UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS minority-owned businesses , womanowned businesses , and other diverse partners in the local community . “ This is really valuable to us ,” Cho says . “ That ' s an area where we can leverage our partners ’ technologies to get that visibility , and to make those kinds of important decisions .”
Enhancing the diversity of suppliers is a key objective of the University of Massachusetts , and by extension the UPST , and although the central procurement organisation is barely 18 months old , Cho is happy with the progress it ’ s already made . The university ’ s spending with diverse suppliers is “ trending in the right direction ,” with both a short and long-term plan to build a more robust diverse supplier base .
“ We ' re also incorporating inclusion and equity into all of our competitive processes ,” Cho adds . “ That ’ s not something that was mandated by any government programme . We have imposed those requirements on ourselves to build accountability . We ' re also pushing strategic providers that act as primes to provide more visibility into their second-tier level spend , so that as dollars flow to them , they also make their way to diverse suppliers . That is very impactful .”
The UPST has performed above expectations throughout its first 18 months ,
EXECUTIVE BIO
LISA A . CALISE
TITLE : SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE AND TREASURER
COMPANY : UMASS
Lisa A . Calise is the Senior Vice
President for Administration & Finance and Treasurer for the University of Massachusetts . She has been with UMass since February 2017 . In her role , Lisa oversees the University ’ s financial and operational departments including Treasury , Insurance and Operations , Budget and Planning , Enterprise Risk Management , Human Resources , Controller ’ s Office and the University-wide Unified Procurement Services Team ( UPST ).
Lisa was most recently the Chief Financial Officer at Watertown-based Perkins School for the Blind , focusing on global services and education for those living with blindness and deaf blindness . Before joining Perkins in 2010 , Lisa served the City of Boston for over a decade , most recently as the Director of Administration and Finance , and previously as Chief Financial Officer and Collector- Treasurer and Budget Director , implementing efficiency improvements and managing the City ’ s finances through challenging economic times . Prior to coming to Boston , Lisa served in the White House Office of Management and Budget as a budget examiner .
A Massachusetts native , Lisa obtained her B . A . from Boston College and a Master ' s Degree in Public Management from the University of Maryland . She recently served as a member of both the MBTA Finance and Management Control Board and MassDOT Board .