Val Castaneda

About Val Castaneda

Bringing a proven ability to control costs, deliver profitable business solutions, and motivate staff to optimize productivity to enhance the bottom line. WHAT I DO… With expertise in negotiations, change management, procurement, supplier diversity, accounts payable, travel, and strategic sourcing, organizations that typically hire me… • Are unable to leverage the purchasing function to achieve strategic initiatives. • Have vendors that are not contributing to improving process efficiencies. • Are not getting the best price on purchases. • Are having difficulty managing vendor relationships. • Have excessive travel costs. • Are having difficulty establishing an effective supplier diversity program. HOW I CAN ADD VALUE… With years of delivering million dollar savings through effective strategic sourcing strategies, I can add value by… • Transforming the purchasing function to a key strategic organizational partner. • Developing a supplier relationship management model ensuring vendor performance and adherence to contractual obligations. • Establishing an effective RFx policy that consolidates the vendor base resulting in better spend control. • Creating and managing travel policies and procedures that measure performance against KPIs. • Developing a formal, structured supplier diversity program engaging stakeholders while measuring Tier I spend. Specialties: Supplier Diversity, Supplier Relationship Management, Supplier Risk Management, Process Improvement, Process Automation, Contract Negotiation, Indirect Spend, Strategic Sourcing, Purchasing, Matrix Organizations, Non Profit sector, Accounts Payable, Travel Program Management, Shared Services Organizations, Cost Accounting, Spanish skills, e-procurement systems, diversity and inclusion work, group purchasing, spend analysis, category management, purchasing processes

Experience

1. Senior Director of Supplier Diversity & Strategic Sourcing

   YMCA of the USA

   Jul 2005 — Present · Chicago, IL, US

   Supplier Diversity Champion responsible for over 80 national contracts for YMCA Movement. Manage the Purchasing, RFP, contract processes and office services function for the YMCA National office.

Education

• DePaul University

  MBA, Operations Management

• St. Ignatius College Prep

  High School

  1980

• University of Notre Dame

  BBA, Finance