Ken Desowitz has over 30 years of municipal government supply chain management experience with the City of Los Angeles, the nation’s second largest city. He rose through the ranks in positions of Buyer, Senior Buyer, Director of Purchasing, and as the City’s Chief Procurement Officer for ten years, he was responsible for managing over $500 million in spend annually.
Ken has been a leader in cooperative purchasing, serving as an Advisory Board member for U.S. Communities, a national cooperative, for six years. He has delivered presentations on procurement best practices at regional and national procurement conferences and is active in professional associations including NIGP, CAPPO, ISM and APICS.
Ken has been recognized by Los Angeles’ Quality and Productivity Commission with five Productivity Awards, the City’s highest recognition for implementing creative, cost saving solutions. In 2003 he was recognized for re-engineering the City’s supply chain, which saved over $70 million by establishing new strategic sourcing processes, consolidating the organizational structure and implementing technology to automate processes. Ken led the City’s numerous procurement technology implementations and upgrades, including most recently, a web-based electronic catalog. In 2004, Ken was named Purchasing Agent of the Year by the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce, for his efforts in reaching out to local minority and women- owned businesses.