April Perkins

About April Perkins

If I had to choose one phrase to describe my professional career it would be twist of fate; an unanticipated change in a sequence of events. I was supposed to be a mechanical engineer and I loved everything about the prospects of this career path! The math, the problem solving, the technology and most importantly…the cars (because I am a total gearhead).A twist of fate (and a need to fund my college tuition) brought me to the metals industry. This was supposed to be a quick pit stop on the road to my engineering destiny. Then two years later 9/11 happened and no one was hiring engineers. Well then, metals industry I guess I am here to stay! Fast forward six years and another twist of fate opened up a door to a role in IT. A very unlikely choice for me personally but the prospect of trying something new and unknown was very attractive at the time. Fast forward sixteen more years and I cannot imagine not being in IT. Participating in seven SAP ECC implementations for 1,800 users, traveling the world to collaborate with colleagues and solving complex problems daily pretty much guarantees no day is like the one before. As my role has evolved to senior leadership I have had the opportunity to build a world class SAP Center of Excellence with my cohort, foster the professional growth of team members and founded a DEI group for women in STEM. I am particularly proud of these DEI groups, as I have had the pleasure of participating in several other local and global women’s groups and it has been very rewarding to see individuals blossom when supported by others who provide a safe space, recognize potential, understand the challenges you face and believe in you even when you do always not believe in yourself. Seeing others grow to their full potential has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my professional career. Sometimes I do not even know what my actual role is. If you need a beacon of hope, a rock to lean on, to talk to someone who will listen or who sees you as your true self give me a call. Perhaps this is what fate had in store for me all along.

Experience

1. Senior Manager, SAP Center of Excellence

   thyssenkrupp Materials NA

   Jan 2025 — Present

Education

• University of Michigan-Dearborn

  BBA Business Management, BS Mechanical Engineering, Business Management, Engineering, Psychology

  1999 — 2005

Skills

• Process Engineering
• Manufacturing
• Continuous Improvement
• Materials Management
• Iso
• Procurement
• Sap
• Change Management
• Lean Manufacturing
• Sap R/3
• Supply Chain Management
• 5s
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Operations Management
• Project Management
• Supply Chain
• Value Stream Mapping
• Process Improvement
• Erp