Tim Welsh Joins the UVAFinance Team

Tim Welsh has joined UVAFinance as Senior Contract Negotiator and has already noticed one of the best parts of being a part of the team is the diversity of the work and the supportive environment.

His new role according to Welsh, ". . . in a nutshell, means I’m reviewing and helping in the preparation and negotiation of complex (multi-year procurements for the sourcing of enterprise-wide goods and services as required by Academic departments) procurement documents and agreements."

Tim Welsh (left) and family

Part of that review and drafting includes determining if and when to bring in senior management or the Office of University Counsel. Welsh is also part of the effort to standardize and streamline the procurement process, which includes updating processes, documents and so on that are used on a daily basis.

Prior to joining UVA, Welsh was Senior Counsel for Fiserv, a global financial services company for nine years and a practicing attorney for over 25 years, primarily in corporate work and also trying cases at the federal court level.

"While there are many similarities in the work I’m doing, and will be doing, when compared to my previous experiences, this is the first time I’ve worked in higher education and for a state entity," he says. " I’ve found there is a learning curve involved, particularly concerning the open-book policy of UVA when compared to the efforts of private companies to keep everything confidential."

Thus far, Welsh especially enjoy two things about being a part of UVAFinance—the people and the scope of the work.

"I’ve found, without exception, that the people I’ve had an opportunity to work with, particularly those whom I work with regularly, are incredibly smart and talented, while also being kind and engaging," he says. "As to the work, I’m finding it much more diverse and interesting than some of what I was doing as part of a corporate legal team. Rather than dealing with a limited scope of products or services, I’m getting the opportunity to work on something different nearly every day. It's challenging and, as I mentioned, I have a lot to learn, but its also very enjoyable."

Welsh's favorite activity, though curtailed lately, is travel. He also enjoys spending a lot of time with his kids. "They’re all starting to leave the nest, so I’m enjoying it while I can!"