PLC Spotlight

Ellery Triche

Ellery Triche is the Chief Procurement Officer & Director, Business Contracts, Accounts Payable & Travel at UC Riverside and has been in this position for 5 months. He previously worked in Procurement at a cosmetics company for nearly 5 years before joining UC.

What made you get into Procurement or Supply Chain Management as a career?

I think it’s an interesting story.  Had I not had the experiences I’ve had, I’m not sure where I would be today.  My first introduction to Procurement was while I was serving in the United Stated Air Force, stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. During my first 5 years in the military, I worked in Logistics (a.k.a., ‘Supply Chain’). My job specialty at that time was office administration. At Clark, I supported military transportation and material supply-related functions. The base procurement staff reported to my boss, the Colonel over Logistics. During the 2 years I was there, the team conducted business meetings and site visits with local, American, and foreign nationals that came through the Procurement office. I was fascinated by the group’s activities because it looked interesting and fun. From the stories I’d heard, it seemed to have purpose and I thought it could be a great career after military service. I, subsequently, applied for re-training on my next rotation back to the U.S. where I spent the remainder of my 20-year military career expanding my federal procurement knowledge.

What do you like most about being a part of the Procurement team at your campus?

I’ve worked in several different industries over the years, each with unique buying needs. The one thing that always stands out is the people. They always make the difference.

What is different about your previous experience in Procurement compared to being in the UC environment?

Prior to UC Riverside, I was Senior Director of Procurement at a globally recognized cosmetics company. In that role, I led a team that focused primarily on sourcing direct production materials for our products and conducted other sourcing activities (such as temp labor, facilities maintenance,  and production equipment) on an as needed basis. I worked with Global manufacturers and traveled frequently to supplier’s facilities and my company’s US (NYC) and European headquarters (Geneva) headquarters. I loved that part of my job. Prior to that I led teams that did sourcing work, almost identical to what we are doing at UC Riverside and across the UC System.

As a new member, what have you learned about the PLC that you find interesting?

I think the most notable part of this new experience is the dynamics of the team. There’s a lot of diverse experience for those with significant experience in higher education and leaders coming from other industries and backgrounds. I am amazed by their dedication to their respective campuses as well as genuinely trying to make everyone across the system better at what we do. It is a great experience to be among the best in higher education.

As a new member, what do you feel like you can offer to PLC that is different from someone who has been on the committee for a while?

I think we all have something a little different to offer our organizations. It has always been my opinion that if you know the fundamentals of procurement, whether government or private, you will be successful in just about any new role you accept. However, the two things that always make the difference is the diversity of one’s life or professional experience and attitude. I’d like to think that is the uniqueness I bring to UCR, a good attitude combined with my military experience, and a blend of four other experiences in multiple industries.

What do you see as the biggest challenge for UC Procurement right now and what do we need to do collectively as a group to overcome this hurdle?

The PLC has been talking recently about Talent Management. People are our future, and investment in this future is essential. I am excited about this topic and am one hundred percent behind whatever we decide to do to prepare our staff. 

Where do you get inspiration? What makes you excited and motivated in your work/life?

Enjoying what I do and the people I do it with gets me up each day. Let’s face it, life and work is hard. Every day is a new day, and each day can be better than the last if you really choose to make it different.

If you were to travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I’ve never been to South America. I would like to see the rain forests of Costa Rica and experience Carnival in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.