Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
1
SUMMER 2018 Rocky Mountain High Notes
T h e R o c k y M o u n t a i n G o v e r n m e n t a l
P u r c h a s i n g A s s o c i a t i o n
Newsletter Article Deadlines for 2018:
September 26
December 14
Hello fellow RMGPA colleagues,
Please join me in congratulating four RMGPA
members who have successfully obtained their cer-
tification from the UPPCC, 3 new CPPBs and 1
new CPPO. Congratulation on your big accom-
plishment! You can find their names on page 6 of
this newsletter.
As of my writing this, we are just 24 days away
from the start of this year’s Forum, which is being
held in Nashville, Tennessee . If you are the first
person to locate me on Monday August 20th
at 3:00 pm and guess the color of the socks I
am wearing you will
win a free registra-
tion to the RMGPA
winter conference.
We will take a group
RMGPA picture so please meet at the entrance to
the expo at 3:30.
If you missed the first group picture opportunity, we
will meet up on Tuesday before the awards lunch-
eon. Let’s meet at the entrance to the awards lunch-
eon on Tuesday August 21st at 12:00 pm. The
awards luncheon starts at 12:30, and this should
give us enough time to take a group.
Are you a first time attendee to Forum? Please
email me before August 7 so we can ensure that
you have the best experience, both with your
RMGPA colleagues and your newly found NIGP friends nationwide.
Safe travels everyone and we will see in in Nashville in about 14 days!
Keith Ashby,
RMGPA 2018 President
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Submitted by Keith Ashby, CPPO
Questions about the newsletter? Comments? Contact the editor, Vera Kennedy, at [email protected]
Letter from the President,
Keith Ashby
1
NIGP 2018 Forum 2
Legislative update 3
Fall Conference RVTS 4
Professional Development 5
NIGP course hosting 6
New certifications 7
Award recipients 8
Inside this issue:
2018 Summer Confer-
ence summary 10-13
Spotlight on Member 14
Volunteers wanted! 9
Spotlight on NEW
Member 16
Executive Board Mem- 15
Word Puzzle 17
The Last Word 18
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
2
NIGP 2018 ANNUAL FORUM
Nashville, TN
August 18-22, 2018
Forum website: http://nsite.nigp.org/2018annualforumandproductsexpo/home
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].
RMGPA was able to give scholarships to the following members: Shari Ashley Karri Burgess Diana Cantu Tara Larwick
See you in Nashville!
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
3
Colleagues,
As part of RMGPA’s legislative committee responsibilities, Leslie Williams and I advise membership of
cases of interest. The June 2018 Colorado Court of Appeals case, Falcon Broadband, Inc. v. Banning
Lewis Ranch Metropolitan District No. 1, is a relevant case that may be of interest to you.
The District, a political subdivision under Colorado law, contracted with Falcon Broadband for the ex-
clusive right to provide internet and cable services required by the District’s residents for a multi-year
term (limited only by a max number of homes that had not been reached). Five years after contract exe-
cution, a new District board disavowed the contract after unsuccessfully attempting renegotia-
tion. Falcon sued.
The District pled governmental immunity as a defense, but the court rejected it. Generally contracts
represent a waiver of governmental immunity. The court held the contract void, however, as a violation
of C.R.S. 29-1-110, a statute that prohibits a governmental entity from entering into contracts that obli-
gate funds beyond those appropriated. Falcon tried to limit application of the statute to current year ap-
propriations at the time of contract execution, but the court held that the statute is intended to apply to
future years’ obligations and their appropriations also. The court also refused to apply a limited excep-
tion for equitable relief when goods are accepted on a void contract because the wiring and infrastruc-
ture could not be returned without seriously damaging District property.
As many of you know, this issue usually is avoided by using nonappropriation clauses (in leases, for ex-
ample) that condition future obligations on legislative appropriation of funds.
Link here for the full opinion. https://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/Court_of_Appeals/
Opinion/2018/17CA0793-PD.pdf. Your counsel might be interested in the case.
Respectfully,
Leslie Williams and Richard Pennington
Co-Chairs, Legislative Committee
Legislative update Submitted by Richard Pennington, Co-Chair Legislative Committee
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
4
Reverse Vendor Trade Show during the Fall Conference in Longmont
Invitation to Participate in the
RMGPA Reverse Vendor Trade Show in conjunction with the
RMGPA 2018 FALL CONFERENCE Thursday, September 27, 2018
at the
Plaza Convention Center 1850 Industrial Circle Longmont, Colorado
http://www.plazaconventioncenter.com
RMGPA Member Agencies Registering for a Booth Receive: 2 FREE RMGPA Fall 2018 Conference Registrations with lunch.
A FREE booth with long table with drape & cover and two (2) chairs. A FREE listing in the Directory Brochure.
LIMITED BOOTHS AVAILABLE – SECURE YOURS TODAY!
REGISTRATION: Free Registration for the Reverse Vendor Trade Show is available by sending an email to:
John Chaplain at [email protected] Please provide:
Name of Entity/Agency/Department and if pricing for electrical is requested. BOOTH FORMAT: Standard 6 feet long table provided with drape, table cover and two (2) chairs. Electrical available at an additional charge (upon request). Booth Set-up: 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Trade Show: 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. LOCATION: Plaza Convention Center, 1850 Industrial Drive, Longmont, CO Main Ballroom BACKGROUND: In 2017, RMGPA partnered with the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce (LACC) to
provide an afternoon Reverse Vendor Trade Show that allowed attendees at the LAC-C’s Trade Expo to ask our Member questions directly. Due to the success and incredibly positive feedback of its attendees, LACC has invited RMGPA to participate again this year.
To make it easier on our Members, RMGPA has organized its Fall Conference to take place on the same day, so that RMGPA morning sessions will now lead into the after-noon Show.
QUESTIONS: Contact John Chaplain directly at [email protected]
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
5
Introduction to Procurement
Accreditation: Accredited , Start Date: 09/11-13/2018
Location: Denver Public Schools, CO
Instructor: Christine Weber
Institute Member: Standard Fee : $715.00
REGISTRATION CLOSES ON SATURDAY AUGUST 11, 2018
Fundamentals of Leadership and Management in Public Procurement
Accreditation: Accredited , Start Date: 10/09-11/2018
Location: Denver Public Schools, CO
Instructor: Bill Davison
Member: Early Fee : $485.00
REGISTRATION CLOSES ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 2018 AT 4PM
Get What you need through Successful Negotiation Strategies
Accreditation: Non-Accredited , Start Date: 09/18/2018
Location: Brighton, CO
Instructor: Tony Ellis
Institute Member Standard Fee : $510.00
Professional Development
NIGP Webinars are a great training opportunity from the comfort of your seat!
All registrants receive a certificate of completion and one contact hour for attending.
Find all webinars on the NIGP website:
http://www.nigp.org/grow-professionally/education/webinars
NIGP also offers many ONLINE courses:
Find all online courses here:
https://www.nigp.org/grow-professionally/search-courses?Keywords=online
Upcoming NIGP courses in Colorado
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
6
Professional Development
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
7
Newest CPPB and CPPO certifications
David Carey, El Paso County, CPPB
Toby Erxleben, City of Lakewood, CPPB
Rebecca Schaffstein, City of Colorado Springs, CPPB
Challon Winer, State of Colorado Purchasing Office, CPPO
Certifications
On a lighter note …
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
8
2017 Volunteer of the Year and Distinguished Service Award recipients Submitted by: Curt Decapite, Awards Chair
We were proud to reveal the 2017 Volunteer of the Year and Distinguished Service Award re-
cipients at the 2017 Winter Conference December 8th in Loveland Colorado.
Volunteer of the Year
Kelly Wooden, CPPB, CPPO, Senior Procurement Agent at the Poudre School District.
Kelly has been a member of RMGPA since 2006. Kelly has been actively involved with
RMGPA for over ten years. She currently serves as the Newsletter Co-Chair and prior to
that, served as Co-Chair of the Awards Committee. Kelly is tasked with creating and oversee-
ing the Spotlight Articles that are published in each quarterly newsletter (she is also the only
one that gets her articles in before the deadline every quarter!).
Kelly participated in the NIGP Document Fitness Challenge from October 17, 2016 – Febru-
ary 15, 2017. Participants were tasked with reviewing current documents (including but not
limited to solicitations, contracts, best practices, white papers) contained within the NIGP
document library. Kelly reviewed over (100) documents within the given timeframe. RMGPA
was 1 of 10 chapters who participated in the event and the combined group effort resulted in
18,675 documents being reviewed during the course of the challenge.
In addition to being the newsletter co-chair, Kelly also has served on the Metro North Cham-
ber Leadership Advisory Board (LAB). The LAB is a group of leaders within the community
who identify and transform current and future leaders throughout the Metro North Commu-
nity.
Congratulate Kelly on a well deserved award!
Distinguished Service
Mary Smith, CPPB, Senior Buyer of Aurora Public Schools
Mary has been a member of RMGPA since 1996 and has served in a variety of positions for
RMGPA as well as advocated for procurement in Colorado. She has volunteered and been a
member of committees, chaired committees and served on the board as secretary. Here is a
list of the positions she has served on in the past 14 years:
Awards chair; 2003 - 2005
Board Secretary; 2006
Historian co-chair; 2011
Chapter Enhancement chair; 2012 - 2014
Board Secretary; 2015 - 2016
Congratulations to Mary!
Thank you both for your service to RMGPA!
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
9
E-Harmony and Match.com have nothing on us!
If you didn’t make it to Summer Conference, you missed on a great opportunity to get a little more intimate with
RMGPA’s committees. While you still may not know if we like long walks on the beach or pina coladas, our speed da-
ting session provided some great information on what each committee does, volunteer opportunities, and how you can
get involved.
It’s okay if your dance card is full. There are plenty of chances to get to know a committee to see what they are all
about. You can commit to one or play the field giving them each a little bit of your time. Whether you are a party
planner, detailed oriented, creative, outgoing, or an introvert, we can find you the perfect match.
Awards: Coordinates Manager and Buyer of the Year awards, plans special awards and makes recommendations to
the Board.
Chapter Enhancement: Coordinates, organizes, and runs RMGPA’s trade show and reverse vendor trade show
and arranges sponsorship and advertising opportunities.
Communications: Maintains RMGPA’s website including posting forms, job postings and Chapter news and ana-
lyzes site traffic.
Education/Professional Development: Plans, develops, coordinates, and implements training and educational
programs and administers the Scholarship Program.
Elections: Solicits nominations for officers, contacts potential candidates, prepares ballots and holds elections.
Legislative: Researches, reviews and stays apprised of new legislation, policies and regulations in the procurement
field and provides a status report on current court actions which may impact procurement.
Marketing: Works with the RMGPA Board and Committee Chairs to assist with their marketing needs including
materials, media outlets, and press releases and maintains the Chapter social media pages.
Membership: Develops programs and incentives to maintain and increase regular, lifetime, and student member-
ship in RMGPA
Newsletter: Gathers articles and information from RMGPA’s Board, members and outside organizations to compile
and publish quarterly newsletters.
Programs: Makes all of the necessary arrangements for quarterly conferences by scoping out locations, finding
speakers and coordinating before, during and after events.
It’s so easy to get started but you have to make the first call. Check out the Contact page of the website to get in
touch with the Committee Chair directly or if you’re still a little shy, email [email protected]. Include your likes
and dislikes, strengths and interests so we can connect you with like-minded folks.
Go ahead. Take that first step. You won’t regret it.
Volunteers wanted! Submitted by Kerry Sheahan, Vice President
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
10
The theme this year was “Information Technology and Public Procurement.” But as you can see from this summary, the
topics stretched participants’ thinking even farther.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
After a Wednesday night reception hosted by BidNet, where attendees were treated to descriptions of new developments,
the conference got underway on Thursday morning with an introduction by RMGPA president, Keith Ashby. Keith ex-
pressed his appreciation for the association’s support during his recent absence, especially the leadership shown by vice
president Kerry Sheahan and past president Valerie Scott.
Keith also invited the sharing of KUDOs, personal thanks to various association members. Chris Weber thanked Adams
County for the use of their facility in training. Liz Dunaway thanked Keith and the Arapahoe County buyers for their
help; Centennial is a small office and has been able to use their bids. Tara Larwick thanked Chris Weber for her men-
torship and willingness to help in the Colorado state purchasing office.
John Chaplain, chair of the Chapter Enhancement committee, described upcoming initiatives. The reverse-vendor trade
show this year will be combined with the Fall conference, thanks to the contributions of the Longmont Area Chamber of
Commerce that has been a large financial supporter. Invitations to participate in the trade show were distributed to all
Beaver Creek conference attendees. Contact [email protected] with any questions.
Cyber Response Following Major Incidents
Damien McLoughlin, who works in Intelligence, Information, and Security with Raytheon, provided a great deal of food
for thought about cyber security. Damien, who formerly served with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs in the
emergency management office, brought an interesting perspective. Much of the emergency planning structure used in
other contingency or disaster responses is relevant to incidents involving data breaches or penetrations of government
information systems.
There has been a three-fold increase nationally in the use of malware since 2016. Unlike previous malware, many of
these attacks stay in the computer’s memory and not on hard disk files. The cost associated with computer hacking can
be sizeable. The Ponemon Institute has estimated that the average cost from data breaches is $301/employee, account-
ing for system downtime, data theft, productivity loss, infrastructure damage, fines and legal liability, and loss of repu-
tation.
Mr. McLoughlin refers to these hacking events as “incidents.” One of the cautions is not reacting too quickly. His sug-
gestion: Breath (and follow a plan); Communicate (develop a timeline of what happened); and Be Curious (figure out
why, what, when, where, and how). The formal steps that Mr. McLoughlin described were similar to continuous im-
provement steps. Prepare. Detect & Analyze. Contain, Evaluate, and Recover. Perform post-incident activities like
after-action reviews and executive round tables to improve the preparation stage, including updates to standard operat-
ing procedures. In short, learn for the incidents.
One of procurement’s contributions can be the pre-establishment of consulting contracts for future assistance. They
could be used when an agency has exceeded its capacity to manage an incident. However, according to Mr. McLoughlin,
companies vary in their expertise. Some are good at on-the-ground operations to detect and investigate potential securi-
ty threats. Other companies are better at systems engineering needed to reduce the risk of attacks.
According to Mr. McLoughlin, emails represent the greatest threat. Opening links and attachments from unknown
sources can start a cyber-attack, and sometimes the code is in a system for several months before it is discovered.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has good resources for cyber security. The NIST 800 series, in par-
ticular is relevant.
Mr. McLoughlin had prior experience in state emergency management. He suggests using the contingency management
structure/security operations center model for managing cyber incidents also.
One attendee asked about the relationship between cloud computing and cyber security threats. While the physical risk
is shifted to the cloud supplier, the security capabilities should be evaluated during source selection. Moreover, Mr.
McLoughlin recommends that service level agreements (SLAs) with cloud vendors address security responsibilities
where negotiation of SLAs is possible. Otherwise, for commercial cloud applications, evaluate the security features and
responsibilities in the subscription agreement.
2018 Summer Conference Summary Submitted by Richard Pennington, Co-Chair Legislative Committee
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
11
RMGPA Business Meeting
After a community familiarization presentation by the executive director of sales, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, Keith Ash-
by held the business meeting.
First time attendees were introduced. George Kelley, Cherry Creek School District; Fredric Honebein and Julie Kenne-
dy, Routt County; and April Cook, City and County of Broomfield.
The executive board was introduced, and officer/committee reports received. The Vice President, Kerry Sheahan, de-
scribed the committee “speed dating” to be held in the afternoon and an initiative to collaborate cross-chapter, e.g. with
the Utah chapter. There also is a pilot program with NIGP aimed at increasing memberships.
The Treasurer, Vivian Harvell, reported on the fund balance and last year’s excess of revenues over expenses. Long-
mont’s support is helping with revenue, and the reverse vendor tradeshow is returning as a major source of revenue for
the chapter.
The Communications chair, David Musgrave, described a new feature of the website. Members can upload their train-
ing certificates. And the jobs posting feature has been very active.
The Professional Development chair, Andy Mild, announced the scholarships awarded to NIGP Forum. Volunteers are
needed for locations for future NIGP training classes. The confirmed and planned NIGP courses ARRANGED BY
RMGPA were highlighted for attendees.
The Legislative co-chair, Richard Pennington, described the legislative updates, now complete with the end of the Colo-
rado General Session. There has been some member interest in looking at potential changes to the Open Records Act to
address requests for bid documents that are available from e-procurement systems. Richard recommended that a task
force be assembled by those affected by the issue to explore the steps in getting a bill introduced, including possible col-
laboration with agency public affairs offices.
IT Breakout Sessions
Separate breakout sessions were then held. Thirza Kennedy, purchasing director for the state’s Office of Information
Technology, led a discussion about state IT contracts and e-procurement. Damien McLoughlin, Raytheon, led a session
for those wanting to know more about information technology procurement. John Chapman, State Purchasing and Con-
tracting Office, discussed market research and source selection. Nick Severn, State Purchasing and Contracting Office,
along with Sarah Nelson, Colorado Department of Human Services, led a discussion about data sharing agreements and
the various laws that govern protection of personally identifiable, credit card, HIPPA, and other information that war-
rants special handling in contracts.
Open Forum
The afternoon ended with an Open Forum, led by Past President Valerie Scott. The group first discussed the issue of
Open Records Act requests for solicitation documents available on e-procurement sites, where official posting location.
One approach discussed was the use of watermarks on released documents to clearly identify the location of the official
solicitation document. There is a risk that eventual recipients of publicly available solicitation documents may not be
aware that they are not the official or most recent version. Watermarks my help avoid reliance on old documents and
reduce these requests.
An informal poll was taken about agencies who accept electronic bid submissions. Several do.
There was a brief discussion about new BidNet capabilities.
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
12
5 Generations in the Workplace – Building Trust
After an evening “pool party” that heard the (karaoke) likes of—among others—Earth, Wind & Fire, Fleetwood Mac,
Band Perry, John Denver, Miranda Lambert, and Garth Brooks, Friday morning was packed with discussions about
generational differences and the unfortunate tendency to stereotype, not only across generations but culturally as well.
The workshop, 5 Generations in the Workplace—Building Trust, was led by Carla Elam-Floyd, Elam Floyd & Associa-
tions. The workshop explored the dimensions of diversity as well as the years that typically define the generations: tra-
ditionalists, baby boomers, Gen X, Gen Y or millennials, and the emerging Gen Z. One great group exercise looked at
the preconceptions that people have based on their assumptions drawn from, among other things, cultural background,
clothes, age, race, even appearance. There was robust discussion about how individual experiences, sometimes decades
old, can perpetuate those stereotypes about people.
Leading across generations requires special attention to leadership and communication styles. For newer generations,
participative leadership is essential as autocratic styles are not as effective and reflect an older organizational mindset.
Leadership authority must be earned and does not come from mere position and status. And unaddressed generational
challenges can reduce team cohesiveness through ineffective communications and stereotyping.
Another interesting small group exercise was the exploration of how generational differences have changed the world of
work and the organization’s need to: respond to different values; transfer knowledge as younger workers show more
willingness to change jobs; apply innovative learning strategies; and prepare current and future leaders for the next
generations of employees. For example, does the organization create a culture that promotes inquiry and curiosity? Are
there processes in place for getting feedback? Does the organization talk about vision and values? Do employees avoid
jumping to conclusions and labeling?
The session ended with a look at environments that traumatize, where employees feel like they have little control, feel
threatened, and feel no feeling of security and safety. Bullying behaviors were touched: disrespectful behavior almost
universally psychological, with the intention of hurting someone else. The caustic effects of tolerating this kind of behav-
ior often doesn’t show its face until weeks or months later. And there are potential legal implications.
Ms. Elam-Floyd showed attendees an excellent, 10-minute video, Generations: Past, Present, and Future it’s worth re-
visiting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfYjGxI6AJ8 It illustrates some of the generation differences that are en-
countered in the workplace.
Great workshop from Carla! Great conference, RMGPA!
In a pleasant surprise, Chris We-
ber, State Purchasing and Con-
tracting Office, was presented by
her office with a Colorado state
flag that had been flown at the
state Capitol in May in honor of
here service. Chris retired in
June. What a great tribute!
Chris will continue to teach for
NIGP.
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
13
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
14
SPOTLIGHT ON MEMBER... Skyler Thimens, Elections Chair
Submitted by Kelly Wooden, Newsletter Committee Co-Chair
Originally from Illinois, Skyler moved to Colorado in 2003 to
finish his undergraduate degree at Colorado State University
(CSU) in Music Performance. He later began working at
CSU and completed his Master’s Degree in Business there as
well. Finishing his Master’s Degree is something Skyler is
particularly proud of. Not because it was a particularly diffi-
cult task, but because he was working full-time and strug-
gling with some major life challenges at the same time he
was pursuing it. He is the only member of his large and ex-
tended family to hold an advanced degree and he feels he be-
came a much stronger person for persevering through those
difficult times.
Skyler grew up working on farms in the Midwest and then
later worked in construction and retail. As a former musi-
cian (and like many “starving” artists), he has a lot of experi-
ence in the hospitality industry working various jobs from restaurant management and
foodservice, to catering, hosting banquets and private event management. He often misses
the service industry, but he likes to think we are all in the service industry, we just have a
different customer base now (taxpayers).
Like many procurement professionals, Skyler ended up in procurement without necessarily
planning to do so. After spending some time working at Whole Foods Market where he
worked closely with local farmers to procure local produce, he later joined CSU’s Residential
Dining Team as a Warehouse Supervisor. From there he began learning about formal pub-
lic procurement and supply chain management in the public sector. In time, he became the
Senior Procurement Manager for CSU Housing and Dining Services where he worked close-
ly with Linda Meserve and Farrah Bustamante in CSU’s Procurement Services Depart-
ment. After spending several years in that role, he decided to broaden his scope of experi-
ence and joined the Poudre School District (PSD) in Fall of 2016, where he continues to lead
as the Purchasing Manager.
With PSD’s anticipated release of $375 million worth of Bond Projects, Skyler believes the
most interesting procurement projects in his career are still ahead as PSD plans to build a
new comprehensive high school, an elementary school and execute many other capital pro-
jects in the coming years.
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
15
Executive Board Members wanted!
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
16
Spotlight on a new RMGPA member Submitted by John Chaplain
Welcome to Brandon Garza
A Colorado native from Platteville, Brandon is a 2018 gradu-
ate from the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), impres-
sively earning both a B.A. in Finance and a B.A. in General
Business. He joins RMGPA as a new member, having a back-
ground of working as a student employee in the Purchasing
Department for the past four years, ultimately serving as an
Accounting/Purchasing Intern in 2017 transitioning into a part
-time Accounting/Accounts Payable Tech at UNC during his
senior year.
In May 2018, UNC hired Brandon as an Accounting Techni-
cian II, reporting to both Lacey Snyder, UNC’s Controller and
to Cristal Swain, UNC’s Assistant Legal Counsel and Chief
Procurement Officer. In this role, he has duties involving Pur-
chasing, Accounts Payable, Contracts, the UNC Visa Purchas-
ing Card program, and supporting the General Accounting de-
partment. He is relatively new to the world of RFP’s, RFQ’s,
DQ’s and other purchasing processes, but is quickly learning
and expanding his knowledge base.
Brandon finds Purchasing and Procurement interesting due to
the complexity of ensuring that UNC makes all of its purchas-
es of goods and services in accordance with UNC’s Procurement Rules, Fiscal Rules, Board Policies, as
well as State and Federal policies. Governmental procurement has many layers. While he is still get-
ting his feet wet in his current role, he is open to learning as much as he can to better explore oppor-
tunities in Accounting or Purchasing.
In his spare time, Brandon has a wealth of interests. For the past 5 years, he has been a Youth Base-
ball Head Coach and a Youth Basketball Head Coach, giving his nights and weekends helping others
succeed. He also spends time with his two brothers, his younger sister and their family dog, Shadow.
Lastly, Brandon enjoys weightlifting, exploring the outdoors, and riding his motorcycles.
When asked to share something interesting that others wouldn’t know about him, Brandon responded
that he enjoys researching various investments, such as equity stocks, mutual funds, ETF’s, and al-
ternative assets on the weekends. Having graduated from the Monfort College of Business at UNC,
this definitely makes sense.
Brandon will be representing UNC at the Reverse Vendor Trade Show in September in Longmont,
attending his first RMGPA quarterly conference. If you see him, please welcome him to RMGPA and
introduce yourself. As established governmental purchasing professionals, I am sure each of us have
interesting anecdotes to share or advice to give that will help Brandon navigate future opportunities
within public Purchasing and Procurement.
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
17
Word Puzzle—Feel the Rhythm Submitted by Tara Larwick, Marketing Chair
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
18
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
GOVERNMENTAL
PURCHASING
ASSOCIATION
Dedicated to Excellence in Public Purchasing
Rocky Mountain
Regional
Chapter of
THE LAST WORD
Visit us on the web at www.rmgpa.org
Winner of NIGP’s Large Chapter of the Year in 2006, 2009 and 2015!
Recently, some of our Board members re-
ceived phishing emails.
Please be aware, every day, in your work
and personal emails, not to fall for these
scams.
Never open an attachment or click on a
link in a suspicious email!
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
19
2018 RMGPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
STANDING COMMITTEES
POSITION OFFICER E-Mail PHONE
President Keith Ashby, CPPO [email protected] 303-795-4435
Vice President Kerry Sheahan [email protected] 303-774-3671
Secretary Beth Hewes, CPPB [email protected] 303-866-3080
Treasurer Vivian Harvell [email protected] (719) 579-2034
Past President Valerie Scott, CPPB
[email protected] 303-774-4887
COMMITTEE CHAIR E-Mail PHONE
Awards Curt DeCapite, CPPB
[email protected] (719) 331-0319
Chapter Enhancement
John Chaplain [email protected] 970-351-2040
Communications David Musgrave [email protected] 303-757-9861
Education & Pro-D Andy Mild [email protected] 303-286-3074
Elections Skyler Thimens [email protected] 970-490-3554
Historian
Legislative Leslie Williams [email protected] 303-682-2479
Marketing Tara Larwick [email protected] 303-866-4005
Membership Jim Walker [email protected] 720-442-0708
Newsletter Vera Kennedy, CPPB
[email protected] 303-982-6511
Programs Toi Matthews [email protected] 303-757-9968
I SSUE I I , YEAR 2018 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH NOTES
20
2018 COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS
COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR NAME E-Mail PHONE
Awards Mary Jablonski, CPPB [email protected] (970) 613-5149
Chapter Enhancement
Traci Burtnett, CPPO, CPPB
[email protected] (303) 682-7309
Education & Pro-D
Sherri Gibson, CPPB [email protected] (303) 866-5732
Communications Molly McLoughlin
Legislative Richard Pennington
Marketing
Membership
Newsletter Kelly Wooden, CPPO,
CPPB
[email protected] (720) 972-4208
Programs
