What Every New Chief Procurement Officer Needs to Know About Leadership

What Every New Chief Procurement Officer Needs to Know About Leadership

From NASPO Pulse by National Association of State Procurement Officials

May 12, 2026 · 21 min

About this episode

Samantha Willis discusses the intricacies of state procurement leadership and her journey into government contracts.

We're joined by Samantha Willis, Chief Procurement Officer for the State of West Virginia, to unpack what state purchasing really looks like from the inside and what makes procurement leadership work when the stakes are high, and the days never look the same. Samantha shares how she found her way into government contracts through a love of contract law, negotiation, and problem-solving. We talk about the “gravity” of leading a statewide purchasing division, why leaders need to listen first, a...

People in this episode

Guest: Samantha Willis

Topics covered

  • leadership
  • procurement
  • government contracts
  • contract law
  • negotiation
  • problem-solving

Keywords

  • chief procurement officer
  • state purchasing
  • leadership
  • contract law
  • negotiation
  • problem-solving

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: State of West Virginia

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