Lisa Dodd- Running strong!

Lisa is a Senior Buyer for UC Santa Cruz, where she negotiates contracts for all types of services on behalf of our campus clients. While she has not been in the UC system that long (last year she was a finalist for the Starlight Awards’ UC Rookie of the Year), she has definitely made an impact.

In 2016 Lisa earned her Certified Professional in Supply Management in near record time. After completion of the CPSM Boot Camp at UC Riverside, she quickly scheduled and passed all three exams. When asked about her motivation to get certified, Lisa replied “I realized this would benefit me not only now in my current role, but also in the future.”

Prior to joining the procurement team in Santa Cruz, she worked as a Purchasing Specialist for Lockheed Martin at the NASA Ames Research Center. This experience taught her the fundamentals of purchasing and supply chain, exposed her to e-procurement, and enabled her to make a smooth transition into the world of higher education.

According to Lisa’s supervisor, Assistant Director, Paul Schell, “Her personal commitment to quality is obvious in everything she does. I appreciate Lisa’s extra effort, dedication, insights and opinions. Her motivation to set goals and achieve them sets an example for us all.”

Along with her CPSM, Lisa has another significant achievement. She recently completed the Surfers Path Marathon in Santa Cruz. Although she has never considered herself a runner, she set the goal of completing a full 26.2 mile race. With encouragement from her family, she embarked on an 18 week training program. At the outset of training, she could not even complete a mile without stopping. However, two weeks before the big event, Lisa completed a 20 mile run, her furthest to date. This gave her the confidence to successfully complete the Surfers Path Marathon on May 21.

Now that the CPSM and a marathon are off her bucket list, what’s next? According to Lisa, “visiting all seven continents before age 35”. Something tells me nothing is going to stop her.

Story by Darin Matthews, Director, Procurement Services, UCSC

Photo by Andrea Miner