Phillip Ellison, MBA, CPSM, C.P.M., RTSBA | Executive Director, Procurement Services | Spring ISD
How did you get your start in school business?
I received word of an opportunity and moved from higher ed purchasing.
What do you like best about your job and where you work?
I love having the ability to impact and continually challenge processes to make purchasing as easy as possible for our internal customers.
Why do you recommend TASBO to your colleagues? What programs and services do you find useful?
There is no other organization in our profession that offers educational tracts for us to be trained on what our job is and how we're to do it. To be trained alongside other professionals, with limitless networking opportunities, is invaluable.
What is your favorite TASBO training to attend and why?
I would say my favorite training to attend are the learning sessions at TASBO conferences. These are the hottest trends, or challenges, in our profession being exposed and dissected by our peers for discussion and analysis. Work doesn't get more exciting than that!
What was your childhood dream job?
My childhood dream job was to be like my dad. He was an educator.
If you were stranded on an island, name three things you would you want with you?
1) My wife, because she's awesome; 2) My Bible, because you'll never read better stories or get better advice on how to be a good person; and 3) a fishing pole, because... you know.
Tell us a fun fact (or two!) about yourself:
We have five daughters and when people ask what my hobbies are, I just laugh out loud. Another is that I was a jeweler in a previous life.
What's one thing you're excited about/looking forward to in the future?
I'm excited about sharing the Happiness Advantage / Orange Frog training with school districts around the state. This training will be a game-changer for districts that want to put positivity back in the workplace and for changing the attitudes of students in the classroom.
