Tell me about your current role at Yale University.
My current role is Director of Purchasing Services and I am responsible for both the facilities purchasing operation as well as central campus purchasing.
Would you share some of your military experience and transition to the private sector?
My experience began out of college and my first assignment was in South Dakota as a Missile Launch Officer in charge of ten Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. After that assignment, I earned my MBA and transferred into the ‘contracting/purchasing’ career field of the Air Force. The rest of my career, I spent negotiating and administering multi-million dollar contracts with my final assignment as Commander of a 120-person unit in Connecticut. With my government contracts and purchasing background, I came to Yale as the Assistant Director of Strategic Sourcing.
How does your military experience impact your position at Yale?
The military instilled in me a strong focus on supporting your teammates and organization. In my particular case, I was in the US Air Force; however, I did not fly. My mission was to support the ‘war fighter’. At Yale, my goal and that of my team, is to support the faculty and researchers in doing the amazing things they do daily.
Could you discuss some of the intangible skills that veterans like yourself bring to an organization?
From my experience, the military instilled and helped me develop skills such as adaptability, initiative, a team player and leadership. With these skills you need to learn how and when to apply them. Yale is a very complicated organization, so you need to apply these skills thoughtfully.
What do you think about the Yale Veterans Network?
I have enjoyed being part of the Yale Veterans Network since it opened my eyes to the number of other vets, here at Yale. When I first started, I thought I was one of the only ones here but over time and through YVN, I found others with a similar background.