PLC Spotlight on Ted Johnson

Ted Johnson is the Associate Controller and the Chief Procurement Officer at UC San Diego and has been in his current position for three years.

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

My first step toward Supply Chain Management was when I was hired by the Hitachi Corporation out of graduate school. Like many other Japanese corporations, Hitachi placed new employees on a rotation to determine where they best fit within the organization. I started with the Trading division of Hitachi, where I was responsible for identifying American manufacturing companies that had products suitable for export to Japan and vice versa.  It was both challenging and rewarding to work through the various cultural nuances necessary to facilitate productive international business partnerships. From there, I transitioned to the Manufacturing division in Japan where I was responsible for analytics management, which included developing a material code classification system. I was then assigned to the Hitachi Mexico operation as Director of Procurement for the television division.  As with many of us, fate and circumstance is what ultimately led me into supply chain.

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

 Supply chain is actually a lot broader than most people realize and we have the ability to influence the campus as a whole. Supply chain is an integrated function that really influences the complete business cycle, including processes that are not directly related to purchasing or paying for goods and services.  I like the fact that we are starting to demonstrate much of our value by leading projects as opposed to just focusing on the procure-to-pay transactional functions.

Describe a moment that made you proud to be a part of the PLC or is there an interesting story you can share about being on the PLC?

One moment that made me proud to be part of the PLC was when I realized the chief procurement officers across the system were communicating effectively and had developed personal relationships.  I’m very proud to see collaboration and trust build among the PLC and with our colleagues in Oakland.

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 biggest challenge will be sustaining a culture of collaboration by balancing the unique needs of the campuses, with the system-wide vision.  This is going to require all parties keep an open mind and be respectful of each other's circumstances.  In order to achieve this, we need to promote a culture of open and frequent communication.

What do you think is one of the misconceptions of the PLC?

I think the biggest misconception of the PLC is that it is a wise and mysterious decision-making entity that should be approached with caution.  My vision of the PLC is that it is a group of procurement leaders who are accessible to campus and UCOP team members and supportive of their goals, both local and system-wide.

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

I get my inspiration from my family and from the people I have the opportunity to serve at UC San Diego, which essentially equates to my team members and clients.  I feel a strong sense of responsibility and accountability towards them, which motivates me.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Just add water. I raced catamarans competitively for many years and now enjoy sailing at a slower pace…and anything else that has to do with the water.

Anything else you’d like to share about yourself that most people wouldn’t know about?

My band once produced an album at the famous Sage and Sound studios in Hollywood. We eventually sold over 100 copies (primarily to our parents). There are still some available if anyone's interested.