Mastering Your Indirect and Service Spend Categories: Leveraging Applied Best Practices to Contain Costs
Michael Erhard
Michael Erhard has practiced law in Wisconsin for 35 years, almost 30 of those years in Madison. During that time, he has represented hundreds of businesses and individuals in complex litigation.
Born in Dayton, Ohio, Mike graduated from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He graduated with high honors and lettered in varsity football and track.
Awarded a full scholarship to attend the College of Law at the University of Cincinnati, Mike was elected editor of the Law Review, authored two published articles, was elected to the Order of the Coif and graduated with high honors in 1973.
As a judicial clerk to the Honorable Myron L. Gordon, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin for two years, from 1973-1975, Mike helped author hundreds of decisions. Having served with distinction as an associate in the Milwaukee office of Foley & Lardner from 1975-1979, Mike was selected by the firm's management committee to become the first resident trial attorney in the Madison office of Foley & Lardner. Elected a partner in 1981, Mike remained at that firm until 1995. In that time, Mike tried cases in several states, winning the longest civil trial in Wisconsin history (14 weeks), and securing the largest plaintiff's verdict in the history of the firm following a six week trial in Florida. His accomplishments also include having been the first attorney in the United States ever to use at trial the live testimony of foreign witnesses, whose testimony was broadcast by satellite from London directly into an American courtroom.
In 1995, Mike was selected from over 200 applicants by then Attorney General James E. Doyle to serve as Wisconsin's first Assistant Attorney General–Telecommunications Advocate, responsible for dealing with competition and consumer protection issues created by the deregulation of telecommunications. He returned to private practice in 1996, joining Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren, S.C., as a shareholder, and developed the litigation department at that firm's Madison office. He did the same thing at Neider & Boucher, S.C., where he was a shareholder from 2001 through 2005.
Mike is admitted to practice in all Wisconsin State Courts, the Federal District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin, the Eastern District of Michigan, and the District of Minnesota, the Third and Seventh Circuit United States Courts of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court. In addition, he has been admitted pro hac vice to try cases in Michigan, Ohio, California, Illinois and Florida. He is an active member of the American Association for Justice, formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
Married for thirty-seven years to Chris, when he is not in the office, Mike enjoys reading, outdoor activities, travel and spending time with his wife and their three adult daughters.
John M. Mckeller
John M. McKeller is a senior lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business and co-director of the Purchasing and Supply Management curriculum in the School’s Executive Education unit. He previously served concurrent appointments as the director of education for ISM and as an assistant professor at UW-Madison.
During the last several years, John has conducted hundreds of workshops and presentations for clients in the US, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Central and South America. He currently teaches and consults on supply management-related topics for the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) and numerous corporate clients.
John teaches courses in the Grainger Center for Supply Chain Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Business. Additionally, he teaches supply management programs in the School’s Executive Education curriculum. He was previously an adjunct faculty member at Arizona State University, the University of San Diego and the University of California at San Diego Business Extension.
Before entering the academic field, John held various managerial positions with subsidiaries of Ralston Purina, Eli Lilly and Company and General Dynamics Corporation. Over the years, his articles on supply management topics have appeared in numerous national publications, academic journals and as the “Purchasing” chapter in the third edition of the APICS Handbook. A graduate of San Diego State University, John also completed an MBA at Pepperdine University and a D.B.A. at United States International University.
Jon Elvy
Jon brings to the table more than 20 years of experience in strategic purchasing and global sourcing with Fortune 500 companies. Presently with American Family Mutual Insurance Company, the nation’s third largest mutual insurer, he works as a sourcing process consultant and prior to that was a senior international buyer with the manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. Having lead cross-functional acquisition and global commodity teams during that time, he has since been managing multi-million dollar product and service portfolios, making supply management decisions and managing supplier relationships.
Jon has been a lecturer for leading sourcing practices at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Executive Education Supply Chain Management program and also at international conferences with the National Association of Purchasing Card Professionals (NAPCP). He has been a local affiliate board president for the Institute for Supply Management in Madison, Wisconsin.
After attending the University of Minnesota’s School of Business, Jon managed logistics and warehousing distribution in the automotive industry. Jon is ISM certified as a purchasing manager (C.P.M.) and NAPCP as a certified purchasing card professional (CPCP).
Terry Simmons
Terry Simmons is Vice President of Global Purchasing and Supplier Management for Baxter International, Inc.
Mr. Simmons has an extensive background in total procurement and supplier management, including experience with both domestic and international purchasing. He re-joined Baxter in 2007 from Hospira, where for five years he was Vice President of Purchasing, Administration and Real Estate. During his prior tenure with Baxter, Mr. Simmons served as Vice President of Purchasing and Real Estate. He has held positions of increasing responsibility in procurement, administration and sales with McDonald’s Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, Gelco Travel/Fleet Management Services (a subsidiary of GE) and Holiday Inns, Inc.
Mr. Simmons received his bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Minnesota. He is an active member of the National Association of Purchasing Managers and the AMA Purchasing and Supply Chain council as well as collegiate affiliations in Illinois and Minnesota.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison, as a member of the University Continuing Education Association (UCEA), authorizes this course for 1.4 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or 14 hours.
dtransue@exed.wisc.edu