Spotlight on Volunteers
This Months Interview Jill Ann Alvarez, C.P.M, A.P.P.

Jill was born in South Dakota while her father was in the Air Force. She has two brothers – the older one is a doctor and the younger one is a minister – and one sister – a preschool teacher. “They always wanted me to become a lawyer so that we would have a doctor, minister, teacher and lawyer – a pretty fair covering of professions! Instead I became a Purchasing Manager!”

Jill has been in Supply Management for over 20 years and has both lifetime certifications (C.P.M. and A.P.P.). She is also an instructor for the Learning Tree University and teaches 2 of the 4 classes in the certificate program. “I will be teaching the third class in the program on-line starting in November and hope to get to the fourth one on-line after the first of the year.” Jill currently works at a manufacturing organization called AAI/ACL Technologies located in Brea. They are 60/40 government/commercial. Jill is responsible for the procurement of all materials and services used throughout their worldwide operations. As the Small Business Liaison Officer for the company, Jill does her part in keeping AAI/ACL Technologies ISO 9001 compliant and registered each year for the annual audits.

Spotlight: How long have you been a Member of NAPM?
Jill: We are having a hard time confirming when I first joined. I was a member of Orange County for quite some time, then dropped out when I became a Program Manager for a couple of years. My time as Program Manager, however, did count towards my Lifetime C.P.M. and A.P.P. because I was still part of the Supply Chain in that I was the interface with several of our key suppliers. I rejoined in Cleveland in 1995 when I became the Purchasing Manager after having relocated from California. In 1996, my company decided they wanted me back in California and we moved back, at which time I transferred my membership and re-joined NAPM-OC.

Spotlight: You have recently hired on at AAI/ACL Technologies. In what way (if any) was your association with NAPM helpful in your job search?
Jill: NAPM-OC has helped me to network, but I have been so busy at the dinner meetings since I came back. I started volunteering in 1998 and became House Chair, so I had no time to network at the dinner meetings. Then in 2000 I became President and that left me no time to even have a life, much less network job opportunities. This year will be my year to sit back and enjoy the dinner meetings and really work on determining what I want to do.

Spotlight: What other affiliates have you been involved with? And in what capacities have you served / Chaired?
Jill: I used to help out with Little League – does that count? I was Team Mom more years than I can count and one day none of the regular scorekeepers showed up, so I got a quick lesson in scorekeeping and loved it! It took me a few games to get the hang of it, but once I did, I was so accurate the umpires would ask me the count! It helped me really concentrate on my son’s games and gave me the lingo to be able to have a baseball conversation with my son and my husband! Now I say “runs” instead of “points” and I can call a 1-3-5 double play with the best of them!

Spotlight: As Past President of NAPMOC, describe the Goals and Objectives that were accomplished during your administration.
Jill: I was of course the president of NAPM-OC for 2000-2001. There were MANY goals and objectives accomplished during my term.

• We completed the website makeover, including the Member Wall and On-Line Directory.
  
  
• We were able to bring on board several new leaders, including JoAnne Mungari, Jo Ann Johnson, and Reba Johnson.
  
  
• We had numerous workshops and seminars throughout the year, many of which were highly successful for the bottom line.
  
  
• We worked many, many hours looking for a new location for the office and found one that I was able to get almost everyone to agree was right for Orange County.
  
  
• We had a packing party and then I let the new president take over the move, since we were already in her term!
  
  
• We also developed our Corporate Sponsor program with board approval.
  
  
• We now have four Platinum Sponsors that are going to be great support for the organization in the year to come.

Spotlight: Do you have any plans to run for an additional term as Director on the Board of NAPM-OC?
Jill: I am serving the third and final year of my term. I have not decided if I will run again next March. Many things can happen between now and then.

Spotlight: You Chair the Website Committee. Please explain the function of that committee and what it entails.
Jill: The Website Committee is a newly approved “standing” committee. It was an “ad hoc” committee up until the August board meeting, at which time it was voted in as a standing committee, meaning it goes into the policies and procedures manual. My duties are outlined in the new job description and include regular maintenance of the website and creating new features that enhance the value of the website to our members.

One of the things recently added is a section to be called: “After Dinner Mints.” This section will be notes from the dinner speaker that month. It won’t be as good as being there, but it will at least give the members who could not make the meeting an idea of what took place.

Another feature to be added in the near future is secure credit card payments. We plan to make the necessary changes and implement services that will make paying for dues, workshops, and all other payments easy and secure. This will save our Executive Secretary, Chuck, a great deal of paperwork and be yet another feature for our members.

Spotlight: You were on the June Forum Committee. Do you see any changes in the Forum in the future?
Jill: Not only was I on the committee last year (being President means you were on every committee), but also I was the June Forum Chair in 1999. I took it over after several others quit. We have had really great Forums for 1999 and 2000, but nothing compares to the June Forum we had in 2001. Sara did an unbelievable job and gave the June Forum a whole facelift.

To me, the June Forum is what NAPM-OC is all about. It represents an entire day of educational offerings, networking and team building, which is the essence of NAPM-OC. We have decided to change the name to The Forum, because we have found June to be a very busy month, with dues, graduations, Satellite Seminars, and the installation of the new board members. We are also in urgent need of a person to lead this committee for 2002. We were thinking April or May would be better timing, but it needs to be started soon.

This is a big job, but it is VERY rewarding and a GREAT experience. This committee, once a chair is in place, seems to attract more help than it can ever use! So even if you have never chaired a committee before and wouldn’t think of taking on something this big for the first time, it really isn’t as big as it seems because you will be surrounded with past June Forum Chairs, past presidents, and literally more help than tasks!

Spotlight: Do you have a favorite website?
Jill: Yes – napmoc.org, of course! I had very little to do with the worldwide web, but when NAPM-OC decided to invest in our website during my term as President, I became instantly involved. I really like working on our website – it’s so intricate and powerful!

Spotlight: Who has been your Mentor(s)?
Jill: I credit three people in NAPM-OC as mentors. The first is Judy Smith. Judy was preparing to be the president in 1999 and wanted me on her team. She and Steve Bach encouraged me to run for the board. When I eventually became president myself (which I never thought would happen in a million years), Judy really helped with the transition, especially considering I had not served on the Executive Board in the past.

Second is Steve Bach. To me, Steve represents the organization so well. He is professional, friendly, and a skilled, polished leader. Steve welcomed me when I came back to Orange County in 1996 and he was so enthusiastic about being a volunteer that it was contagious! Steve also really helped with a past-president’s point of view when I became president myself.

And last, but most certainly not least, I look to Sara Arhlen. Sara only gives advise when you ask for it. That may seem like a small, inconsequential thing, but when you want to do things your own way, but still want some advise, you don’t feel all this pressure to do things someone else’s way. She knows every ounce of NAPM-OC through and through and she does so much work herself, so much of which we take for granted. She was Educational Resources Chair in the beginning of my term and helped transition to Scott. Then she volunteered to be the June Forum Chair and created the most wonderful Forum in our history.

Sara is always there for me when I need advise. Sara is always there for me when I need a sounding board to bounce things off. And Sara always seems to be there when I let things get to me and need one of those great NAPM-OC Hugs!