ken doherty (PDF)

Ken is the Assistant Vice President of Procurement & Strategic Sourcing at Wayne
State University. Over the eighteen years he has been at Wayne State, he has held
positions of increasing levels of responsibility, having started as Assistant and then
Associate Director, before being promoted to department head.
As the AVP, Ken is responsible for oversight of the Procurement, Strategic Sourcing,
Procurement Card, and the eProcurement functions, and manages a staff of 16. Areas
of spend activity include the purchase of Scientific & Medical Equipment and Supplies,
Office Equipment, Contracted Services, and other operational supplies to support the
University in its educational and research mission. RFP Activity for products,
technology, contracted services, and construction bidding represents 30-40% of
departmental activity. The University aggregate annual spend is in excess of $130
million.
While at Wayne State University, Ken developed several Business to Business (B2B)
ordering systems, which streamlined the ordering process and prepared the University
for migration to a full eProcurement system in 2012. Ken is also responsible for the
implementation of several strategically sourced contracts, such as with Dell computer
to address $3 million in annual technology spend, and with OfficeMax for the
University's $1.5 million in annual office supplies. KPIs are in place to monitor and
measure supplier performance in these and other areas.
As one of his major accomplishments, Ken was instrumental in the development and
implementation of a paperless Purchase Order filing system, where PO's are
automatically imaged to the University Banner ERP system, and quotes and other
source documents are scanned by the requisitioner and electronically attached to their
Reqs.
Prior to joining Wayne State, Ken spent 15 years in the Purchasing Department at
Comerica Bank. Ken rose through the ranks from Assistant Buyer to Buyer and then to
Senior Buyer. His primary responsibility was in the management and repleneshment of
the inventory forms and supplies which supported branch and main office banking
departments. Back in those days... banks ran primarily on paper.
Ken first earned an Associate Degree from Macomb Community College, followed by a
degree in Management and Human Resources at Spring Arbor College, and finally a
Masters in Interdisciplinary Studies at Wayne State. He is a Lifetime C.P.M., and also
received his Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) certification in 2010,
and a Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity (CPSD) certification in 2011. He joined
ISM - Southeast Michigan's board as Membership Chair, and served 5 years in that
capacity. He was elected Vice President in 1996, and served as President in 19971998. Ken remains an active committee member to the ISM-SEM board.
If possible, please include a brief biography of your nominee's career accomplishments:

“I am not sure, but I have been working with Ken for over 10 years. He has been a great
business partner, mentor and friend to me and many others. He is always there to help. If he
does not know the answer, he finds it quickly.”

-Mary Adams