Sheila Lavallies
Certifications Officer, Houston
National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce
Over the years, I have enjoyed working in various industries where I was able to obtain knowledge in many areas. One would not imagine that working in the teaching field, in procurement and purchasing, in administrative professional positions, office management, and as an advisor in law enforcement would leave me with as many knowledgeable benefits as they have. Working as a teacher, I had the pleasure to teach at the very first Harmony Science Academy location within the Cosmos Foundation. In that position, I taught music theory and theater arts whereby I conducted students in three music competitions statewide. I taught my choir at the school, which has a Turkish foundation, to sing “Memlekitim”, a Turkish song about the country of Turkey. The administrator loved it so much that he asked me to have the choir perform in front of the Turkish Consolate that visited and toured our school. I also taught songs in Spanish and orchestrated Cinco de Mayo every year for four years. I had the utmost pleasure of producing and directing the yearly musical productions at Harmony where I was responsible for all fundraising activities for the productions which consisted of nearly 75 students yearly.
I have had the pleasure of working for The Office of The Attorney General in Houston, Texas. I was responsible as the administrative technician for the office and worked directly under the Office Manager. My major responsibilities were to maintain all pertinent private and confidential information within the unit of 36 employees. I conducted job interviews for potential new applicants and advised the office manager on the ones which I felt would be a good fit within the unit. My many responsibilities included scheduling training sessions outside of the Houston area and I made all transportation, housing, and reimbursement arrangements for those employees who were eligible for upgraded training sessions. I was also the Unit Safety Officer and the Unit Ethics Officer.
My most memorable position was as the Purchasing Officer for a company that has a corporate base in China. The Company, Accupack PC Board and Cable Company, built pc boards for computers for various companies in and around the United States. My job was to order all parts and components to be used for each job. This required that I obtain and maintain a viable connection with foreign companies in China, Germany, Canada, and Europe. I have past experience with Honeywell Corporation as a contract buyer and maintained a constant connection with companies in Venezuela and Jamaica where I had to deal with customs issues on a regular basis.
As the Certifications Officer for The National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce, I value being able to interact on a daily basis with individuals providing services and products to the 22 Arab countries. Although I have never visited any of them, I find it very rewarding to be a part of such a great organization where I am made to feel that I am a viable part of the ongoing process.
Certifications Officer, Houston
National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce
Over the years, I have enjoyed working in various industries where I was able to obtain knowledge in many areas. One would not imagine that working in the teaching field, in procurement and purchasing, in administrative professional positions, office management, and as an advisor in law enforcement would leave me with as many knowledgeable benefits as they have. Working as a teacher, I had the pleasure to teach at the very first Harmony Science Academy location within the Cosmos Foundation. In that position, I taught music theory and theater arts whereby I conducted students in three music competitions statewide. I taught my choir at the school, which has a Turkish foundation, to sing “Memlekitim”, a Turkish song about the country of Turkey. The administrator loved it so much that he asked me to have the choir perform in front of the Turkish Consolate that visited and toured our school. I also taught songs in Spanish and orchestrated Cinco de Mayo every year for four years. I had the utmost pleasure of producing and directing the yearly musical productions at Harmony where I was responsible for all fundraising activities for the productions which consisted of nearly 75 students yearly.
I have had the pleasure of working for The Office of The Attorney General in Houston, Texas. I was responsible as the administrative technician for the office and worked directly under the Office Manager. My major responsibilities were to maintain all pertinent private and confidential information within the unit of 36 employees. I conducted job interviews for potential new applicants and advised the office manager on the ones which I felt would be a good fit within the unit. My many responsibilities included scheduling training sessions outside of the Houston area and I made all transportation, housing, and reimbursement arrangements for those employees who were eligible for upgraded training sessions. I was also the Unit Safety Officer and the Unit Ethics Officer.
My most memorable position was as the Purchasing Officer for a company that has a corporate base in China. The Company, Accupack PC Board and Cable Company, built pc boards for computers for various companies in and around the United States. My job was to order all parts and components to be used for each job. This required that I obtain and maintain a viable connection with foreign companies in China, Germany, Canada, and Europe. I have past experience with Honeywell Corporation as a contract buyer and maintained a constant connection with companies in Venezuela and Jamaica where I had to deal with customs issues on a regular basis.
As the Certifications Officer for The National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce, I value being able to interact on a daily basis with individuals providing services and products to the 22 Arab countries. Although I have never visited any of them, I find it very rewarding to be a part of such a great organization where I am made to feel that I am a viable part of the ongoing process.
