UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
MEET THE TEAM
MICHAEL E . DURKIN
TITLE : DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PROCUREMENT
Michael describes himself as a
“ dynamic procurement leader , educator , manager and coalition builder ”. These attributes have helped him establish and grow the capabilities of the UPST strategic sourcing team which handles , category management , strategic sourcing , contracts and supplier management needs . He is passionate about adding value to people and processes through efficiency , effectiveness , and driving best business practices .
Prior to rejoining the UMass System as a part of the UPST Leadership Team , he held a variety of leadership positions with the University System of New Hampshire , University of Massachusetts Lowell , Merrimack College , Stonehill College and with the National Association of Educational Procurement ( NAEP ) of New England .
BRIAN L . GIRARD
TITLE : DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT OPERATIONS
Brian is a leader known to have the proven ability to influence and manage stakeholders , innovate and drive process improvements throughout the supply chain to capture optimised cost benefits and budgetary control . Brian continues to leverage his over 25 years of experience in Procurement and Supply Chain within both the public and private sectors , to lead harmonisation of UMass procurement operational processes .
He currently oversees the Procurement Operations function which encompasses Accounts Payable , Bank Card ( Procurement Card Operations ), Travel and Expense , Process Improvement , and Procurement Compliance teams . With his team , he continues to focus on streamlining internal business practices to ensure operational process efficiency and effectiveness .
AMANDA ONWUKA
TITLE : DIRECTOR OF SERVICE & QUALITY
Amanda ’ s focus is to ensure that
UPST continues to put its best foot forward as it progresses in its maturity journey as the harmonised procurement services centre for the University of Massachusetts system .
Within her UPST portfolio are the Customer Services , Procurement Technology , Data Analytics , and Training & Communications teams . They support the operationalisation of the harmonised processes while ensuring resources are available to support enhanced change and communications management .
Prior to joining UMass system , Amanda worked as a management consultant with KPMG leading and providing strategy and business transformation services to global and national companies .