Bobbie Tolston, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, CPPB

Bobbie Tolston NIGP-CPP, CPPO, CPPB, has over twenty years of managerial expertise in public procurement behind her, but her true passion is teaching. In fact, Bobbie’s first job was a summer school tutor and, when Bobbie finally started teaching as an Instructor for NIGP, she says, “I found my passion.” 

By day, Bobbie works as the Energy Conservation Resource Manager for Hartford County Schools in Maryland. A successful sustainability program is about people—people committed to every step of the vision—according to Bobbie. Like most process-oriented things, a sustainability program is not going to work if not everyone’s bought in. But if you ever catch Bobbie for a few minutes, ask her about the time she helped a middle school in Hartford County take small steps to initiate an impactful recycling program. You’ll see immediately what her colleagues and the students who take her courses also see: her passion for using her gifts to bring value to the procurement profession can and does move mountains.  

Bobbie is teaching the Developing & Managing a Sustainability Program Specialization Certificate course on November 13 and 14. “This is a class for anyone in procurement,” Bobbie says. Not only will you gain competence in developing policies and strategies for building out your own sustainability program, but you will also walk away with a taste of Bobbie’s wealth of knowledge and experience.