Ga NIGP Fall 2024 Expo and Conference Agenda
Dalton, Georgia September 24-26, 2024
Agenda Session Color Code
Everyone
Attendees
Suppliers
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Welcome
Nathan Culver - Keynote
Treasury Young – How to Have A Difficult Conversation
DOAS Audit Team –Supplier Audits
Bob Currey - How to do Business with the BOR/University System of Georgia
Dr. Carl Hall - TBD (Supplier)
Jessica Johnson – Market Research
Spencer Lord – Breaking the Curve and Maintaining High Functioning Teams
Dr. Kena Culver - TBD
Julian Bailey – Supplier and Small Businesses: How to use Team Georgia Marketplace
**Hospitality Suite / Dalton Bingo**
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Dr. Jake Smithwick – Workforce Technology and the New Economy in Public Procurement
Kim Cullen - Grow Your Government Business
Dr. Jake Smithwick – Practices in Procuring Enterprise-Level Software Solutions
Procurement Energizer
Cindy Sisloff – Reverse Auctions
Tracy Richard – OIG Office of Fraud/Waste/Abuse Investigations
SUPPLIER EXPO
City of Atlanta – How to do Business with the City of Atlanta
**Trolley to Chattanooga – Rock City / Dalton Bingo**
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Kim Cullen – How To Do Your Part: Socially Responsible Procurement
David Nash – Forging Ahead From Failure: a discussion on how to deal with risk and failure
**Please Note: Speakers, dates/times and room assignments may change.
The EXPO will remain on Wednesday, 9/25/2024 from 1:30p-3:30pm.
Keynote Nathan Culver
Nathan Culver is a seasoned financial strategist, speaker, author, and business mentor with over 20 years of experience in the accounting field. As the CEO of Culver Consulting Firm LLC, a division of Culver Enterprises, Nathan has dedicated his career to supporting entrepreneurs, corporations, and organizations inbuilding profitable entities. His expertise spans a wide range of financial services, from strategic planning to resource optimization, ensuring that businesses not only thrive but also achieve sustainable growth.
Nathan has an impressive track record of working with companies of various sizes, from those generating $100k to $800 million in annual revenue. His strategic guidance has consistently led to improved profitability, enhanced cash flow management, and significant cost reductions for his clients.
As an author, Nathan penned "Where Did The Money Go?", a book that provides solid strategies for entrepreneurs to develop clear financial paths to achieve multi-six and seven-figure status. His insights and recommendations have made him a sought-after speaker at numerous conferences and workshops, where he addresses topics such as disruptive technology, innovative leadership, and strategic financial planning.
Nathan's leadership extends beyond his professional endeavors. He, along with his wife Dr. Kena, leads a nonprofit organization that trains college students abroad in entrepreneurship and runs a leadership institute that trains organizational leaders, entrepreneurs, and ministers. Their joint efforts have fostered a global impact, equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge to excel in their respective fields.
Nathan Culver's multifaceted career, characterized by his strategic acumen, dedication and commitment to empowering others, positions him as a dynamic leader in the field of financial strategy and organizational leadership.
Bob Currey, University of Georgia
Bob Currey serves as the Chief Procurement Officer for the University of Georgia. Bob joined the UGA Procurement team in October 2021 bringing 26 years of experience building and leading procurement teams inside Fortune 100 companies.
He joined UGA from Delta Air Lines where he led Delta’s Operations and Corporate Supply Chain teams managing $3.9B in annual spend for Delta’s global airport service, inflight service, hotels, logistics, and indirect needs. Prior to this, he led Delta’s Technical Operations Supply Chain team directing $3.2B in annual spend for Delta’s global aircraft maintenance operations. Prior to joining Delta, Bob held various Supply Chain positions with Pratt & Whitney and Bombardier. Bob brings extensive leadership and innovation experience to UGA to include transforming organizational capabilities, leading complex commercial negotiations, driving cost reductions, improving supplier performance and, effectively managing relationships. He is a champion of Supplier Diversity and Supplier Development activities including prior service as a board member for both the Georgia Minority Supplier Development and the National Minority Supplier Development Councils.
Dr. Carl Hall, DOAS
Dr. Carl A. Hall, Esq. is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. He is a graduate of The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, John Marshall Law School and Madison University. He also holds several certifications in procurement and business management. Dr. Hall has over twenty-five years of professional procurement and contract management experience, in both the public and private sectors. Attorney Hall is an active member of the State Bar of Georgia. He has served in several positions within the State Purchasing Division. He is currently the Group Manager of Contract Management & Marketing for the Department of Administrative Services – State Purchasing Division.
Dr. Kena Culver
Dr. Kena Culver, a seasoned educator with 20 years of experience, has left an indelible mark on education across diverse levels and sectors. From elementary to collegiate, in public and private settings, she has donned roles ranging from a dedicated teacher to a high school assistant principal, elementary principal, and early childhood director. Dr. Culver approaches her support role as a thought partner, inspiring growth through thought-provoking questions. Her patience and understanding cultivate an environment conducive to progress and goal attainment. Dr. Culver possesses teacher and administrative certifications in multiple states. She holds a Ph.D. in education management focused on K-12 administration, a bachelor's in psychology, and a master's degree in educational leadership and English writing. Her impactful journey includes teaching English Language Arts at various levels and serving as an adjunct professor for pre-service teachers at Spelman College, embodying a commitment to education far beyond the ordinary.
Dr. Jake Smithwick, Center of Procurement Excellence
Dr. Jake Smithwick is the Director of Education with the Center for Procurement Excellence and is a professor at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. Jake and his team have assisted hundreds of owners improve performance outcomes across thousands of projects ($15+ Billion of procured services in healthcare, insurance, construction, IT, auxiliary services, design, and more). His industry experience also includes six years in the US Air Force Reserve (civil engineering squadron).
Kim Cullen, mdf commerce
Kim Cullen is the Director of Advocacy & Insight for mdf commerce eprocurement including the Periscope, Bidnet and Merx solutions. Bringing nearly 25 years of marketing and customer relations experience to the team, her areas of focus include industry insight, customer engagement and connecting buyers and suppliers within the public sector. Kim is an active member of the NIGP Business Council, NIGP Summit & Forum NBC Taskforce Leader, and has her Supplier Mastery Designation from NIGP. In addition, she organizes and conducts educational seminars and webinars for NIGP regional chapters, procurement partners and customers, buying organizations and the vendor community throughout the country.
Cindy Sisloff, eBridge
We are excited to be included in the Cindy Sisloff is the President of eBridge and has overseen thousands of reverse auctions over the past 17 years. She spoke at last year’s NIGP Forum and has presented on reverse auctions in 34 US states and Canada. Cindy and the eBridge team are proud to be the Reverse Auction provider for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the states of North Carolina, Nebraska, and New York. eBridge has also conducted 2 auctions for the state of Georgia for Hospitality and Paper Products & Lamps and Ballast.
Jan Rivers, City of Atlanta
Jan Rivers is a City of Atlanta native and resident and has worked for the City of Atlanta for 4 years.
She previously worked in supply chain and IT industries at Compass North America (Foodbuy) and Sales Technologies.
Jan found her calling in working for The People of Atlanta, fostering transparency, equal opportunity, and bringing a human element to the business of government.
Customer service and innovation are her priorities as she seeks ways for the City to better meet the needs of its constituents.
When not assisting City of Atlanta suppliers and potential suppliers, Jan may be found doing yoga, gardening, and hiking with her husband and dog.
David E. Nash
David Nash retired as a Chief Warrant Officer Three from the United States Army in 1988 after twenty years of service in inventory management. He retired from the City of Fort Lauderdale in 2007 after eighteen years of service as a Police Supply Supervisor, Central Stores Supervisor and Procurement Specialist.
David holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Business Administration. He was the last President of the Governmental Purchasing Association of Southeast Florida, having successfully led a merger with the SE Florida Chapter of NIGP in 2001. He was also the President of the Florida Association of Public Procurement Officials in 2006-2007.
David was presented with FAPPO’s George H. Wolf Distinguished Service Award in 2010. In 2014, he was presented with FAPPO’s Educator of the Year Award. In 2019, he was presented with his second George H. Wolf Distinguished Service Award for his overall contributions to FAPPO during 25 years of membership.
David is a certified instructor for NIGP and from 2010 to 2013 he served on the Evaluation Committee for the National Procurement Institute’s Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award. Since creating the online “Question of the Day” in 2007, he has helped thousands of procurement professionals prepare for their CPPB, CPPO and NIGP-CPP exams. For this contribution, he was presented with the "Spirit of NIGP Award" at the NIGP Forum in 2013. For his overall contributions to the procurement profession, he was presented with NIGP’s Distinguished Service Award at the 2018 Forum in Nashville, TN.
David was presented with NIGP’s Leadership Award at the 2023 NIGP in Louisville, KY. He previously served from June 2015 to December 2019 as one of that organization’s first Chapter Ambassadors in Area 5. In August 2020 he was part of the inaugural group to receive the new NIGP-CPP certification. David served for three years as a charter member of Radio NIGP and currently serves on the Mentorship Committee for NIGP.
Julian Bailey, DOAS
Julian Andrea Bailey serves as the Small Business and Supplier Diversity Manager for the Georgia Department of Administrative Services (DOAS), State Purchasing Division. In this position, Julian leads the Division’s efforts to facilitate communications and engagement with minority-owned, woman-owned, and veteran-owned businesses. Julian joined DOAS in 2013 and has established a strong knowledge base in state procurement operations, policies, and systems. She has successfully implemented and managed numerous training programs on navigating the procurement process and systems in the state of Georgia. In addition, she oversees the Georgia Business Certification Program, as well as State Purchasing Division’s communications platforms.
Prior to joining DOAS, Mrs. Bailey worked with the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center at Georgia Institute of Technology. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations from Howard University and a Master of Business Administration degree in Management from Troy University. She is a Professional Certified Marketer (PCM®) with the American Marketing Association.