By Lisa Hornung
Photograhy by Matt Johnson
When Amber Horn got her first job in purchasing, shedidn’t know it would lead to a career trajectory that would take her where she is today: Director of Procurement Services at the University of Louisville and immediate past president of the Kentucky chapter of the National Association of Educational Procurement.
In fact, she took a long way to get there. After graduating from Male High School, with a couple of starts and stops at colleges, she eventually went back to school at Jefferson Community and Technical College, then to UofL. While she initially majored in accounting, she switched to finance and earned her degree.
She began working in accounting and soon realized that although she loved the numbers, she struggled with the lack of interaction with other people. She took a job as an analyst in a purchasing department for a long-term care pharmacy and really enjoyed it.
“I had a fantastic mentor when I was there,” Horn said. “He really believed in me, pushed me, and got me into my first ‘big girl job.’ And that was another long-term care pharmacy.” Then she went to a manufacturing company, and then to UofL, where she’s been for six years.
What she likes about the job is the challenge of it, she said. “I have to be challenged to be able to continue to stay with something,” Horn said. Most people, I think, want to learn their job and just deal with the status quo. I tend to get tired of that and get burnout. So, while a lot of people think that this position is crazy -- and it kind of is -- it’s what keeps my drive going because I’m trying to always fix something. It’s a constant challenge for me. But I’ve got a great boss. She just lets me do what I need to do.”
“Many of my colleagues joke that not many of us in this field choose to go into purchasing but instead are somehow led here through career shifts,” she said. The part about purchasing that appealed to me was that I still have the financial aspect that I enjoy. However, I am also able to interact with people more, and every day is a different challenge in this field.”
Her leadership style is “servant leadership,” she said. “I believe that I will never be successful if the people who report to me are not successful in their roles.” She also believes that “communication is huge, allowing your team to provide input on decisions, the ability to understand what each member of your team needs to grow in their role and provide the opportunities for training to get them there.”
Horn said she has encountered some sexism at several points in her career. “I will say the most challenging is working with the construction contracts as that is a male-dominated industry, and many times, women are treated as if they just don’t know,” she said. “I recently questioned a contract request from one of our external construction partners. I continued to explain my thoughts on it, and eventually, they agreed.”
But Horn doesn’t let it get to her. “I feel that my role is to ensure we are entering into contracts that are best for the university and our business partners.” she said. “I don’t take situations like this personally but continue to drive forward to get the desired result.”
For anyone who would like to explore a career in purchasing, Horn attributes a lot of her success to having good mentors, but being willing to adjust is also important. “Be flexible. You have to be able to have a plan but be willing to change your plan when you need it. Because if you have a plan and you’re not flexible, you’re probably going to fail. And yes, there’s no success that comes without failure, but it’s a lot easier when you’re flexible.”
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