Julie Ann Jones is a Project Management and Procurement Strategist who partners with executives, cross-divisional teams, and external entities to strategically source and manage contractual engagements to the financial and product benefit of her sponsor. Julie has a history of transforming daily cross-functional operations through the development of innovative systems and enterprise architectures for organizations in diverse industries. She has significant strength in building, training and leading dynamic teams, inspiring ingenuity, creativity, accountability, and morale.

Julie is currently serving as the Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer for Accounts Payable and Procurement Services at Drexel University, where she oversees the University’s significant spend portfolio as well as EOP reporting and the University’s economic impact initiatives. She is focused on structuring a richly diverse procurement program that builds partnerships to keep the University aligned with their core mission of supporting students in an innovative and civically engaged environment, while furthering Drexel’s commitment as an anchor institution in West Philadelphia.

Julie holds a MS in the Management of Information Systems from Nova Southeastern University and will complete her MBA at Drexel University, specializing in Finance and Effective Leadership. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute and holds several JAGGAER software certifications. She also dedicates time to three Philadelphia non-profit organizations; serving as President for Beyond Literacy (BeLit), board member for Women Against Abuse (WAA), and board member representing Drexel for University City District (UCD).

Chris Kane is the Director of Procurement at Swarthmore College, an elite liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,650 in suburban Philadelphia. In this role, Chris is responsible for the College’s purchasing, sourcing, contracts, expense management and travel functions. Chris joined Swarthmore in 2019 from La Salle University where he got his start in procurement 2016. Though relatively new to higher ed procurement, Chris certainly isn’t new to higher ed. He spent the previous 17 years in intercollegiate athletics business/finance at La Salle and Drexel Universities. His “other side of campus” experience gives Chris a unique perspective when working with procurement’s constituents since he has lived the challenges of the folks he now supports. In addition to his role at Swarthmore, Chris recently completed a three-year term as the Chair of National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP) Mid-Atlantic Region board of directors, which included receiving NAEP's "Volunteer of the Year" Award for 2024.