Cecelia H. Stowe, purchasing manager for Henrico County, earned an inaugural Procurement Xcelerator Award from the Virginia Department of General Services in recognition of her career accomplishments in public procurement.
Stowe received the Career Achievement Award on Nov. 17 at the 2014 Public Procurement Forum in Hampton and will be recognized by the Henrico Board of Supervisors at its meeting Tuesday, Nov. 25.
The Department of General Services’ Division of Purchases and Supply presented Procurement Xcelerator Awards to eight procurement professionals and agencies. The Career Achievement Award recognizes a longtime procurement professional whose achievements showcase innovation and adeptness at applying procurement principles to solve difficult issues or advancing public procurement.
Stowe has worked as Henrico’s purchasing manager since 1994. Her 35-year career in procurement also has included positions with the state, the city of Richmond and the private sector.
In addition, Stowe has helped develop and taught classes for the Public Procurement Forum; helped establish the Virginia Contracting Officer Certification program, which has certified thousands of officers and increased professionalism in the field since its creation in 1990; and guided Henrico to the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing’s Outstanding Agency Accreditation Achievement Award in 2014. She represents county government on a General Assembly subcommittee studying the Virginia Public Procurement Act.
The Virginia Department of General Services established the Procurement Xcelerator Awards program to recognize how procurement is being leveraged to meet the goals of public agencies and to highlight the outstanding contributions of employees at state agencies, local governments and institutions of higher learning in advancing efficiency and effectiveness in their supply chains.