Charlene Wiegrefe is a seasoned procurement and supply chain executive with over 25 years of experience leading strategic sourcing, supplier management, and procurement operations. She joined the University of Texas at Austin about two years ago to bring her private-sector expertise into public procurement, where she leads a team of 38 professionals focused on delivering value through continuous improvement, career development, and process efficiency. Her early accomplishments at UT mapping procurement processes with system integration options to improve campus service levels and relationships.  

At UT Austin, Charlene’s leadership spans procurement activities across central and auxiliary campus operations, major construction projects, the Texas Institute for Electronics, and Dell Medical School. She is deeply committed to fostering cross-campus collaboration, working closely with academic, research, and administrative units to align procurement strategies with institutional priorities. Her approach emphasizes partnership, transparency, and responsiveness to the diverse needs of campus stakeholders. 

Prior to joining UT Austin, Charlene held ten progressively senior roles at Dell Technologies, culminating in two vice president positions. As VP of Server Structural and Packaging Procurement, she led the launch support for 18 new server products, stabilized a high-turnover team, and built resilient supply chain partnerships. As VP of Indirect Procurement, she directed a $7 billion annual spend across global functions, exceeding savings targets and generating $400 million in cost-saving initiatives. 

Charlene is a recognized World 50 Next Leader, having participated in an exclusive executive development program designed for high-potential leaders from globally respected organizations. Through immersive simulations and mentorship from Fortune 500 executives, she strengthened her strategic leadership capabilities, cross-functional collaboration skills, and ability to drive innovation in complex environments. This experience informs her approach to building partnerships across UT Austin’s diverse academic, research, and administrative units. Her leadership has consistently driven operational excellence, talent development, and strategic innovation. 

Charlene is also a graduate of Dell’s GOAL Executive Leadership and CRA Admired Leadership programs. Charlene holds a master’s degree in integrated supply chain management from Michigan State University.