Mayor Walsh Appoints Laura Spence to Assistant Director of Purchase

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced the appointment of Laura Spence to Assistant Director of Purchase. Spence is responsible for overseeing the procurement of all materials, services and construction needs. She will also create and implement procurement processes to comply with City ordinances and advise on updates to relevant policies and procedures.

Spence will work in close collaboration with the Division of Equity Compliance and Social Impact (DESCI) to ensure upcoming contracting opportunities are open and accessible to prospective Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVOB) vendors. Spence’s work will increase clarity, transparency, standardization and accountability around procurement processes to reduce the contracting timeline, lower costs, increase competition, expand supplier diversity opportunities and improve the results of contracted services.

 Previously, Spence worked for the City as a Social Impact Analyst for the Division of Equity Compliance and Social Impact. There, she devoted most of her time to leading and collaborating with others to further the City’s goals of creating an equal and fair environment for women and minorities. In this role, Spence also spearheaded the implementation of the Spend Analysis module in B2G Now, which enables local governments to accurately track and analyze expenditures related to minority-and women-owned entities to promote transparency and equitable spending practices.

Spence has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Ave Maria University in Florida and a Master of Arts in Integral Economic Development Management from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. While at Catholic University, Spence also completed research on malnutrition and mortality rates in Guatemala, presenting her findings to the United Nations Nongovernmental Organizations (NGO) Committee on the Family.