THE COLLEGE BOARD

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At the College Board , which each year helps millions of students across the U . S . prepare for the successful transition to college through the SAT , Advanced Placement and other programs and services , procurement is very much a key component towards delivering on the organization ’ s promise .

Heading up the procurement function is Steve Hughes , Chief Procurement Officer at the College Board . Having forged a career in procurement that spanned a number of for-profit organizations such as the Comcast Corporation and Vertis Communications , Hughes first entered the not-for profit space with the National Geographic Society .

It was this experience , working for a mission-driven organization such as National Geographic , that really opened his eyes to seeing just how procurement can enable opportunity to better deliver on that mission .

In 2016 , Hughes joined the College Board and he immediately began to recognize the synergy between his previous role and that of the one he was about to embark on .

“ It ’ s interesting because , at both Nat Geo and here at the College Board I was hired by someone who understood the benefits of bringing best business practices from for-profit organizations into the not-for-profit space .”

As CPO , Hughes works directly with the College Board to align a procurement strategy and the procurement function with that broader organizational goal of delivering educational opportunities for students .

Student experience and procurement aren ’ t exactly two areas that walk hand in hand but for Hughes , he feels that the role that procurement can and will continue to play is actually much clearer to see .

“ The role that procurement can play manifests itself in a number of different ways , but it boils down to one driving principle and that is the idea

JULY 2018