Harris
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF KATHY HARRIS involves communicating with companies across North America, setting up purchasing programs and special UVic rates and responding to concerns about payments.
Harris, who started at UVic in 1994, is the supervisor of supplier payments purchasing in Purchasing Services. “I work with a wonderful and dedicated team of Donna Maxwell, Dana England and Pat Barss,” she says. They process over 200 invoices daily and 400 purchasing cards monthly, checking each statement for receipts and compliance to purchasing policy and PCard guidelines.
“Although I usually start my day at 7:30 a.m., sometimes I’m in by 6:30 a.m. and here until 6:00 p.m. catching up, especially when there are lots of meetings during the day,” she says. Harris also runs the floatplane, Helijet, BC Ferries Coastcard and hotel accommodation programs and corrects errors in the entries of the FAST accounts when charges are uploaded monthly.
“I respond to a lot of questions about invoices and purchasing card issues. You can tell when my non-compliant letters go out by the storm cloud over UVic.” That happens when cardholders have used the card for the wrong purpose. “It can be frustrating, but there are so many rules and regulations to follow that we have to be quite strict.” But she is glad to see the departments using the PCard.
“If they run into problems they can always call us as we rather hear from them than have anyone frustrated at using the cards,” she says.
A long-time member of the UVic Women’s Network, Harris has been a key organizer for the past eight women’s conferences. She is also a 13-year volunteer with the Royal BC Museum. She is very proud of her two sons, both of whom have their master’s degrees: Raymond in physics and aerospace engineering from Carleton and Scott from SEOS at UVic.
Harris was born in a Japanese relocation camp near Hope, BC. “My father told me about the family being sent to Winnipeg after the war, as their house and belongings in Vancouver were sold or given away,” she remembers. “We were put on the train and made to stand as the returning soldiers were given the seats. One soldier stood up and gave my mother his seat, as she was carrying a baby (me) in her arms. I guess that is why I have always ‘stood up’ for others.”
She has been on the board of the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society for 10 years and a member of Nagomi, the Japanese tea ceremony group. “In the tea ceremony, we follow the four principles of chado (the Way of Tea): harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. I think it is important for people to communicate, understand and forgive in all aspects of life, whether it is in the office or at home.”
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