Craig Passey, senior strategic sourcing manager in Purchasing and Travel at Brigham Young University, recently received the Neil D. Markee Communicator of the Year Award from the National Association of Educational Procurement.
Passey received the award during a recent awards ceremony in Memphis for his teaching, publishing, and representing the purchasing profession through speaking and writing engagements to the general public. He is also on NAEP’s Editorial Board and writes a column for the Journal of Educational Procurement.
“This wasn’t a goal to get recognized, but as you move through your career you’re always trying to repay all the mentoring you received,” Passey said.
The award honors Neil Markee, who was Passey’s inspiration for everything that he has done with his career on the procurement profession.
“Neil Markee has been one of my heroes for years,” he said. “He was great teacher and was willing to share everything he had learned.”
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in financial planning from BYU, Passey worked for BYU Purchasing before being transferred to International Purchasing with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With the LDS Church he had the opportunity to help purchase the organ in the LDS Conference Center as well as furniture for many LDS temples.
He later returned to BYU to become the senior strategic sourcing manager in the Purchasing Department, where he purchases a wide variety of things from cadavers to office supplies.
“BYU is all about educating the whole individual and becoming a life-long learner, and this is the essence of this award and this career,” he said. “As professionals we’re looking for knowledge and asking for knowledge.”
Tim Hill, executive managing director for Purchasing and Travel at BYU, said that Passy has been the best representative for their department.
“Craig is absolutely amazing,” Hill said. “He’s extremely bright and professional. This award is long past due for a man of Craig’s caliber. For as long as I’ve known him he’s only now being recognized for things he’s been doing all these years. We appreciate his work and his presence in our office.”
Founded in 1921, the National Association of Educational Procurement is based in Baltimore, Maryland on the campus of the University of Maryland Baltimore County. More than 4,000 procurement professionals representing 1,500 of the nation’s most respected educational institutions are actively engaged in the association. Its membership is restricted to purchasing staff in colleges, research institutions, hospitals and K-12 schools.
Dedicated to professional development, community development and collaborative development, NAEP has on-staff resources and an active peer network easily available to all members to aid in the modeling of cutting-edge, cost-effective, socially responsible procurement practices and programs.
For more information contact Craig Passey at (801) 422-7000 or email craig_passey@byu.edu. For more information on the NAEP, visit naepnet.org.
Writer: Mel Gardner
