Chad Jones, BS 1989

Managing Director, Global Govt. Lead for Supply Chain and Procurement | KPMG

Chad Jones is the Global Government Supply Chain and Procurement Lead for KPMG. His role includes integration across all Member Firms for the company's go-to market strategy, client engagement, credential and qualification alignment and overall centralized approach in the Government space. Chad's additional responsibilities include positioning KPMG’s brand in the market through presentations and demonstrations of the KPMG's Supply Chain capabilities in showcase events and symposiums. The position also includes account planning to ensure a targeted engagement plan for capture of key opportunities. Chad also lead the first 5G Smart Warehouse project in Government targeting transforming and modernizing Asset Management in the Military Services.

Learn more about Chad:

Why did you choose to attend Southeastern?

At the time of graduation from High School, Southeastern was offering a very innovative approach to Industrial Technology and its application to Industry.  When I met with the Dept. Head and one of my professors for Chemistry, I was pleasantly surprised by the curriculum and approach to Industry. 

Is there one thing or iconic place on campus that reminds you of your time spent at Southeastern?

The Lab in the basement of the old Industrial Technology building. I spent many hours in late evening classes or summer classes in the Robotics Lab, The Foundry, The Machine Shop….. tuning and learning our skill set. 

What is your fondest Southeastern memory?

My first semester of Internship at Lockheed Martin.  It was a Spring semester in my junior year and it really brought together and tested all my Southeastern education to this point.  This was a real test and application [culmination] of all academic studies in a practical setting.

Did you end up working in the field that you studied? 

Yes. My first 10 years with Lockheed Martin was in their Industrial Engineering dept. However, the foundation of my education at Southeastern enabled me to advance into areas such as Supply Chain and Procurement, Engineering and Quality.

What do you enjoy about your current position/profession? 

Working with multi-national KPMG Member Firms solving Supply Chain and Procurement issues.  This position forces me to see this challenge through the lens of teams in Australia, UK, India, Germany APAC, and others.

Has something about your Southeastern education surprised you since graduating? 

How many times over the course of a year I recall lessons from my Metallurgy, Fluid Dynamics, Robotics or Engineering Design classes that lead me to a solution to help resolve a client issue.

What advice would you give to a driven college student about to enter the "real world"?

Find your passion in the professional setting.  If you can intern while at College, do this, and begin to shape your likes and dislikes. Also, cast a large net and see what opportunities come your way.  Choices are great and offer you the ability to have options.

What advice should they ignore?

I try not to align to any advice that is “Absolute”; meaning you only have binary solutions; “You must do this or that”.  I would suggest considering all input but view it through the lens that best suits your career aspirations.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? 

I love to exercise, typically weightlifting, and I'm a member of our local Vineyard.  I really enjoy a great red wine and the story behind the vineyard and how the grapes are produced and harvested.

Do you have a fun or interesting fact that you would like to share about yourself? 

I had the opportunity to work on some profound programs – NASA Space Shuttle; C5 Cargo Aircraft Modernization; US Army Acquisition Reform and US Marine Corps 5G Smart Warehouse.  One or two highly visible programs in a career is unique – 4 or more is humbling.