The National IPA team of Regional Managers serves as liaisons between the public purchasing professional and awarded supply partners. They are available to assist you in developing an effective cooperative strategy that meets the specific needs and requirements of your agency. Whether providing contracting expertise or in-depth knowledge of state and local cooperative purchasing statutes, they serve as an additional resource which can extend the reach of your procurement staff.
National IPA employs more certified public procurement professionals than any other cooperative organization. These individuals provide in-depth knowledge gained through years of on-the-job experience as public purchasing professionals for states, local government, primary education and secondary education. Additionally, our staff consists of individuals with expertise in supply chain management and cooperative purchasing.
Acting as true advocates for your agency, the National IPA team will assist you in identifying solutions which will efficiently meet your procurement requirements while effectively lowering costs.
The National IPA team members are located within the markets they serve. You can find the territory maps and further contact information for our team members by clicking here.
Wayne A. Casper, C.P.M., CPPO
Wayne A. Casper currently serves as Group Director - West Region. In his role, Wayne assists public agencies with utilization of National IPA cooperative contracts.
Wayne brings the knowledge, accomplishments and experience from a thirty-five year public procurement career, including over thirty years of senior management experience in state and local government procurement. Previously, Wayne served as Director of Procurement for the City of Tucson, AZ and Director of Purchasing for the State of Arizona. Wayne is past President of the National Purchasing Institute (NPI) and the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO). He has also received many distinguished awards and recognition throughout his tenure as a public procurement professional.
In addition to a career dedicated to public procurement, Wayne was successful in developing and marketing the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) program.
Wayne has his B.S. and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Arizona. You can email Wayne at wayne.casper@nationalipa.org.
Amy Smith
Amy Smith currently serves as the National IPA Group Director - East Region. Amy is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with participating agencies to assist with utilization of the National IPA contract portfolio.
Prior to her current role, Amy was Regional Manager for the Midwest Region with National IPA and Account Manager for higher education with Horizon Resource Group (HRG). Before joining National IPA, Amy served as Relationship Manager in Commerce Bank's Commercial Card Services Division. During her five years there she established procurement card programs as well as developed procedural guidelines for proper and efficient utilization of the p-card within corporate, government, and education organizations.
Amy has a B.S. in International Business Administration and Marketing from Missouri State University. You can email Amy at amy.smith@nationalipa.org.
Mark Neihart, C.P.M., A.P.P., CPPB, CPM
Mark Neihart, C.P.M., A.P.P., CPPB, CPM serves National IPA as Regional Manager, Southwest. In this role, Mark is responsible for developing relationships with participating agencies in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.
Mark has over 25 years of public procurement experience. He was most recently with the City of Tucson, AZ where he served as Director of Procurement since 2007. Prior to his role as Director, Mark served the City as Deputy Director from 1998 to 2006 and Contract Officer/Contract Administrator from 1990 to 1998.
He was also a key member of the procurement function for the State of Arizona as Contract Specialist/Assistant Purchasing Manager from 1987 to 1990.
Mark is an active member of the National Purchasing Institute, Inc. (NPI). He was elected by his peers and served as President of the organization in 2009. He is currently on the Board of Examiners for the Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council (UPPCC) which governs and administers the Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) and Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) certification programs.
Mark is a lifetime C.P.M. and lifetime A.P.P. He achieved his B.S. in Purchasing and Materials Management from Arizona State University's College of Business.
You can email Mark at mark.neihart@nationalipa.org.
Lora B. Martin, CPPO, CPPB, FCPM, FCPA, FCCM
Lora B. Martin, Regional Manager, Southeast works with agencies in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Lora was previously with Polk County Florida Board of County Commissioners where she served in many capacities in the Procurement Department. She was awarded as the 2010 NIGP Professional Purchasing Manager of the Year and the 2010 Mid-Florida Chapter of NIGP Manager of the Year.
Lora has an AA in Business Administration from Polk Community College. You can email Lora at lora.martin@nationalipa.org.
Roger Dempsey, C.P.M., A.P.P.
Roger Dempsey, C.P.M., A.P.P. serves National IPA as Regional Manager, South Central. In this role, Roger is responsible for developing relationships with participating agencies in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas.
Roger has been in public sector procurement since 1993. His most current position was as Manager for Purchasing Solutions Alliance (PSA), a Texas-based purchasing cooperative for public agencies. Roger also served as Purchasing Manager for City of Bryan, TX. During his tenure, the City was awarded the prestigious Achievement of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) award four consecutive years. Roger was awarded the Presidential Award of Merit for Outstanding and Dedicated Service by the National Purchasing Institute (NPI) in 2005. Roger was also elected to serve on the national Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award Committee for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 terms.
Roger is a member of the Brazos Valley Public Purchasing Association, Texas Public Purchasing Association (TXPPA), National Purchasing Institute (NPI), and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
You can email Roger at roger.dempsey@nationalipa.org.
Sarah Vavra, C.P.M., CPPB
Sarah Vavra, C.P.M., CPPB serves as AVP, National Contracts for National IPA. Sarah works with current and future Principal Procurement Agencies (PPAs) on administration of contract solicitations, awards and their subsequent contracts.
Sarah has been in public sector procurement since 1998. Her previous experience includes Strategic Sourcing Specialist for the University of Missouri, Department of Procurement. Prior to that, she worked for the City of Tucson, AZ, Department of Procurement as Principal Contract Officer and the Missouri Department of Health - Division of Administration. She brings a vast knowledge of state, local and higher education public procurement processes and programs to National IPA.
Sarah received a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from University of Arizona . You can email Sarah at sarah.vavra@nationalipa.org.
Stephen Maxwell
Stephen Maxwell serves as Regional Manager, Northeast. In this role, Stephen Maxwell works with agencies in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, DC, Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio.
Stephen was previously with Allsteel for ten years where he served as Government Account Manager Northeast. Responsibilities included working with distributors in support of business opportunities with federal, state and local government agencies.
Stephen attended Barrington College, Providence Rhode Island, and received his BA in Business Administration. You can email Stephen at stephen.maxwell@nationalipa.org.
Sarah Moncure-Wilson
Sarah Moncure-Wilson serves as Regional Manager, West. In this role, Sarah is responsible for developing relationships with agencies throughout California and assisting them in the utilization of the National IPA contract portfolio.
Sarah brings extensive experience from her previous positions as Business Development Manager and National Account Coordinator with OfficeMax Enterprises, Inc.
You can email Sarah at sarah.wilson@nationalipa.org.
Tom Ford
Tom Ford serves as Regional Manager, Midwest. Tom is responsible for developing relationships with participating agencies throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana and Michigan and assisting agencies in the utilization of the National IPA contract portfolio.
Tom brings extensive experience from his previous business development positions with OfficeMax Enterprises, Inc. and Kelly Services. In these roles, he was responsible for creating and developing relationships/contracts with government agencies, healthcare organizations and commercial accounts.
Tom attended Western Michigan University and received his BA in Marketing. You can email Tom at tom.ford@nationalipa.org.
Dave Fajer
Dave Fajer serves as Regional Manager, Northwest. Dave is responsible for developing relationships with participating agencies throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska and assisting agencies in the utilization of the National IPA contract portfolio.
He has previously served as the Director of Procurement, Distribution and the Instructional Resource Center (IRC) at Portland Public Schools; Director of Business Services for Multnomah Education Service District (MESD) and Director of Business Services for the Oregon Department of Education. Dave also brings to National IPA a career in contracts, supply and logistics as an officer in the U.S. Navy.
Dave received his B.S. from Portland State University and his M.S. in Financial Management from the Naval Postgraduate School. Dave resides in Portland, Oregon. You can email him at: dave.fajer@nationalipa.org
Ken Heckman
Ken Heckman serves as Vice President of Account Management for National IPA. As Vice President, Ken has responsibility for advancing the overall growth of National IPA's contract portfolio. As such, he leads National IPA's Account Management team and directs partnering efforts with awarded suppliers to leverage greater value for public agencies throughout the country.
Ken has been an integral part of National IPA since it was founded and continues to bring insight and leadership to the organization. He has over 25 years of executive management experience including broad based background in business development. Prior to joining National IPA he served in various management rolls encompassing sales leadership, national account development, strategic planning, and vendor relations.
Ken received his B.B.A. from Memphis State University and resides in Franklin, TN. You can email Ken at ken.heckman@nationalipa.org.
