María de Lourdes Coss, MPA, FNIGP, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, is an author, transformational procurement leader, executive coach, speaker, and consultant whose career has been defined by transforming organizations and developing the people who lead them.
Over more than three decades in public procurement, including approximately two decades leading major transformation initiatives, Lourdes served in executive and leadership roles with the City of Houston, Cook County, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Public Building Commission of Chicago, and the City of Chicago. As a former Chief Procurement Officer, she experienced firsthand both the complexity of organizational change and the critical role leadership plays in making transformation last.
Those experiences became the foundation for her writing. Lourdes is the author of Procurement Methods: Effective Techniques, which draws upon her extensive procurement expertise, and Seeds of Transformation: Growing Leaders. Strengthening Organizations. Leaving a Legacy., which expands the conversation from transforming procurement practices to transforming people and organizations. At the heart of her work is a simple but powerful belief: sustainable transformation is not achieved through better processes alone—it begins with people, leadership, and purpose.
Today, through M. L. Coss and Associates, LLC, Lourdes works with leaders and organizations to strengthen leadership capacity, elevate performance, and create meaningful, lasting change. A Maxwell Leadership Executive Coach, Speaker, and Trainer, she also holds credentials in emotional intelligence, behavioral assessment, influence, brain training, and neuro-encoding. She has served the procurement profession in numerous leadership and educational capacities, including service on the NIGP Board, and continues to contribute as an instructor, consultant, facilitator, and speaker.
Her contributions to public procurement and leadership have earned significant professional recognition. In 2026, Lourdes received the Albert H. Hall Award, NIGP’s highest individual honor. She is also the recipient of the 2016 Spirit of NIGP Award, the 2018 NIGP Integrity Award, and the 2024 NIGP Leadership Award. Her thought leadership has also been recognized by Thinkers360 among leading women in B2B thought leadership and global procurement influencers.
Lourdes graduated magna cum laude from the University of Puerto Rico and earned her Master of Public Administration from Florida State University.
Beyond her professional work, Lourdes enjoys traveling, hiking, discovering new restaurants, and spending time with her daughter. You may also find her in a café—writing, reflecting, and exploring the next idea that might plant a seed for transformation.
