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Leaders In Public Procurement

Sunny Path Associates, LLC is a public procurement consulting firm that provides support and training to promote compliance, knowledge and strategic value in government contracting. Our clients are public agencies that need procurement assistance and private sector businesses that want to understand how to work with the public sector.

​Sunny Path has a diverse background with a blended mixture of subject-matter expertise necessary to develop the most effective, compliant procurement strategy for our clients.  Our resource associates have decades of experience working in government procurement roles.

Assist

Educate

Train

Support

​Originally from Pennsylvania, Missy moved to the Phoenix area in 2010. Prior to becoming a consultant, she worked in key procurement roles at a large high school district, as well as the State Procurement Office.  

Our Founder

Missy Mudry is the founder and President of Sunny Path. She has worked in public procurement roles for nearly 20 years.

Throughout her career, Missy has demonstrated the intensity to move mountains.  She is driven by effective procurement strategy, stakeholder objectives, deadlines, and productivity, key fundamentals that have pushed the evolution of Sunny Path.

“I believe in being a good steward of taxpayer dollars and that’s a fundamental reason why I founded Sunny Path.” 

Her certifications and memberships include: 

Certified Procurement Professional (NIGP-CPP), Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB), National Member of NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement, National Member of the Institute of Supply Management (ISM), Arizona Association of School Business Officials (AASBO) Member

You can connect with Missy on LinkedIn

Lila McCleery

Lila McCleery, a Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB), brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role as a Resource Associate. With a strong background in public sector engagement, Lila is a national member of NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement, a local member of Arizona NIGP, serving on the Cooperative Committee, and a member of the Arizona Association of School Business Officials (AASBO), where she contributes to the Professional Development Committee. With nearly three decades of experience in the public sector, Lila has a proven track record of continuous improvement, working effectively with diverse backgrounds, policy writing, relationship building, strategic planning, project management, meeting deadlines, and delivering measurable results.

Lila's expertise in public-school procurement spans more than 25 years, during which she has established herself as a metrics-driven leader with strong relationships across numerous districts and multiple stakeholders. She has substantial experience creating systems that drive results within school districts and purchasing cooperatives, and she has consistently provided leadership, mentoring, and team building to her direct reports, colleagues, and peers throughout her career. In her role, Lila will set goals, oversee operational work, provide procurement expertise and support, assist with strategic planning and training, conduct research, offer best practice recommendations, and ensure quality assurance and consistency to maintain overall alignment with project goals.

Resource Associate
Roger Spivey

Roger Spivey is a highly experienced purchasing and procurement professional with over two decades of expertise spanning federal, tribal, and school district settings. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ottawa University and is an active member of both the NIGP-Capital Chapter and the AASBO, where he serves on the Professional Development committee. This involvement demonstrates his commitment to staying current with industry best practices and continuously enhancing his skills.

Throughout his career, Roger has held leadership roles for 13 years, providing guidance, mentorship, and team-building support to direct reports, colleagues, and interns. His 15 years of public sector experience have equipped him with a deep understanding of purchasing, warehouse management, fixed assets, and accounts payable functions. This well-rounded background allows Roger to effectively navigate complex procurement processes and deliver results that align with organizational goals.

Resource Associate
David Gonzales

David M. Gonzales has a strong background in purchasing, contract administration, logistics, and inventory control. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Business Administration from New Mexico State University and an Associate's degree in Occupational Business from Dona Ana Community College. Throughout his career, David has obtained certifications and training in various areas, including material management systems, procurement, and IT commodity purchasing.

With over 17 years of experience, David has held positions at several notable organizations, including The Boeing Company, Scottsdale Unified School District, State Procurement Office of Arizona, Alamo Colleges, and various other private and government entities. In these roles, he has consistently demonstrated his expertise in leading procurement functions, issuing RFPs and IFBs, managing vendor relationships, and implementing process improvements. David's diverse background spans across industries such as defense, education, food processing, and technology, showcasing his adaptability and comprehensive understanding of procurement practices.

Resource Associate
Priscilla Ruiz

Priscilla Ruiz has over 26 years of experience in public education budgeting and accounting. Currently serving as the Director of Accounting & Payroll at Phoenix Union High School District, Priscilla plays a crucial role in achieving the organization's financial goals by analyzing financial data, offering recommendations, and managing staff. She contributes to the development of accounting strategies, coordinates the preparation of budgets and financial forecasts, and advises departments on data collection and analysis to provide accurate financial projections.

Prior to her current role, Priscilla served as a Budget Specialist at Phoenix Union High School District for 25 years. In this position, she demonstrated her expertise in managing multi-million dollar budgets, overseeing numerous grants, and ensuring accountability for all state and federal grant funds. Priscilla is well-versed in the Uniform System of Financial Records (USFR) and Education Department of General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR). She actively participated in budget meetings with school leaders, providing valuable advice on controlling expenditures within budget limits. Additionally, Priscilla collaborated with external auditors on the Single Audit - Annual Financial Report (AFR) and the Uniform System of Financial Records (USFR).

Accounting & Finance
Casey Johnson

Casey Johnson is an accomplished payroll and bookkeeping professional with over a decade of experience. She honed her skills in the Finance Department at Kingman Unified School District from 2015 to 2022, mastering the Visions payroll system and its various modules. Casey is adept at managing all aspects of payroll, including employee setup, deductions, leave plans, personnel actions, and processing. She also possesses expertise in benefits-related tasks such as reconciliations and annual filings.

In the fall of 2023, Casey transitioned to a new role with the City of Kingman and also established Johnson Bookkeeping Services, LLC. Through her company, she now provides comprehensive payroll assistance and bookkeeping services to businesses, leveraging her extensive knowledge to help clients streamline their processes and is a trusted partner for Sunny Path.

Accounting & Finance

Sunny Path Resource Associates are seasoned professionals with experience across the public procurement spectrum. They engage with our closely with our clients to ensure that all goals are met. Learn more about the team below!
 

Meet the Team

Sunny Path Clients

43

Time-sensitive Projects

85%

Total Contract Value

$115M

Average Client Savings

52k

By The Numbers

With our years of public procurement experience, Sunny Path has worked with clients to address many different concerns. Here are 5 of the most common:

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How can we ensure compliance with procurement laws and regulations?
    The best way to ensure compliance is to keep current with legislation, rules and policies that may/will impact the funding sources used by your entity. Communication is key with industry colleagues, partners and clients. Everything is the same yet different in procurement due to many different variables that can impact the process.
  • What does it mean to be responsive and responsible for a government contract award?
    Being responsive means that a bid, proposal, or offer fully conforms in all material respects to the solicitation and all of its requirements, in all form and substance. Responsibility means the ability of the bidder/offeror to satisfactorily perform the work, such as licensing, financial and/or labor capacity, etc.
  • Does your firm help public clients with procurement and then help private clients respond?
    No. This is prohibited by statute. Every project engagement is carefully reviewed to ensure there is no conflict of interest in our work. There may be times when Sunny Path must respectfully decline to provide services to ensure there is a clear delineation. As consultants, disclosure statements are provided to ensure there is no conflict or personal benefit gained by working on each project.
  • Are you sharing insider information with the vendor community?
    No. Sunny Path Associates values integrity and ethics on both sides of the table and strives to achieve mutually beneficial relationships between public and private clients by providing guidance regarding process and procedure. In this regard, the only information ever shared with the vendor community is guidance on how to appropriately respond to solicitation opportunities or how to generally prepare a responsive, responsible reply to a solicitation. Specific, internal public information or details that would otherwise be private, privileged, or confidential in nature (and not accessible via FOIA requests) will never be shared.
  • How can Sunny Path help today?
    We bring order to procurement chaos. Our firm answers your question of where to look and what to do next when you don’t have enough time, resources, human capital or mental energy. Whether it's in your office or virtually, we offer support and assistance when needed most.
Lila McCleery

Lila McCleery, a Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB), brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role as a Resource Associate. With a strong background in public sector engagement, Lila is a national member of NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement, a local member of Arizona NIGP, serving on the Cooperative Committee, and a member of the Arizona Association of School Business Officials (AASBO), where she contributes to the Professional Development Committee. With nearly three decades of experience in the public sector, Lila has a proven track record of continuous improvement, working effectively with diverse backgrounds, policy writing, relationship building, strategic planning, project management, meeting deadlines, and delivering measurable results.

Lila's expertise in public-school procurement spans more than 25 years, during which she has established herself as a metrics-driven leader with strong relationships across numerous districts and multiple stakeholders. She has substantial experience creating systems that drive results within school districts and purchasing cooperatives, and she has consistently provided leadership, mentoring, and team building to her direct reports, colleagues, and peers throughout her career. In her role, Lila will set goals, oversee operational work, provide procurement expertise and support, assist with strategic planning and training, conduct research, offer best practice recommendations, and ensure quality assurance and consistency to maintain overall alignment with project goals.

Resource Associate
Roger Spivey

Roger Spivey is a highly experienced purchasing and procurement professional with over two decades of expertise spanning federal, tribal, and school district settings. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ottawa University and is an active member of both the NIGP-Capital Chapter and the AASBO, where he serves on the Professional Development committee. This involvement demonstrates his commitment to staying current with industry best practices and continuously enhancing his skills.

Throughout his career, Roger has held leadership roles for 13 years, providing guidance, mentorship, and team-building support to direct reports, colleagues, and interns. His 15 years of public sector experience have equipped him with a deep understanding of purchasing, warehouse management, fixed assets, and accounts payable functions. This well-rounded background allows Roger to effectively navigate complex procurement processes and deliver results that align with organizational goals.

Resource Associate
David Gonzales

David M. Gonzales has a strong background in purchasing, contract administration, logistics, and inventory control. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Business Administration from New Mexico State University and an Associate's degree in Occupational Business from Dona Ana Community College. Throughout his career, David has obtained certifications and training in various areas, including material management systems, procurement, and IT commodity purchasing.

With over 17 years of experience, David has held positions at several notable organizations, including The Boeing Company, Scottsdale Unified School District, State Procurement Office of Arizona, Alamo Colleges, and various other private and government entities. In these roles, he has consistently demonstrated his expertise in leading procurement functions, issuing RFPs and IFBs, managing vendor relationships, and implementing process improvements. David's diverse background spans across industries such as defense, education, food processing, and technology, showcasing his adaptability and comprehensive understanding of procurement practices.

Resource Associate
Priscilla Ruiz

Priscilla Ruiz has over 26 years of experience in public education budgeting and accounting. Currently serving as the Director of Accounting & Payroll at Phoenix Union High School District, Priscilla plays a crucial role in achieving the organization's financial goals by analyzing financial data, offering recommendations, and managing staff. She contributes to the development of accounting strategies, coordinates the preparation of budgets and financial forecasts, and advises departments on data collection and analysis to provide accurate financial projections.

Prior to her current role, Priscilla served as a Budget Specialist at Phoenix Union High School District for 25 years. In this position, she demonstrated her expertise in managing multi-million dollar budgets, overseeing numerous grants, and ensuring accountability for all state and federal grant funds. Priscilla is well-versed in the Uniform System of Financial Records (USFR) and Education Department of General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR). She actively participated in budget meetings with school leaders, providing valuable advice on controlling expenditures within budget limits. Additionally, Priscilla collaborated with external auditors on the Single Audit - Annual Financial Report (AFR) and the Uniform System of Financial Records (USFR).

Accounting & Finance
Casey Johnson

Casey Johnson is an accomplished payroll and bookkeeping professional with over a decade of experience. She honed her skills in the Finance Department at Kingman Unified School District from 2015 to 2022, mastering the Visions payroll system and its various modules. Casey is adept at managing all aspects of payroll, including employee setup, deductions, leave plans, personnel actions, and processing. She also possesses expertise in benefits-related tasks such as reconciliations and annual filings.

In the fall of 2023, Casey transitioned to a new role with the City of Kingman and also established Johnson Bookkeeping Services, LLC. Through her company, she now provides comprehensive payroll assistance and bookkeeping services to businesses, leveraging her extensive knowledge to help clients streamline their processes and is a trusted partner for Sunny Path.

Accounting & Finance

Sunny Path Resource Associates are seasoned professionals with experience across the public procurement spectrum. They engage with our closely with our clients to ensure that all goals are met. Learn more about the team below!
 

Meet the Team

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