Patty is Accounts Payable Manager at Vast Space in Long Beach, CA where she focuses on teambuilding and development, AP and P2P process optimization, and automation implementation.

She has 16 years of AP experience in the aerospace industry. Besides the excitement of space travel, Patty enjoys creating meaningful professional connections by interacting with all levels of her organization. Patty ensures that her company’s financial data is accurate and that proper spend controls are in place.

Patty is an IOFM Advisory Panelist, Certification Trainer, Conference Speaker, and Webinar Presenter. On the weekends, you can find her spending time with family, trying new foods and traveling to new places. 

She looks forward to helping chapter members stay informed about advancements in financial operations.

Elizabeth is Supervisor of Accounts Payable and Lease Administration at Ariat International, headquartered in San Leandro, California. The company specializes in performance equestrian, outdoor and work apparel and footwear.

Elizabeth enjoys working in AP in the retail industry sector because she can see the end result of the production and sale of the business’s products and services.

Prior to Ariat, she held managerial roles at The Gymboree Corporation and Gemstone Solutions/LuxVerity, a digital authentication service for art and collectibles.

Becoming Vice President of the California chapter is an exciting new venture for Elizabeth. She describes herself as a “jump in with both feet kind of person,” and can’t wait to network with others on AP best practices, and California laws and compliance issues.

Cristian is a seasoned Procurement Manager for Ria Money Transfer, an international business in the financial sector. In his position, he oversees procurement for the Americas. He holds an APPM certification with IOFM and an A.A.S. in Accounting and Business Administration.

With 15 years of experience in procurement and logistics, Cristian works closely with Accounts Payable and other departments to build strong vendor relationships and meet organizational goals.

He leads procurement projects designed to reduce year-over-year indirect spend costs through strategic sourcing, vendor negotiations, and logistics optimization.

Cristian is excited to participate in the California Chapter to network and benchmark with AP professionals and to expand his knowledge on the payment side of financial operations.

Erendira is Accounts Payable Coordinator at Vast Space in Long Beach, CA. Throughout her nearly 10-year career, she has held positions in Human Resources, Accounting, Operations, Customer Service, and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

She is a student at California State University, Long Beach and has earned an Accredited Payables Specialist (APS) certification from IOFM. She is focused on people and process improvement, and her proficiency as a bilingual professional brings great value to the workplace.

Erendira looks forward to her leadership role as Secretary of the California IOFM Chapter and to networking with her professional peers in financial operations.