Speakers

Marie Hampton is a dedicated, results-driven, and proactive Procurement and Materials professional with more than 25 years of experience in the public sector. She is well-versed in the strategic planning, contract management, risk management, project management, supervision, and development of procurement activities. Marie has spent her entire career thriving in the public procurement space; creating and implementing programs, policies and procedures for strategic alignment with the organization’s values and goals.

Paul Butler is a Client Partner with Newleaf Training and Development, based in Valencia, CA. Paul is a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and a Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA). Prior to starting Newleaf in 2006, Paul served as a Regional Finance Director for Marriott International Hotels and Hilton International Hotels. He also served as the Director of Finance for Hilton Honors when Hilton’s worldwide HQ was based in Beverly Hills, CA. Newleaf has served 314 clients across 30 states and 8 countries specializing in helping people better manage themselves, lead others and grow business acumen. In 2016, Newleaf opened a second office based in Orlando, FL. Originally from Staffordshire, England Paul has been married to his wife, Gaynor since 1994 and they have two adult children.

Priya Jerome has over 23 years of combined private and public sector experience in managing and overseeing complex supply chain activities globally. Working in the private sector, Priya honed valuable skills in business process improvements to drive overall efficacies and cost savings across the entire supply chain. Over the past 12 years, she has managed the Procurement, Contracting, Central Services and Risk Management activities at two California community college districts, where she successfully implemented web based, fully integrated e-procurement systems and contracts management systems. These implementations were widely recognized for delivering cost, time, process, and productivity efficiencies. Priya joined the South Orange County Community College District (SOCCCD) team as the Executive Director of Procurement, Central Services, and Risk Management in 2018 where she continues to passionately focus her endeavors in providing the best possible educational experience to all students through the services her division provides. She leads a large, centralized division supporting two colleges and the District with a deep understanding of distinctive business needs in education, high currency in codes, statutes and regulations, and a unique private sector perspective for customer service and process improvements. In any given year she oversees an average of 1,500 contracts, 3,600 purchase orders, jointly valued over $210 million and over 25 large publicly procured bids and RFQ&Ps. Priya’s leadership and commitment to excellence has been recognized in the various personal and institutional awards/recognitions she has won. In 2019 she was recognized as the Administrator of the Year at SOCCCD and in 2020 she was recognized as the Southern California Procurement Professional of the Year. In 2021 her District won the much-coveted Orange County Turning Red Tape to Red Carpet Award for Incorporating Innovative Technology for converting SOCCCD into a Fully Online Bidding, Contracting and Public Procurement Organization an effort she spearheaded from start to successful completion. Priya is active in several state organizations in support of community college procurement and risk management initiatives. She is the Vice President of the board for the Protected Insurance Program for Schools and Community Colleges (PIPS), a joint powers authority which is responsible for workers’ compensation insurance claims. She is the Vice Chair of the Underwriting Committee for the Statewide Association of Community Colleges (SWACC), which is responsible for property and liability insurance. She is also a select member of the CollegeBuys program (Foundation for CA Community Colleges, an arm of the CA Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office) advisory group that contributes system-wide towards leveraging combined/streamlining purchasing powers, total cost of ownership, and shared best practices. Within the advisory group, she additionally contributes as a co-chair in the Legislative and Policy Workgroup. Priya holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Queensland Institute of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.

Rebekah Kalleen is Vice President and partner at Murdoch, Walrath & Holmes and a legislative advocate for education entities including the Coalition for Adequate School Housing, the Community College Facility Coalition, and the County School Facilities Consortium. She has over fifteen years of experience in the State advocacy sector, helping clients from small associations to large companies navigate the State budget, legislative, and regulatory processes. She previously served as a consultant to school districts participating in the State School Facility Program, assisting them with accessing state grant dollars for facility projects. Rebekah has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Ronnie Slimp is the Director of the College Finance and Facilities Planning Division’s new Student Housing Unit, which also oversees California Community Colleges’ climate efforts. Before starting this role, Ronnie was a Specialist with the Facilities Planning Unit for several years. On behalf of the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, Ronnie has served and/or advised a variety of statewide committees and workgroups, including the Institutional Effectiveness Advisory Committee, Metric Simplification Workgroup, ACBO Facilities Task Force, Affordable Student Housing Taskforce, and he was a founding co-chair of the Climate Action and Sustainability Steering Committee. Ronnie is a proud alumnus of California Community Colleges.

Shawn Jones has over 20 years of experience in community college administration. He is currently serving as the Director of Business Services at Citrus Community College District, where he is responsible for purchasing, contract management, risk management, transportation and warehouse services. In previous roles, he served as the Interim Director of Fiscal Services at Palomar Community College District and the Accounting Manager at Cerritos Community College District. Shawn’s experience in these previous roles has given him a breadth of knowledge in the areas of district fiscal operations. Shawn participates in the Statewide Association of Community Colleges (SWACC) and is currently serving on the Human Resources Committee. He graduated from California State University East Bay with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and then went on to Texas A&M University-Commerce where he received a Master of Business Administration.

Susan Langston, Director of Account Management, joined the Keenan family in 1999 and has expertise in both Loss Control and Account Management. Susan manages several JPAs and is responsible for leading program renewals, providing direct client support, reviewing policies and tackling various client coverage inquiries related to contracts. In addition to client support, Susan supervises a team of Account Coordinators and Account Managers in Keenan’s Corporate office and is involved in statewide department projects, training, guidance, and team consistency with a focus on certificates of insurance and public entity risk sharing pool administration. She is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz with a bachelor’s degree in Literature and Psychology. Susan also obtained an Associate in Risk Management–Public Entities (ARM-P) designation, is a Certified School Risk Manager (CSRM), and is a licensed Fire & Casualty Agent/Broker.

Teresa Campagna Bryant serves as the District Director of Procurement and Contracts for State Center Community College District with over 20 years of experience, both in procurement and construction services. Her role involves directing and integrating the District-wide procurement and contract management process, including goods, services, construction, real estate, and directs contracting of revenue-generating leases. She currently acts as Co-Chair for the Northern California Community College’s Purchasing Group (“NCCCPG”) and is an NIGP-Certified Procurement Professional (“NIGP-CPP”).