annual number of transactions: ~200,000
• Year program was established: 1997

Adam Smith – Featured Member for October 2018
Senior Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation

Adam is a senior program manager who has been with Microsoft for the past seven years. He has managed Procure to Pay applications, business engagement and payment solutions. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Adam resides in Seattle, Washington. He attended Bryant University in Rhode Island where he studied Management and Finance. 

Read more about Adam in the interview below:

1. What are you passionate about with your job? Outside of work?

I love being able to make a tangible difference in our employees day-to-day task–either simplifying the end-to-end buying process or increasing productivity while traveling. In the P2P space, cards (both plastic and virtual) can drive a positive measurable outcome in value to the organization.  Outside of work, my time is spent with family and friends.

2. What are you most proud of about your job? 

Our ability to positively influence the business to increase time to market while mitigating risk. Our leadership enables creative thinking and flexibility to try new approaches to complex challenges.

3. Adam's current challenge:

Integrating a strategy leveraging card into a preexisting discounting process. 

4. Fun fact: 

I was raised on an island, and I played NCAA lacrosse.

Program details: 

• Card count: 88,000 across 96 markets
• Card products: Corporate Card, Meeting Card, Virtual Payment 
• Annual number of transactions: 17,000
• Current provider: American Express

Marie-Christine Bonin – Featured Member for September 2018

Senior Expense Accounting Specialist

Marie-Christine joined Mentor Graphics in 2009 as part of the HR expense accounting and Concur Support team. They support over 7,000 employees in 32 countries. Previously, Marie-Christine held different roles in the software and hardware industry. Marie-Christine has tenured experience in customer service, order fulfillment and finance. In Mentor Graphics, she has been part of the Concur implementation project and more recently, played a key role in driving the European T&E card implementation forward.

Read more about Marie-Christine in the interview below:

1. What are you passionate about with your job? Outside of work?

In my current position where I administer our expense reporting and T&E card programs, I love the fact that the role is broad, with many complexities and challenges, and I am given the opportunity to contribute to the success of the organization. I’m involved in the expense accounting process and reporting/analytics, which gives me visibility of the impact of our area on the company’s results. Since my team supports employees and managers in all regions of the world, it brings diversity to my world and keeps me open-minded and learning new things every day.  Outside of work, I am passionate about nature and animals. I love outdoor activities. I also have a keen interest for sciences, and data science in particular. I have just completed a Prof. Diploma in Data Analytics with University College Dublin. This is a direction I’m interested to pursue, with possible applications for the Commercial Card area (fraud detection, etc), finance and more general business analytics.

2. What are you most proud of about your job? 

The expertise gained over the eight years in this varied role, and the tangible value each aspect of the job brings to the company. I am part of a very cohesive and experienced team of three, looking after our ~7,000 employees worldwide. We always strive to evolve and adopt the most efficient approaches for our processes and tools we use.  As part of my employee-facing role, I provide support to my colleagues worldwide and help them spend as little time as possible on expense reporting and card account management. It makes a big difference in our employees’ experience of business travel. My back-office role involves monitoring and maintaining oversight of the expenses going through our systems, carrying out targeted audits, expense analytics and month-end reporting, maintaining our tools, keeping the configurations up to date and the processes running smoothly. Getting the positive feedback from employees I’ve helped, keeping our programs optimized and seeing the number of exceptions/corrections going down on the expenses is very rewarding!

3. Marie-Christine's current challenge:

We have been acquired by a company much larger than us recently (Siemens). There is a lot of work to be done to compare and align our processes, and move to a unified way of handling expense reporting and card programs. I also expect the use of analytics to become more and more relevant to manage a larger program efficiently.

4. Fun fact: 

I live in a household with three different languages spoken daily, and I have managed to keep my sanity! I am originally from France and speak French to my children. Their Dad is originally from Germany and also speaks his native tongue with them. We speak English to each other since we met here in Ireland. Our two children usually speak English with each other, but they sometimes switch to Gaelic (Irish–which they learn at school) if they don’t want either of us to understand! 

Program details: 

• Card count: 300 
• Annual spend, CY2017: $1,531,000 or EUR 1,361,000
• Annual number of transactions: 17,000
• Current provider: CitiBank

Bill Meekins, CPPB, CSBO, CPCP – Featured Member for August 2018

Purchasing Agent, Procurement Card Supervisor

Other than a brief stint as a lifeguard one summer, with 20 years of K-12 experience under his belt, Bill is a career Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) employee, starting in Accounts Payable and joining the Purchasing team as a purchasing agent III and Procurement Card supervisor in 2003. He has been a Certified Public Purchasing Buyer (CPPB) since 2008, a Certified School Board Officer (CSBO) since 2017 and a Certified Purchasing Card Professional (CPCP) since 2007. Bill joined the NAPCP in 2006 and has served on the NAPCP Government/K-12 Advisory team since 2013. He took over the FCPS P-Card program, in its infancy in 2003, grew the program from $100K to $13MM in annual spend, and implemented an electronic reconciliation process and ePayables solution in 2011. Did he forget declining balance cards? Nope, they are in use as well! Bill can often be seen at the NAPCP Annual Conference wearing a  brightly colored shirt, unless the room is too cold, in which case he can be found wearing a sweater. He is more than willing to discuss any topic that comes into play, and tries to find a spot of humor in every situation. If you see this outgoing introvert, stop by and say, "Hi!".  Read more about Bill in the interview below:

1. What are you passionate about with your job? Outside of work? 

Problem solving! Hand me a puzzle or project, and I’m off to the races. Being in Purchasing provides many opportunities to scratch that itch. Finding the answer, or achieving a solution is satisfying, especially if it can save the school system money. I like finding efficiencies, and I really try to focus on what can be done to make the workload easier on our end-users.  Outside work, I like to get active: obstacle races, ropes courses, roller coasters, anything that gets you up and moving. I love to swim and am a certified SCUBA diver. You can also find the family at the local renaissance festivals. Huzzah!

2. What are you most proud of about your job? 

I’m most proud of our online reconciliation system. Working with my Tech team, we designed an interface in our ERP, PeopleSoft, which allows our users to reconcile inside the ERP. Transactions are uploaded daily into the system directly from Mastercard. Each transaction gets a unique document number. Users can attach their backup directly to the transaction, change account strings, split code and write comments. Once saved, the transaction enters a workflow approval process. Once fully approved, the system automatically creates the journal entries. What is the best part? We can change providers at any time and the end-users never need to learn another software program. In addition, the system contains all of our cardholder data. We can file any necessary documents, findings, or emails directly into the cardholder section of the database. No file cabinets necessary…except the one that holds the new cards awaiting pickup.

3. Bill's current challenge: 

In addition to supervising the P-Card program and handling bids and RFPs as a Purchasing agent, I have been appointed the project manager for our PeopleSoft 8.8 to 9.2 Financials upgrade.  We started in February 2018 and are scheduled to go-live in February 2019.   

4. Fun Fact: 

My family and I were contestants on the Nickelodeon game show Family Double Dare. Do a quick Google search for Red Rascals vs. Freeloaders and enjoy!

Program Details: 

• Card count: 520
• Annual spend, FY2018: $13MM
• Annual number of transactions, FY 2018: 35,000
• Current provider: J.P. Morgan

JoAleen has often been described as a passionate visionary and innovator—who loves the question, "Why not?" She is a believer in lifelong learning for both business and pleasure. She has an intense interest in human psychology, worldwide cultures, religions, history and current events—all of which translates to her love of the Procurement Card and commercial payment industry. This has paid off as evidenced by her recent promotion from management analyst II, Procurement Card program manager to management analyst III, Procurement Cards & Accounts Payable manager. She is currently tasked with expanding the City of Tacoma’s card program exponentially through its new P2P eProcurement/eInvoicing platform that went live May 22, 2017.

Her career contains many milestones in this chosen field, which includes frequently serving as a contributor to white papers and articles, and presenter, panelist and facilitator at supplier outreach sessions, conferences and forums for various organizations (NAPCP, NIGP, NLC and Washington State to name a few). She has an extensive background ranging from being a private credit collections firm partner, the manager of the Office of Student Accounts at a private business college, to finance, procurement and payables for many years in the K-12 environment where she was exposed to Commercial Cards as their very first coordinator. This fueled her passion for this industry, which resulted in moving to the City of Tacoma to expand their program. She credits her success in this arena to her long-time, valuable membership in the NAPCP since 2002. She loves storytelling, and even more, hearing other folks' stories—just ask a few of the NAPCP members who waited in line for a table at past conferences. She is a proud and loud Seattle Seahawks and Sounders fan. She has converted her kids, grandkids and great grandkids to that end, all of whom love to watch football and soccer at Grandma Jo’s house.

1. What are you passionate about with your job? Outside of work?  I love the challenges. The fact that it is never boring is the biggest plus. The very nature of this "beast" attracts me because it is all about seeing/sharing a vision then building from the foundation upward using rapidly changing technology, genuine relationships and keeping abreast of requirements. I have always been curious about how things work and what makes people tick. I have found curiosity is a great asset if one wants to be successful in this field! I am extremely fortunate because here at the City I am encouraged to follow this passion and have a terrific team with whom to do it.  I am an ardent fan of music and dance, especially live music. In fact, I must get my live music fix at least once a month. It is balm for my soul for sure. I enjoy spending time with my grandkids and great grand kids (one at a time). I take them to all ages music venues, soccer and Seahawk football games. Watching the little ones mesmerized by music and learning new things is a beautiful thing to behold. It certainly keeps me young at heart.

2. What are you most proud of about your job? The continued growth and evolution of the program, especially the support I receive from upper management and my team of direct reports. They are committed to continuous improvement and are not afraid to brainstorm about innovations for both cards and AP processes.  I just received my certification for completing the City of Tacoma’s Continuous Improvement Advocates program, which entailed putting together and facilitating a project to solve a specific problem involving AP billing process and card use. I will now be eligible to assist client departments with their own issues.

3. JoAleen's current challenge: I am the business project manager for our card software upgrade and ePayables implementation that is scheduled to begin June 4. It started out as a project to not only upgrade our card reconciliation software but also to open more avenues of integration into our new P2P eProcurement/eInvoicing system for no-release (non-PO) contracts and CIF catalog vendors. The P2P structure has been unable to integrate cards for no-release (non-PO) contracts and CIF catalog vendors, which represent a large volume of current suppliers with contract card payment terms. The project was approved for the 2017-2018 biennium budget.  We also planned to implement ePayables in 2020 and requested funding for it. At the beginning of May, we were denied due to budget constraints which included a mandate to reduce our budget by 4 percent for the 2019-2020 biennium. This meant any improvements involving technology would have to come out of the current budget. The big hurdle was could we change the project direction and scope to include ePayables this late in the game (two weeks before project start). With my supervisor’s support, I decided to investigate. I contacted all project stakeholders plus researched ePayables compatibility with our P2P structure. After completing an in-depth analysis of current spend, what could be transferred to card spend via ePayables and whether or not the bank could assign a tech team this quickly, the bank is onboard; the AP optimization report provided; broke the project into phase 1 & 2, with ePayables as phase 2.  My results showed we could replace the Ariba P2P project integration piece by adopting ePayables as both a payment term and method via FTP channel in SAP. By setting up our P2P vendors with EPAY terms, there won’t need to be any card integration since all payments flow from SAP and will be reconciled in Xponential. To me, the budget reduction was a blessing in disguise because it provided the opportunity to implement ePayables immediately with no additional funding required, PLUS, based on the analysis, just a 5 percent transferred budgeted spend to EPAY by the end of this year will generate enough bank incentive to cover the 4 percent budget shortfall for the next biennium. 

4. Fun Fact: I have been asked for my autograph several times since my late teens. Why? Because I resembled Jane Fonda. One of the most recent times was at our NAPCP Atlanta conference. I was on a walk passing Ted Turner’s restaurant when a group of folks coming out decided I was Jane and thought I was denying it to avoid giving an autograph! I showed them my ID and we all had a great laugh about it. 

Program Details: 

• Card count: 1,043 (grown from 650 in 2008)
• Annual spend from 2017: $19,918,478.21
• Average quarterly file turn: Consistently under 15 days  
• Current provider: US Bank/VISA

Elizabeth Mozley–Featured Member for June 2018

Corporate Supply Management

As part of Sonoco’s Supply Management group, Elizabeth Mozley is responsible for developing and implementing strategy for Commercial Card, travel and temporary labor. Elizabeth joined Sonoco in 2013, managing the ePayables onboarding strategy and quickly moved into managing the Commercial Card program, as well as other categories focusing on productivity, working capital, process improvement and standardization. She sits on the advisory board for Sonoco’s Commercial Card provider and is a frequent speaker about Sonoco’s diverse card program at various card conventions. In her combined role of being the domestic travel manager and global card owner, Elizabeth is one of the leaders in Sonoco’s current mission to globalize all aspects of travel. Elizabeth is an avid tennis player and soccer mom! Read more about Elizabeth in the interview below:

1. What are you passionate about with your job? Outside of work?  As category manager, my role is focused on the strategy and process improvement for services that support Sonoco employees and enable productivity–whether through acquiring goods and services, paying for those goods and services or travel. I am passionate about process improvement and optimization. By utilizing the feedback from my customers, which are my fellow Sonoco employees, I can better manage my suppliers to ensure they provide quality service, products and efficient processes. Outside of work, I am passionate about my family and spending time with them. We like to plan vacations together, whether it is a “staycation” or somewhere far from home.

2. What are you most proud of about your job? Each year, Sonoco Supply Management hosts a supplier summit, where our suppliers are invited to come and hear from Sonoco business leaders and executives on what is important and where we are headed. I successfully led and organized the largest Sonoco Supplier Business Conference in May 2017, hosting over 400 attendees, from eight different countries. Over the course of two days, we entertained and hosted the largest contingency of suppliers from around the world and raised a record amount of proceeds, which were donated to local diversity groups.

3. Elizabeth's current challenge: Sonoco is a company that is diverse in both its products and people. Several of Sonoco businesses were acquired through acquisition and we have recently had multiple, large acquisitions.  It is challenging to bring in a new company and deliver standardization. Acquisitions bring the need to standardize processes, which creates challenges but most importantly, it creates opportunities.

4. Fun Fact: I enjoy playing tennis and traveling to warm, sunny places with my family.

Program Details:

• 3,000 physical cards, 300 ePayables Virtual Cards and 140,000 Virtual eProcurement Cards
• Sonoco utilizes Virtual Cards for eProcurement, travel and emergency purchase cards
• Sonoco has card programs in the United States, Canada, Europe and Singapore, and is moving into Mexico this year

Chad Robison,  CPCP

Chad is the Purchasing Card & Virtual Card program manager for Intermountain Healthcare. His programs support 8,000 cardholders and are made up of $62 million annual spend for P-Card and $245 million annual spend for Virtual Cards.H e recently spearheaded the Request For Proposal process of selecting a new card issuer, combining both P-Card and Travel with one provider. Through his approachable demeanor, he has earned the respect of his colleagues and NAPCP community.  Chad earned his Certified Purchasing Card Professional credential in 2016. A few of his NAPCP contributions include:

• breakout session presenter at several annual conferences where his added creativity enhanced their popularity
  
• roundtable facilitator where he is always willing to provide networking feedback
• according to past session evaluations, Chad offered innovative ideas and great strategies
• webinar presenter

Greg Domaracki, Vice President, Senior Product Manager, PNC Bank

With over 38 years of corporate Treasury Management experience, Greg currently supports product development and client acquisition activities within PNC’s Commercial Card Services Group. Greg has worked with a variety of service partners to integrate solutions designed to enhance Commercial Card usage including customizable program auditing tools and mobile wallet payment capabilities for PNC’s Commercial Card portfolio. Greg has also been awarded three patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office for development of technology solutions specific to accounts payable processing. A few of Greg’s contributions to the NAPCP include:

• membership with NAPCP for nine years
• managing PNC's participation in the NAPCP annual conference since 2010
• coordination of PNC’s Silver Partnership and sponsorship of NAPCP conference general sessions for five consecutive years
• organizing a PNC sponsored regional forum and virtual events
• supporting several educational and provider demonstration sessions at annual conferences

Becky Holcombe–Featured Member for March 2018
Team Lead, P-Card and Expense Reports
Southern Company Services 

An obvious choice for our first featured member is Becky Holcombe. Permit us a moment of nostalgia–Becky was present at the first NAPCP advisory meeting held in Atlanta in December 1999. The meeting was the first time the concept of the NAPCP was presented to the industry. Becky was an early advocate and cheerleader.

Eighteen years later, Becky is still an advocate for the industry. She began her program in 1994 with 80 cards. The program has grown to over 20,500 cards. During her tenure, Becky has survived four provider conversions, consolidation, an acquisition, multiple expense reporting system changes, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) controls and annual audits!  She was a popular and highly rated speaker at the 2017 annual conference where her topic was Level 3 Data Review. Another topic Becky is passionate about is the use of Purchasing Card during disaster recovery.