
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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