About AHRMM

Angelia Tucker, MBA, J.D.

Provider Candidate

Angelia Tucker
Assistant Director
Supply Chain Services
Contracts Administration, Texas Children’s Hospital
1919 S. Braeswood, Suite 6310
Houston, TX 77030
(832) 824-2807
aatucker@texaschildrens.org

Background

Member of AHRMM for one year
3.5 years of experience in the resource and materials management field

Current Position and Responsibilities

Type of Organization: Hospital/Medical Center
3.5 years in current position

Responsible for: I manage and direct the work of two Contracts Assistants and six Contract Specialists. I also manage an annual operating budget in excess of one 1 million dollars and approve departmental expenses. Under my leadership, Contracts Administration has achieved documented fiscal year savings (2007-2009) in excess of 9.5 million dollars through contract negotiations. I have successfully managed the implementation of a new enterprise-wide Contract Management Solution (CMS) and trained key Texas Children’s users. I subsequently coordinated the migration of the original CMS to a new one, due to a new vendor acquisition. I also coordinate and facilitate contract approval and process training for all Texas Children’s staff.

Service to Local Chapter

I have been a member of the Texas Gulf Coast chapter for two years, since its inception.

AHRMM Annual Conferences and Leadership
Training Conferences

I am registered to attend AHRMM‘10 in Denver this year as the recipient of a first-time attendee scholarship.

Other Professional Associations and/or Community Service

Texas Gulf Coast Chapter of AHRMM - member for 2 years
International Association for Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM) - member for 3 years
ICN (International Computer Negotiations, Inc.) / CAUCUS - member for 3 years
State Bar of Texas - member for 11 years, Member of the Health Law and Technology Law sections
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - member for 16 years, service including: Community service organization; active and financial member for 16 consecutive years; Graduate/Alumnae Chapter Secretary 2003-2007, Nominating Committee Chair, Fund-raising committee, Membership committee, Regional Conference Audit Committee, Graduate Advisor Certification;
Ivy League Educational and Charities Foundation - board member, elected in 2010; Scholarship committee, Fund-raising committee
Windsor Village United Methodist Church - member, Altar Guild, and Communion Steward

Why you are seeking this position?

In a nutshell, I am seeking a position on the board to share and gain perspective, to educate and to be educated, to experience professional development, impart any wisdom I can to young professionals and to contribute to the Board’s mission in the spirit of service to the national AHRMM membership.

I would like to bring new perspective to the Board. A recent Harvard Business Review article states that “a new breed of executive will come from Generation X. Alternative thinkers with a strong sense of realism, Xers are ready to take charge – by leading differently.” As a member of Generation X, I agree with the author, and as a professor of Generation Y students for the past 12 semesters, I know that their leadership style will be completely different than my generation’s. I have a passion for education, particularly young professionals and recent college graduates. I relate well to this demographic, and I have a wealth of experience to share.

As I work to become a better, well-rounded supply chain leader, I glean as much knowledge as I can from my exemplary colleagues on the Texas Children’s supply chain leadership team. While I know I have much to contribute based on my experience as a Contract Management professional, healthcare leader, lawyer and college professor, I am quite eager to learn from other supply chain professionals on the Board. I have a passion for education and teaching, and I would welcome the opportunity to serve on the Board and as an educator for supply chain professionals.

How can you advance AHRMM's mission to advance healthcare through supply chain excellence?

Under my leadership, the Texas Children’s Contracts Administration department has saved the hospital approximately $10M through contract negotiations. We have implemented a Contract Management System (CMS), with a sophisticated, complex configuration that is unique to the healthcare industry. We have implemented electronic signatures and automated our contract request process, making our process largely paperless.

Identify 3 - 5 strategic priorities you think AHRMM should undertake and your reasons for identifying them as important.

1. Development of young professionals. The impact of the projected mass retirement of the baby boomer generation will leave a great void in the workplace. The future leaders of corporate America are in today’s college classrooms, and their approach to learning and leading will be in sharp contrast to the current norm. Additionally, this generation, which has been “connected” and hard-wired to advanced technology since birth, may lack some of the social and political savvy and the good, old-fashioned business sense of their predecessors. AHRMM should seize this opportunity to educate, mentor and prepare young supply chain professionals for the business environment they will soon experience.

2. Development of the contract management professional (based on the evolution of contract management and its strategic role). The role of the contracts manager has changed from “paper pusher” to strategic corporate partner; the role is now a critical competency. Today’s contracts manager is increasingly involved in establishing policies and procedures that support business strategy; they work across organizations and with department heads and high-level executives, and are increasingly “un-tethered” to the corporate law department. AHRMM should seize this opportunity to develop its contracts professionals. Currently, resources for contracts professionals are few; it is quite expensive to join and participate in their conference activities. AHRMM should provide a comprehensive, cost-effective resource for this emerging profession.

3. Development of quality leaders. Many of today’s leaders are great in crisis mode - at putting out fires. There is a real opportunity for AHRMM to develop leaders that are good at preventing the fires from happening in the first place. There is a need to develop functional leaders that drive change. I believe that AHRMM can make a great impact on the development of leadership skills necessary for the “next-level” leader.

4. Advanced education. Today’s professionals, from recent graduates to seasoned veterans are beginning to realize the importance of furthering their education. Many soon-to retire baby boomers entered the healthcare industry as high school graduates, or have been able to rise to executive leadership positions on the strength of their bachelor’s degrees. However, it is becoming apparent that today’s professionals will greatly benefit when their years of experience are coupled with advanced education – which could be in the form of a graduate degree or certification. AHRMM should explore the opportunity to encourage advanced education, and possibly provide scholarship dollars to deserving members.Identify your personal and professional qualities that will be valuable in the position for which you are being considered.

Identify your personal and professional qualities that will be valuable in the position for which you are being considered.

Experience: My legal background has allowed me to make inroads with our in-house legal counsel that have never before been achieved, and has made for a best-in-class Contracts Administration team and a seamless relationship with the legal department. I can add value and perspective to the board and the organization at large with my eleven years of contract compliance and contract administration experience, which includes building three contract management departments from the ground up.

Education: I love to learn, and I constantly seek opportunities to do so. I firmly believe that education is tantamount to freedom and independence. As a result, I have earned three degrees; BBA (Finance), Juris Doctorate, and a Master of Business Administration. I am currently researching the Healthcare Administration Certification at Texas Woman’s University as my next educational challenge, and I have been recommended to participate in the Texas Children’s Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training class for the fall. While I am certainly proud of my educational accomplishments, I don’t see them as a badge of honor, or something to boast about; I seek to learn new things for personal fulfillment, not for purposes of advertisement or self-promotion. As a member of the board, I will approach each meeting, conference, project and/or event as an educational opportunity from which to learn and share that knowledge to the members of AHRMM.

Problem solver: As I mentioned above, I have built three contracts administration departments from the ground up. There is much work to be done to justify a contracts administration department separate from the legal department, high-salaried FTE’s, contract management technology, new levels of authority, new policies and procedures and the many smaller (but significant) details necessary for success. I thrive in situations that present a challenge, and I am often required to find a solution to an issue. This skill would lend itself well to a board member position.

Educator: I am an adjunct professor of Business Law and Ethics at the University of Houston-Downtown and Texas Woman’s University, both alma maters of mine. I am inspired by the students I teach, and feel a great responsibility to give them the most current, accurate, relevant learning experience possible. I teach from real-world experience as well as the text, which is the way I prefer to learn. Anyone can read from a book, but the learning experience is much richer when it includes real-world perspective. I would like to provide my rich, diverse professional and educational experience to the AHRMM membership.

Communicator: I possess the ability to communicate well with my students, employees, customers, suppliers, peers and executives. I have been a presenter and/or panel speaker at several industry conferences, and always have spirited interaction with the audience. I have also contributed to a published article on Contract Management and technology. I have also emceed several fund raising events through my community service organizations. I am quite comfortable and poised when speaking publicly.

I have attended over 90% of our Gulf Coast Chapter AHRMM meetings, having the desire to glean as much knowledge as possible from the keynote speakers at each event. I have the pleasure of working closely with Ed Lewis, current board member and former Gulf Coast Chapter President as well as Robert Adkins, the president-elect of the chapter. Rob has asked me (and I have accepted) to share my expertise and present at least one contract management workshop in a future chapter meeting. I would be honored to do the same, on a larger scale, for AHRMM regional, national and web events.

How will you use these qualities to benefit AHRMM, the Board, and the members?

I would like to collaborate with the board and the Education Task Force, by sharing my practical knowledge and experience of contract negotiations and contract management best practices. I believe that Contract Management is widely overlooked and its value underestimated, and I would like to create more focus on its value-added attributes.

Additionally, it is my hope that the organization, the board and its members will benefit from my skills as an organizer, communicator and negotiator to reach a broad audience. I would like to particularly reach out to young professionals.

What do you expect to be your single, greatest contribution to AHRMM as a Board member?

I expect my single, greatest contribution will be to educate, educate, educate. I have a true passion for education and communication, and all my years of leadership have made me an excellent manager of time, people and projects. That combination will allow me to make an impact on supply chain professionals across the board, from recent graduates to seasoned veterans.

Describe one transformational experience in your professional life you have been involved with and what you have learned from this experience.

My transformational professional experience came from reading student evaluations after my third semester teaching Business Law at the University of Houston-Downtown. As I read the student evaluations from the previous semester (identities are concealed to protect the innocent…or “not-so-innocent”) I realized what an impact I have on my students, and how my efforts weren’t for naught. Some students said I inspired them to go to law school. Others said that it was refreshing to be lectured by a professor that brought real-world experiences to the classroom. Still others stated that it was “cool” that I embraced what I often refer to as my “inner nerd” when I get excited about a new concept, a new case, or new Supreme Court ruling. To be fair, in the 12 or 13 semesters I’ve taught these classes, I’ve had my share of “less than rosy” reviews. When I met with the dean of the business school, horrified after reading my first negative evaluation, and convinced I wouldn’t be asked to teach another semester, he patiently coached me and let me know that it’s par for the course. He let me know that as long as there are more good evaluations than bad ones, I’m good to go. Ten semesters later, I’ve learned to accept the good with the bad! This transformational experience has not only made me a transformational educator, but a transformational leader as well.

I’ve learned, rather than ensure work is done routinely and reliably, to look for educational and professional opportunities for my students and staff that add value. I’ve learned the importance of seeking to inspire my students and staff with shared visions for the future, hoping that my enthusiasm is passed on to them. I’ve learned to consider the skill levels and experience of those that I lead (whether in the classroom or the office), the working environment and the surrounding culture. To be truly transformational, it is often necessary to change leadership style based on the temperament of the team. It is also paramount to establish trust, and to maintain a balance the needs of the organization against the needs of the team.