Charlene Turner

I've been working in the world of Procurement for 7 years, and I've only been at my current company for a year. What's unique about my journey is that I got into purchasing kind of backwards. I started with corporate collections for 10 years, then moved into sales for 5 years, and then finally got into purchasing and buying. I always tell people I read the book backwards to get a better understanding. My degree is actually in psychology, and it was hard to break through that field, but collections came to me by accident and I fell in love with it. I realized that good communication can go a long way in studying psychology and even in the corporate world. I found it as a challenge, but also a good challenge - once you learn how to talk to people to encourage them to pay a bill, it's easier to encourage them to buy something. Now in my current role as a buyer for a U.S. government contractor, my key responsibility is vendor relationships. The government provides us a project or program, and we have to go out and purchase items to fulfill that project. Communication is key to finding a good vendor, a responsible vendor, and someone that can complete those tasks in a timely manner. I always say it's a glorified window shopper with an extra perk of buying. What I'm most proud of is learning the business without any extra knowledge of it, but getting the trust of vendors and also customers to blend into one. Sometimes it's hard - it's just like a family in a way, with different personalities that you're trying to merge. Once you can get them to open up, use effective communication and trust you, man, the relationship is golden.

• Psychology Degree at Alabama A&M University

• Pastor's wife for 5 years