Kim Mason
Kim Mason is a dedicated Procurement and Supplier Diversity Specialist with nearly 25 years of experience in the purchasing field. She has built her career on being a reliable support system for her colleagues, consistently ensuring that teams have the resources and guidance they need to succeed. Kim began her career at Truman Medical Centers (University Health), where she helped implement a new procurement model and establish vendor systems. This hands-on experience gave her a strong foundation in purchasing, preparing her to take on roles managing emergency room and operating room supplies—high-pressure environments requiring quick decision-making and timely delivery.
For the past decade, Kim has served as a Procurement Supplier Diversity Specialist with Kansas City Public Schools, supporting business analysts across multiple schools. In this role, she helps teams find vendors, secure competitive quotes, ensure proper documentation, and navigate the procurement process efficiently. She is particularly passionate about supplier diversity, striving to bring more minority-owned and women-owned businesses into the ecosystem. Kim is known for her proactive, people-focused approach—if she cannot provide an immediate solution, she researches or refers colleagues to the right resources, ensuring support is always available.
Kim holds a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification from TMC Corporate Academy and a license in Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail from KC Vocational Technical School. Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with her family and being active in her church community. Known for her collaborative spirit, strategic insight, and commitment to supplier diversity, Kim combines technical expertise with a genuine dedication to helping others and continuously learning to enhance her skills.
• Yellow Belt Certification, Lean Six Sigma
• License, Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail
• NIGP
• NAEP
• Food bank support
• Clothing donations for those in need
• Homeless outreach through church
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being open to suggestions and having a kind heart. I've learned that staying receptive to new ideas and approaches, no matter where they come from, has helped me grow throughout my career. If something will help me improve what I do, I'm open to it. Having a kind heart and genuinely caring about the people I work with has also been central to my success. I believe in being there as a support system for others, and that willingness to help and connect with people has made all the difference in my professional journey.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received came from someone at the hospital who told me, 'You can do this. Just be true to yourself. Stay who you are. Don't change who you are for somebody else.' She also always told me to never give up learning because you're always capable of learning. That advice has stuck with me throughout my career. Being authentic and staying open to continuous learning, no matter where it comes from, has been invaluable. If learning something new will help me do my job better, I don't have a problem with it. I'm open to it, and I care about improving.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would give young women entering my industry the same advice that was given to me: be true to yourself and always be open to learning. Don't change who you are for somebody else. Stay authentic and maintain your integrity. Love what you do and be open to learning from every experience and every person you encounter. If something will help you improve and do your job better, embrace it with an open mind. Never stop learning, because you're always capable of growing, no matter where you are in your career.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Right now, one of the biggest challenges and opportunities in my field is improving our infrastructure. We're working as a facility to improve our buildings and infrastructure, and we have to make sure we're giving everybody the opportunity to bid on certain projects that we have going on. It's about creating equity in the bidding process so that all vendors can put their bids in for consideration. We can't just go with one good bid without considering the four or five others who want to be considered based on what they think they offer. Making sure there's fairness and opportunity for all vendors, especially minority-owned and women-owned businesses, is a key focus right now.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are honesty, integrity, and support. I believe in being honest and maintaining integrity in everything I do. Support is also crucial to me - being there for people when they need help, whether that's my colleagues at work or my family and church community in my personal life. I also value loving people in general. Having a kind heart and genuinely caring about others guides how I approach both my professional responsibilities and my personal relationships. These values shape how I show up every day and how I interact with the people around me.