IPPSter Spotlight Archives

I'm excited to shine a spotlight on Kristen Weidler, our Associate Director of Logistics, whose journey at UC San Diego began before her graduation in 2014 with double degrees in Biology and Psychology. Kristen was a student employee at Roger’s Market in Revelle, and after graduating, she joined UC San Diego's temporary pool. 

Even though she studied STEM in college, her natural interest was business and finance. Her adaptability and eagerness to learn propelled her through various roles within the university - from administrative operations to finance, business development, and data analytics, before expanding into project management. As Associate Director, she oversees multiple critical teams, including Campus and Student Mail services, Passports, Moving Services, Surplus Sales, and the Logistics Business Operational Excellence team. Her role encompasses team supervision, financial management, strategic planning, and business development. Kristen particularly enjoys the mentorship aspect of her position, engaging in one-on-one sessions with her team members to ensure each unit meets its goals and initiatives.

When asked about bridging the gap between her science background and current role, Kristen shared an interesting perspective: her biology and psychology degrees proved unexpectedly valuable in IPPS, particularly in understanding laboratory equipment and connecting with scientific staff across campus. While much of her expertise was developed through hands-on experience, Kristen has consistently invested in her professional growth, earning a Finance Certificate from UC San Diego, completing Project Management Bootcamp, and achieving Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification. Currently pursuing a Master's degree in Operations Management at the University of Arkansas, she believes in balancing practical experience with formal education.

Throughout her career, Kristen has spearheaded several significant initiatives, including comprehensive Recharge Rate Reviews that revitalized Logistics' service pricing models and successfully implemented a Last Mile Dashboard, which optimized package delivery incentive reconciliation. One of her proudest achievements has been managing the expansion of The Trove locker program, which began during COVID and has since grown to multiple campus locations, including Revelle. Looking ahead, Kristen is particularly excited about the strategic planning she's implementing for Surplus Sales, applying concepts from her Master's studies to develop comprehensive mission and vision statements, conduct cultural and SWOT analyses, and establish measurable goals. Her approach to business planning is methodical and purpose-driven, ensuring that each initiative is grounded in solid business principles and contributes meaningfully to organizational success.

Beyond her professional achievements, Kristen maintains an active lifestyle that began with her years playing club and high school soccer - a passion she continues today as a member of a soccer league every Sunday. As a Bay Area native and a devoted 49ers fan, and occasionally attends San Diego Wave matches. This year marked a noteworthy milestone as she participated in her first San Diego Pride parade in Hillcrest, an experience she describes as authentic, liberating, and meaningful. Drawing from her own post-college challenges, Kristen has become a dedicated mentor, particularly passionate about supporting women, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented individuals in the workplace. She openly welcomes conversations about everything from resume building to interview preparation and personal growth, channeling her experience into helping others navigate their career paths and thrive with fulfilled lives. Her commitment to nurturing talent extends to student retention, where she actively advocates for creating pathways for student employees to transition into contract or temporary positions, helping to bridge the gap between academic and professional life.

From her early days as a student to her current role as Associate Director of Logistics, Kristen's journey showcases the power of continuous learning and adaptability. Her unique combination of academic knowledge, hands-on experience, and ongoing passion for social justice enables her to excel in both the technical and leadership aspects of her work. Whether implementing innovative logistics solutions or mentoring emerging professionals, she brings the same dedication to everything she does. Kristen's story reminds us that while career paths aren't always linear, a commitment to growth and giving back can lead to meaningful success.

-IPPS Quarterly Fall 2024

Makena Loop 

by Ayaka Ikeda

We’re excited to shine the spotlight on Makena Loop in this summer 2024 issue of IPPS Quarterly! Makena is a valuable member of our Life Sciences Strategic Procurement team, where she holds the role of Senior Buyer.  

Makena's journey to IPPS is as diverse as her international background. A UCLA graduate with a degree in Psychobiology, Makena's path led her through Spain, where she earned a master's in Healthcare, to Australia, and even teaching English in Italy before settling in San Diego. In July 2019, Makena joined IPPS as a temp hire, leveraging her extensive life sciences knowledge. Her unique perspective proved invaluable as the department transitioned towards a more science-oriented approach. Initially unsure about staying in San Diego, Makena found herself drawn to the team and the work, securing a full-time position just before the pandemic hit. Over her five-year tenure, she's evolved from a procurement-focused role to managing a variety of life sciences projects across campus, including vital supplier partnerships.  

As the program manager for the sustainable supply chain aspect of the decade-long strategic partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific (TFS), she's spearheaded innovative initiatives. Particularly, Makena and her team lead a pipette tip recycling program in campus labs, which TFS subsequently adopted nationwide. Her team is also at the forefront of the Credo project, aimed at eliminating Styrofoam from cold storage shipments by implementing reusable containers. These efforts showcase Makena's commitment to sustainability in procurement. Beyond environmental initiatives, Makena has made waves across the entire UC system by leading a successful antibody RFP project, resulting in four new beneficial contracts. Her strategic approach to procurement, moving beyond day-to-day tasks, has been a key highlight of her career. Amidst her professional accomplishments, Makena also achieved a personal milestone by earning her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification after a year of study while maintaining her full-time workload. Throughout her journey, Makena emphasizes the joy she finds in collaborating with her colleagues, underscoring the positive work environment at IPPS. 

Beyond her professional life, Makena enjoys traveling the most, making it a point to embark on an international journey at least once a year. Her passion for travel has taken her to an impressive array of countries, including Spain, Italy, Australia, Portugal, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark, Austria, Slovenia, New Zealand, Mexico, and Peru. As we delved deeper into her travels, our conversation expanded to the fascinating cultural differences we’ve encountered. Makena emphasized how the vibe of people and their openness varies significantly from country to country, profoundly influencing the overall experience within each culture. She contrasted the warm, welcoming atmosphere of Spain with the more reserved nature of Milan, Italy, noting how these cultural nuances shape one's interactions and perceptions. After experiencing pretty much most of Europe, Japan tops her bucket list for future adventures. By the way, she is probably in Brazil right now having the best time on her vacation. Makena’s global perspective not only enriches her personal life but also brings a unique, worldly approach to her role at IPPS.  
 

-IPPS Quarterly Summer 2024

Amanda Ochoa

By Carol Chen

In this edition of the IPPS Quarterly, we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Ochoa, a Client Experience Analyst within our Client Experience Management (CXM) Team! 

After graduating from UC San Diego, Amanda worked at a nearby employee recognition startup, focusing on travel and event planning for customers of all backgrounds. She led a team of 20-40 specialists and helped establish the customer relationship management (CRM) system there. Within this role, Amanda realized that supporting people to success was one of her passions. When UC San Diego posted the opening for her current role, she was excited to be able to work for her alma mater in something she was exceptionally passionate about. 

As a Client Experience Analyst, Amanda helps oversee the Solutions team within CXM, processing and analyzing the massive volume of data that comes through in the form of inquiries or tickets about the many IPPS systems and processes. She serves as both a support staff and data analyst, answering questions about travel, procurement, and payables while also crunching numbers and analyzing data patterns. She uses this data to troubleshoot similar problems, update existing curriculum and training, and present solutions to other teams to tackle the root causes of inquiries. Amanda’s favorite part of the job is reaching those lightbulb moments of finding out which problem is causing widespread service issues– it reminds her always to consider the bigger picture and not tunnel vision on the nitty gritty details of individual questions. 

Outside of work, Amanda loves to travel with her partner. One of her most memorable adventures was touring the Bay Area, coastal and central Oregon, Yosemite, and Reno - in one extensive road trip! As a California native, the incredible variety of landscapes and the diversity of culture, even just over a state border, never fails to amaze her, and the views are sights that she will never forget. Her appreciation of nature is also reflected at home. Amanda enjoys caring for her many pets: a charming three-legged dog named Ginger, a black cat named Joji (yes, after the singer), two leopard geckos, and 20-30 assorted fish, shrimp, and loaches. However, she considers herself a serial hobbyist. Along with traveling, Amanda also enjoys dancing, boxing, and surfing, the latter of which she considers one of her greatest passions. If you ever find yourself on a Zoom call with Amanda, you might notice the plethora of surfboards in her background – alongside her partner, she has collected over 20!

-IPPSter Quarterly Spring 2024

Kelli Sanchez Zamora 

By Ayaka Ikeda

Kelli Sanchez Zamora has been working at UC San Diego for 9 years now. Her IPPS career started at the Mailing Center as a student back in 2015 and progressed to IPPS HQ as a travel intern, after working as a student work lead and passports officer. Following graduation, she held positions as a Travel and Entertainment Specialist and Virtual Card Analyst, both of which gave her excellent job experience. She was then hired as a Payment Services Manager in 2022, where she is happy to work with her team to assist day-to-day work, but moreover, she finds that inspiring people and allowing her team to feel fulfilled and confident about their work is what she enjoys doing the most.

Kelli’s initial career goals included becoming a professor or researcher and specializing in Spanish Education and Literature. However, after working and interacting with the IPPS Travel team as a senior student, she quickly changed her mind and opted to pursue a career in finance. She was ambitious to enter the finance and accounting fields and major in the humanities, but she really appreciated the policy of numbers, which let her see things more clearly and always led to the correct answers in the end.

One of her biggest achievements, she said, was with Virtual Card; her team earned the US Bank Best-in-Class award for the first time ever, defeating all other UCs (University of California) as well as some National Labs and elevating UC San Diego to the top. In addition to the Best-in-Class she also received a Spotlight Award presented by Chief Procurement Officer Paul Williams, which meant a lot to her career, and she enjoyed winning.

Kelli found it difficult but incredibly fulfilling to take on the major leadership role of manager when she joined the Payment Services team. Nonetheless, she stated that her disposition towards assembling teams at work and the excellent leadership role models she had in IPPS in the past had equipped her for this current position. Her philosophy is that having someone believe in you and advocate for you makes such a big difference along the way.

Since 2017, Kelli has enjoyed spending her free time rock climbing. She visits a San Diego climbing gym that offers a variety of climbing techniques. Once or twice a year, she climbs real rocks outdoors in national parks like Bishop National Park and Red Rock in Nevada. Kelli’s dream is to climb La Peña de Bernal, which is located just over 3 hours from Mexico City. It was her favorite childhood hiking spot, and she is very excited about sharing an experience with her grandfather someday. In the future, she dreamed of climbing in Spain, Thailand, and all over the world. 

-IPPSter Quarterly Winter 2024