Jo Marie Brown has worked in private and public procurement since 2000. She currently serves as a Procurement Manager for the State Fiscal Accountability Authority –State Procurement Office. Jo Marie was the first procurement official in the 40 year history of Riverbanks Zoo and Garden and created and streamlined the Procurement Services Department within that organization. She previously worked for the County of Lexington, SC as a Procurement Officer and in Campus Planning and Construction at the University of South Carolina as a Procurement Specialist. Prior to public procurement, Jo Marie worked in construction procurement for several suppliers and construction companies in the Columbia area.
A member of NIGP since 2008, she currently serves as a member on the Awards Committee, the Specifications Best Practices Committee and the NIGP Dictionary Committee. Jo Marie is an active member of the South Carolina Association of Governmental Purchasing Officials (SCAGPO) where she has served on numerous committees including: Forum, Program, Historian, Information & Publicity, and Professional Development. She has served as the Chair of the Certification and Historian Committee in addition to co-chairing SCAGPO’s first Reverse Trade Show in 2015. She has also served as Ex-Officio from 2014 to present, Director at Large since 2013, newly elected Region 1 Director for 2016-2017 and is currently working as a mentor.
Jo Marie holds the Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) and Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) designations from the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC) and Level I,II & III certification from South Carolina Procurement Services.
In 2012, Jo Marie was awarded with the President's Award for Outstanding Service and in 2013 with the BD Bland Distinguished Service award and 2015 Manager of the Year by South Carolina Association of Governmental Purchasing Officials (SCAGPO). Jo Marie also helped Riverbanks Zoo and Garden earn the Small Agency Certification-Sterling Award for three years of continuous certification through the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC).
Jo Marie has been married to her husband Eric for 16 years and they have a beautiful 11 year old daughter Hannah. They enjoy traveling and spending time with family and friends.
When Jo Marie is not working or spending time with family, she owns JMB Photography, a fine art family and newborn portraiture business in the Midlands. She volunteers with the Red Thread Sessions which provides free photo shoots to families with newly adopted children, Come Home Safe that provides free photo shoots for deploying soldiers and their families and is a sponsor/volunteer to the Curethekids.org -Midlands Ride for Kids which supports local children with brain tumors through the Pediatric Brain Tumors Foundation.