Activities

PROFESSIONAL HEADSHOTS STATION
MEET-UPS
HALL OF OPPORTUNITIES
PLENARY
BREAKOUTS
NETWORKING RECEPTION
REJUVENATION ROOM
QUIET ROOM

Venue Layout

PROFESSIONAL HEADSHOTS STATION

SALON A

11:30 AM to 1:00 PM

5:20 PM to 6:00 PM

Do you need an updated business headshot that reflects your best self but have been procrastinating because of time, expense, and hassle? Come dressed to impress and let our photographer do the rest!

Visit our Business Headshot station at designated times during the Expo to take your complimentary headshots. You will receive your digital headshot files one week after the event to use in your future speaking engagements, LinkedIn profile, company profile, and wherever else you need it.

MEET-UPS

10:30 AM to 11:45 AM

Meet-Ups will take place in five rooms, grouped by category:

Staffing & Professional Services
Construction & Utilities
Tech & Manufacturing
Finance & Healthcare
Entertainment, Gaming, Hospitality & Government

At our Meet-Ups, participating Corporate Reps and Primes will be stationed at tables waiting for diverse suppliers to walk up and casually introduce themselves and their business, ask procurement questions, get mentoring help, and more. Diverse suppliers do not need to book an appointment in advance. Meet-Ups are unscheduled to promote more relaxed and welcoming connections. Corporate Members can choose how long they would like to speak with someone.

Diverse Suppliers: please wait until the Corporate Member is free before walking up to their table. If they are currently speaking with someone else, please wait your turn. Corporate Members will do their best to speak with everyone who wants to meet with them, but it may not be possible depending on demand and time constraints. Therefore, if you do not get the chance to meet with a Corporate Member, please leave them your business card.

Meet-Up Participants

Construction & Utilities
MEET-UPS

Left Hall, Baden A

Jennifer Aquino

DE&I Coordinator

Jennifer Aquino is the DE&I Coordinator for the Northern Pacific Region and National DEI team. She is a graduate of San Francisco State University and has played an integral role in implementing inclusive, collaborative initiatives, and led regional event planning for programs like Construction Inclusion Week, continuously driving community impact and engagement. She also assists Michelle Nolen (Director of Supplier Diversity & Community Outreach) in ensuring growth of the diverse trade partner community for clients across the region.

Judy Seto

Global Sourcing & Supply Manager

Judy Seto is a Global Sourcing & Supply Manager on the Supplier Diversity Team at Apple. In her role, she is responsible for creating and promoting policies and processes that ensure diverse supplier participation within Apple’s supply chain. Judy currently partners with Apple’s Real Estate & Developments teams in Corporate Facilities and Retail Design, Development and Merchandising.

Karmin Bailey

Supplier Diversity Manager

Karmin Bailey is the Supplier Diversity Manager for Southwest Gas. Karmin brings over 23 years of experience in various roles in finance, procurement, compliance and business diversity. Recognized as an Outstanding Diversity Champion by Columbus Business First in 2020, Karmin strives to think beyond compliance and achieve measurable results in business diversity programs. Karmin has served on the Global Board of Directors and the Diversity & Inclusion subcommittee for the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), and is a member of Government Finance Officers Association and American Contract Compliance Association. Karmin is a graduate of The Ohio State University with dual degrees in Accounting and Finance, and is a Certified Management Accountant, Certified Public Finance Officer and Contract Compliance Administrator.

Lisa Roben

Supplier Diversity Program Manager

Lisa Roben leads Comcast California’s Supplier Diversity Program, which is designed to promote, increase and improve participation of diverse businesses within the procurement process. Lisa and the Comcast California Region team work with incumbent diverse suppliers and provide outreach/technical assistance to prospective diverse suppliers to include Comcast California’s collaboration with business inclusion of women, minority, service-disabled veteran and LGBTQ enterprise.

Mick Penn

Community Relations Manager

Mick Penn works for Swinerton as the Northern California Regional Community Relations Liaison. Mr. Penn spearheads Swinerton’s workforce development, small, diverse, veteran business outreach and community engagement in Northern California. Mr. Penn currently serves on the board of directors of the Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council, Cypress Mandela Training Center, Mission Hiring Hall, Construction Industry Education Foundation Board of Trustees, and the City of Richmond Workforce Development Board. In 2021, Mr. Penn was named the Western Regional Minority Development Council’s Supplier Diversity Leader of the Year and the Associated General Contractors of California’s Construction Education Foundation Friend Award winner. Mr. Penn has a BA from San Francisco State and a Master of Public Administration from University of San Francisco.

Timothy Evans

Supply Chain Responsibility Program Consultant

Timothy Evans serves as a Supply Chain Responsibility Consultant Expert, working on Supplier Diversity, Supplier Sustainability, and Supplier Business Ethics efforts within Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Gas Operations. Timothy joined PG&E in October of 2016. Prior to joining PG&E, Timothy was a Supplier Diversity Specialist for Comcast Cable. While at Comcast, Timothy developed Comcast California Region’s Supplier Diversity program and procedures. Working with many diverse suppliers, community based organizations and supplier diversity professionals within California, Timothy gained tremendous acknowledge about Supplier Diversity and the barriers diverse and small business suppliers face in an everchanging environment. Timothy serves on the Corporate Advisory Board for the American Indian Chamber of Commerce – California Northern Chapter. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Electronic Engineering Technology and a Masters of Business Administration. Timothy is also an Alliance of Supplier Diversity Professionals Certified Supplier Diversity Professional (CSDP). Timothy is married and has two grown daughters. Timothy enjoys traveling, watching sports and reading about successful diverse businesses.

Vanessa Sood

Senior Supplier Diversity Sourcing Manager

Vanessa Sood is responsible for identifying and advocating for diverse businesses with direct and indirect contract opportunities for AT&T. To make meaningful and measurable contributions to the economic growth of diverse companies and communities, Vanessa works directly with Sourcing, Business Units and Prime Suppliers for areas of opportunity to include diverse businesses in competitive bids. In addition, Vanessa manages the front door process for all diverse suppliers interested in the AT&T Supplier Diversity Program at www.attsuppliers.com. In 2003, Vanessa joined Cingular Wireless after graduating from California State University East Bay. She spent several years as a retail account executive supporting authorized retailers in Northern California and later moved into an Operations role for the Northern California Indirect Chanel. In 2012, Vanessa joined Supplier Diversity and now advocates for current and prospective diverse suppliers in their quest to provide products and services to AT&T.

Stephanie Price

Lead Senior Supply Chain Buyer

I have been with Vistra Corporate Services for eleven years. My career with Vistra began as an Administrative Assistant and I have since then worked my way up in the company to my current position of Lead Senior Supply Chain Buyer. This position has allowed me to work with many of our different sites on various projects ranging from standard daily operations to major projects during our Fall & Spring Outage seasons. Currently my focus is on our Moss Landing and Oakland, California sites and Martin Lake site in Texas. Working closely with these sites over the past two years on their major projects has enabled me to accumulate more than $1 million dollars in cost savings for our company, as well as afford me the opportunity to add several diverse/minority vendors to our vendor master. I am proud to be part of a company that is providing electricity across the United States.

Kolin Crowder

Bio and headshot forthcoming!

James Bicamumpaka

Sr. Project Engineer

Originally from the Kingdom of Swaziland, James Bicamumpaka is a Sr. Project Engineer with Webcor Builders. James is currently working on trade procurement, planning, and coordination on the SFO International Terminal Building Roof Upgrade Project. James holds both a Bachelor's and Master's in Civil Engineering from Stanford University. His areas of interest encompass sustainable development, supplier diversity, entrepreneurship, real estate, virtual design and construction (VDC), renewable energy technologies, and humanitarianism.

Noah Rapadas

Procurement Agent

Noah Rapadas is Procurement Agent with Turner Construction and has been with the company for 2 years. Through his role, he has procured work for a number of different types of projects including aviation, life sciences, education, public, and healthcare. As Procurement Agent, Noah is dedicated to ensuring maximization of trade partner interest from local firms and the successful trade buyout process. During this process, he works alongside the entire team to further ensure opportunities are communicated and made available to the small and diverse trade contractor community. Noah supports the prequalification process and assists in ensuring all subcontracts are executed efficiently and fully compliant. Noah’s strengths lie in effective communication, teamwork, and identifying opportunities for our trade partners. Noah is also an integral part of the Turner School of Construction Management Program where he co-leads the “Estimating and Bid Leveling” workshop for diverse business participants.

Courtney Martin

Procurement Agent

Courtney Martin is a Procurement Agent with Turner Construction and has been with the company full-time for 1 year. She also had the opportunity to complete a summer internship with Turner Construction during her junior year of college. Throughout her career so far, she has worked as an Engineer, working closely with trade partners and problem solving on a day-to-day basis. Additionally, she handled closeout for 3 separate projects for a successful turnover to the client. Currently, she is procuring work for an aviation project at SFO. As Procurement Agent, Courtney is dedicated to ensuring maximization of trade partner interest from local firms and the successful trade buyout process. During this process, she works alongside the entire team to further ensure opportunities are communicated and made available to the small and diverse trade contractor community. Courtney supports the prequalification process and assists in ensuring all subcontracts are executed efficiently and fully compliant. Courtney’s strengths lie in communication, organization, and collaboration.

Fred Fox

Business Development

Fred Fox leads development of new markets for Swinerton’s northern California self-perform crews. Swinerton is always looking to share its passion for the trades with owners and general contractors who have not yet had the pleasure of being served by “customer first” teams in the field. We value relationships over transactions, and it shows in the level of investment Swinerton’s self-perform teams make in all the people we engage. Fred has participated on then record setting projects for dollar volume of certified firm engagements in both California and New York. Having additionally owned a business for over 10 years, Fred is positioned to understand the needs of small and diverse business owners as well as the community value of local hiring. Fred has an electrical engineering degree from Penn and has enjoyed living in a dozen states during his journey in our always exciting industry.

Entertainment, Gaming, Hospitality & Government
MEET-UPS

Left Hall, Salon D

Beverly Johnson

Contract Equity Administrator

For over 35 years, Beverly has managed East Bay Municipal Utility District’s Contract Equity (CE) Program, an effective and non-discriminatory contracting and small business enterprise (SBE) incentives program, which provides added value to diverse businesses. Beverly’s active involvement in business development spans over 41 years and has led to over $1 billion in contract awards going to minority and women-owned businesses and to numerous awards and recognitions. Her motto, “M/W/SBE win = EBMUD win.”

Dalia Demian

Outreach Branch Manager

Dalia has over 11 years of experience within State Government and over 15 years in training and marketing. She is the Outreach Branch Manager with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Office of Civil Rights (OCR). The OCR’s Training and Outreach Branch is primarily engaged in activities to promote awareness of and compliance with Caltrans' small business programs: Small Business (SB), Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE), and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE). These activities include, but are not limited to, providing training and technical assistance to internal and external stakeholders, developing reference materials, and organizing and participating in outreach events.

John Tatum

Director of Procurement

I have been in the hospitality industry for 20plus years. I joined Caesars in July of 2022 as Regional Director of Procurement overseeing Las Vegas and Laughlin. Prior to joining Caesars I worked in regional procurement management roles with Boyd Gaming, Penn Gaming and MGM Resorts. I reside in Las Vegas with my wife and three children.

Matt Zweier

Business Outreach Manager

Matt Zweier currently serves as a Business Outreach Manager at the Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services, California Department of General Services. In this role, he educates business owners about the benefits and opportunities of pursuing a Small Business (SB) certification, Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) certification, and contract opportunities with the state of California. Matt previously worked in the California State Assembly and California State University system. His background is in communication, education, and government. He holds a master's degree in communication studies from San Jose State University.

Ron Holmes

Senior Manager, Supplier Diversity

Ron Holmes is currently a Sr. Manager on Apple’s Supplier Diversity team. Ron brings more than 25 years of experience in the technology industry to the role as well as a passion for seeing small and diverse businesses succeed. He has been with Apple since 2005 and during this time has lead efforts in Materials Management, Strategic Supplier Deals, and most recently in Corporate Procurement (Indirect).

Chris Horton

District Director

Bio coming soon!

Steven Franklin

Outreach & Marketing Specialist

Bio, and headshot coming soon!

Finance & Healthcare
MEET-UPS

Right Hall, Salon I-J

Albert BW Louis

CPSM

Albert Louis specializes in high level strategy, business, procurement and materials management. He has held executive positions with fortune 100 companies throughout his career and has over 20 years of corporate management experience that spans across several industries. Albert focuses on the creation of strategy and the alignment of tactics to enhance processes while building robust business processes allowing organizations to compete in the marketplace internationally while utilizing minority-owned businesses.

Donna Ruff

Director, Supplier Diversity and Development

Donna Ruff joined the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team, managing Supplier Diversity & Development at Union Bank in 2018, where the bank was committed to promoting economic vitality in the communities they serve and increasing the number of diverse business enterprises from which they purchase goods and services. Donna brings a unique perspective to Supplier Diversity, having sat on both sides of the table as a prime supplier and as a large corporation that prime suppliers seek to partner with. She works diligently to help diverse businesses do business with the bank and find other growth opportunities for those businesses.

Edna M. Zapata-Fuller

Supplier Diversity Manager

Edna Zapata-Fuller has been in her role as Supplier Diversity Manager since 2016. She joined State Compensation Insurance Fund 30 years ago and started her procurement career in 1999. With over 17 years of Procurement and Contracting experience, Edna believes that her Procurement background plus the support she gets from her senior leaders helps her accomplish and exceed their Supplier Diversity spend goal year after year. As a former small business owner, she relates to the many unique challenges diverse suppliers face.

Ernie Flores

Supplier Diversity and Inclusion Manager

Ernie Flores leads the Supplier Diversity program for Kaiser Permanente. He oversees and advocates for securing a spend worth more than $3.4 billion (2022) with diverse companies in staffing, professional and business services, and marketing sector. Ernie is also responsible for relationship building, supplier diversity compliance efforts, and creating strategic alliances for upcoming sourcing initiatives across the organization.

Rachel Parsons

Supplier Diversity Project Manager for Impact Spending

Rachel Parsons is the Supplier Diversity Project Manager for Impact Spending at Kaiser Permanente. She manages the Impact Spending team’s communications, supplier outreach and events, and their strategic partnerships with external organizations. Rachel has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Management and Operations from California’s Sonoma State University, and a professional certificate in Strategic Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance. Prior to working with Kaiser Permanente, Rachel was the Operations Manager for Clean Tech Lighting and Power, a green energy company, and the lead administrator for UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute, (formerly known as the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society). Rachel’s experience has made her an expert in strategic planning, process optimization, communication and outreach, client relations and adaptive problem-solving. Personally, Rachel enjoys spending time in the redwoods with her partner and dog, singing and playing guitar, and playing RPGs with friends.

Hendry Joesuf

Sourcing and Supplier Diversity Manager

Hendry is currently the sourcing and supplier diversity manager at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. He brings 12+ years of procurement experience and focused on driving strategic supplier diversity initiatives, enhancing vendor relationships and promoting economic growth within the community. He is committed to ensuring diverse supplier participation and driving innovation in the procurement process.

Jesseree Dufourt

Vice President, Global Banking & Markets

Jesseree Dufourt is a Vice President-Relationship Manager for the Bay Area Market in Commercial Banking for Bank of America. Jesseree joined BofA in 2006 starting as a teller. She continued to grow within BofA working in the Large Corporate space supporting a portfolio of fortune 500 companies. Jesseree then transitioned over to Small Business Banking to manage business clients with revenue of over a million dollars. Her goal was to help small businesses meet their priorities around access to capital and cash management. In her current role, Jesseree serves mid-sized companies throughout the East Bay Area to support their commercial banking needs.

LaSandra Hunt

Executive Director, Commercial Banker

As a seasoned financial industry expert advising businesses on strategies for operational efficiencies and navigating growth capital, LaSandra Hunt leverages the full weight of J.P.Morgan Chase to deliver valuable insight and know-how to growing companies. One of the firm’s first Supplier Diversity Ambassador since 2019, she has lead North California efforts to educate internal and external stakeholders on the mission to become the “premier financial institution for diverse enterprises”.

Tanya Nixon

Director, Supplier Diversity | Strategic Sourcing & Procurement - Corporate Services

In her current role, Ms. Nixon is the Director, Supplier Diversity for Aflac. Nixon is responsible for the overall strategy for supplier diversity to include company-wide programs to ensure opportunities for minority-owned vendors to participate in procurement activities; manages relationships with contracted minority, women, veteran, LGBTQ, and service-disabled veterans and the tracking and reporting of the diverse spend. Identifies, evaluates, and develops sourcing and purchasing practices meant to promote diversity among the organization’s suppliers and contractors. Ms. Nixon is just two weeks into her new role and excited about the opportunities before her. Prior to joining Aflac, for two years, Nixon was Director, Supplier Diversity & Responsible Sourcing at Visa Inc. Prior to joining Visa, Nixon served for over ten years as a Manager, for the National Supplier Diversity/Impact Spending at Kaiser Permanente, the $80-plus billion Oakland, California-based healthcare organization.

Angela Phillips

Bio and headshot forthcoming!

Leslie Flemings

Bio coming soon!

Kwame A. Fields

Senior Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Chief Diversity Officer (CDO)

Kwame lives in the San Francisco Bay area and is a graduate of the University of Michigan College of Engineering. Kwame has an MBA in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix . Kwame has been a Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) since 2005 and in 2021 he received Diversity Equity and Inclusion Certificates from Cornell University and the University of Michigan. Mr. Fields began his career with Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) as an intern specializing in application development and security architecture. Kwame has held several security operations and risk management controls positions in multiple industries that include energy and utilities, healthcare supply chain, retail banking, and securities. Now the CISO and CDO at the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBSF) Kwame is using his diverse experience and expertise to support an inclusive working culture and mature the cyber security program to meet the complex needs of the Bank’s employees and member institutions. In his free time Kwame likes to travel with his family, pretend to be a mechanic working on his 1971 Datsun 240z, or play video games. You can find out more about Kwame’s experience and interests on LinkedIn.

Virginia Lederer

Senior Director/Business Partner Procurement

Virginia Lederer has 20 years of experience working in contracts and procurement. She has worked in the indirect and direct procurement organizations with a primary focus on Information Technology in the life science, hospitals, software, mortgage insurance and computer consumables. Virginia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management Saint Mary’s College Moraga, CA. As a Senior Director/Business Partner Procurement professional with the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. Her focus is continuing to expand the Diverse footprint within the FHLBSF.

Bio and headshot forthcoming!

Staffing & Professional Services
MEET-UPS

Right Hall, Salon G-H

Georgina Moreno

Executive Director, Procurement

I’m a Las Vegas resident with 15+ years of experience in indirect and direct sourcing employed by Las Vegas Sands Corp. as an Executive Director of Procurement. I graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas with a B.S. in Hotel Administration. Current procurement oversight ranges from professional services, benefits, facility, marketing, print, operating supplies, entertainment to food and beverage.

Lili Kwan

Senior Manager, Racial Equality and Justice Taskforce - Purchasing

Lili Kwan is a seasoned supply chain responsibility professional with decades-long experience in sourcing and developing sustainable and inclusive supply chains. She has implemented various programs that advance equity and justice in the diverse business community, many in partnership with community-based organizations. These include technical assistance training, mentorship, and prime supplier engagement programs. Her deep business operations background also includes management of regulatory compliance, supplier risk, metrics and reporting, communication strategy, and engagement.

Ashley Araujo

Global Sourcing Manager

Ashley Araujo is a Global Sourcing Manager at Salesforce and is responsible for supporting the Contingent Workforce Solutions program, ensuring workers are classified appropriately and adherence to compliance requirements. She manages the supplier community and supports Salesforce’s supplier diversity and DEI initiatives. Ashley has more than 12 years of experience in the contingent workforce space. She first started as a recruiter, then moved into the Director of an MSP role, and eventually landed at Salesforce. Her experience comes full circle and encompasses all things contingent labor. Ashley partners with the Supplier Diversity team to further develop Salesforce's DEI goals and creates diverse hiring strategies within the contingent workforce programs at Salesforce.

Lou Rosas

Director Supplier Inclusion

Lou Rosas is Director Supplier Inclusion at Robert Half, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm. He is responsible for the management of the company’s U.S. supplier inclusion initiative to include diverse suppliers in all aspects of the supply chain and to support diverse business organizations in their business development efforts. Lou joined Robert Half after a long career with AT&T. At AT&T Lou held a variety of management positions most notably Director External Affairs - Contra Costa County and Associate Director Supplier Diversity. For over 20 years he has been an active supporter and champion for diverse businesses, partnering with numerous organizations nationwide. Lou is also a Veteran having served in the United States Air Force for 8 years with field assignments in Japan and Korea, and a staff assignment at the National Security Agency in Washington D.C. Lou became involved in local politics in 1993 and through an extensive grass-roots campaign, Lou was elected to the Concord City Council in November 1993. Councilmember Rosas became Mayor Rosas on November 21, 1995 and served as the first Latino Mayor in Concord’s history.

Shivangi Bajpai

Category and Supplier Manager at Cisco

Category and Supplier Manager at Cisco – Global contingent workforce professional who draws experience from staffing, MSP(Building, implementing, and managing global CW programs) and buyer side of the ecosystem. In her current role, she is a trusted advisor managing indirect spend with stakeholders and supplier partners driving transformational and strategic sourcing initiatives for simple and smarter contingent workforce management and procurement.

Scott Vowels

Manager, Supplier Diversity

Scott A. Vowels is part of the Supplier Diversity Team at Apple Inc. and author of the highly successful book “Hacking Supplier Diversity.” He is a recognized thought leader and expert in the field of supplier diversity. His experience comprises over 20 years in procurement and 10 years in supplier diversity.

Tech & Manufacturing
MEET-UPS

Left Hall, Baden B

Alex Fitzpatrick

Bio, and headshot coming soon!

Michelle Picard

Director Business Governance & Risk Management / DBE Liaison Officer

Michelle Picard is currently Director, Business Governance and Risk Management and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Liaison Officer for Siemens Mobility’s North American Rolling Stock headquarters in Sacramento, CA. As DBE Liaison Officer, Michelle partners with procurement and advocacy groups to help establish relationships with businesses recognized as small or diverse. Michelle leads the DEI Education & Inclusion Council for Siemens Mobility North America.

Sal Peinado, Jr.

Head of Responsible Sourcing

Sal joined Autodesk Inc., in October 2020. He is responsible for developing and implementing Autodesk Inc.’s global supplier diversity program. He currently serves on the Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council’s board of directors. Prior to Autodesk Inc., Sal was Sr. Supplier Diversity Consultant at CSAA Insurance Group, where he was responsible for developing its Supplier Diversity program. He is past Chair of the California Department of Insurance Diversity Task Force. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from UC Berkeley and a Master’s degree in Economics from San Jose State University. Sal also taught courses in Microeconomics and Investments at San Jose State University.

David Pell

Expert Consultant, Supply Chain Responsibility

David Pell has devoted his career to promoting the value of supplier diversity as a small business owner, consultant and fulltime employee. In April of 2013, Pell assumed a fulltime position with PG&E as a supplier diversity expert. In that role, he has responsibility for implementing key supplier diversity initiatives to increase PG&E supplier diversity program performance. Prior to joining PG&E, Pell spent eleven years as a consultant to AT&T Enterprise Sales where here was responsible for leveraging supplier diversity to increase revenue with AT&T’s largest customers in the Federal, state / local government , and fortune 100 market segments. Pell was also instrumental in creating the first highly successful diverse value-added reseller in the telecommunications industry while working for Nortel Networks. In his earlier years, Pell had the opportunity utilize his organizational development and transformational skills helping some of Northern California’s largest corporations develop more effective supplier diversity programs. When Pell first moved to the San Francisco Bay Area from the Midwest, he experienced firsthand the growing power of supplier diversity when he and wife established a marketing communications consulting firm and joined one of the first women business organizations in the Bay Area. Pell hold a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Wittenberg University, is a graduate of the Anderson School of Management at UCLA Management Development for Entrepreneurs program, and recently was awarded the Energy and Emerging Technologies Certificate by the Stanford University Center for Professional Development.

Julia Reynolds

Leader, Supplier Diversity Program Manager, SBLO

Social equity requires consistent advocacy and focus. Supplier Diversity is one of the best ways to address local and global issues in wealth generation with underrepresented groups. Julia has been passionate about the issues and solutions from her educational focus to current role supporting HPE's program development.

Kathleen Wong

Manager, Supplier Diversity

Kathleen is Adobe’s Manager for Supplier Responsibility. Her work involves designing high-impact strategic corporate engagements in sustainability and diversity. She is building out Adobe’s Supplier Diversity approach to create more opportunities for diverse business while adding greater business value and innovation.

Alex Aceves

Supplier Diversity, Enablement Lead at Google

Alex is a program manager on the Google Supplier Diversity and Sustainability team. Responsible for building and enhancing Google’s Community Impact when it comes to supplier diversity and workforce diversity programs. Having personally benefited from the energy and opportunity that Supplier Diversity brings to all, as a small business owner in the past he is excited to help further Google’s positive impact in this space. Prior joining the Supplier Diversity Team Alex worked in several roles stretching from strategy, operations and procurement at Google, Johnson & Johnson and PwC. Alex also worked as an entrepreneur, launching and expanding a home organization company to 60 U.S. retail locations and separately a financial advising insurance company helping minority-owned businesses with financial planning.

Aleah Menefee

Business Diversity Program Manager

Aleah Menefee brings more than 13 years of program management experience in the community development, economic empowerment and supplier diversity fields. In her current role as CDW’s Business Diversity Program Manager, she leads highly visible projects while advocating for the inclusion of diverse-owned suppliers. CDW’s Business Diversity Program partners with more than 1,400 diverse business enterprises and in 2022 alone CDW’s efforts resulted in $3.6 billion in spend globally.

Bianca Corinna Diaz

Senior Program Manager, Education and Awareness Supplier Diversity & Inclusion

Bianca Diaz is Senior Program Manager for the Supplier Diversity & Inclusion (SD&I) team in Amazon's Global Procurement Organization. She is responsible for increasing employee engagement and building awareness of the economic impact of SD&I through the management of the team's communications and engagement strategy. Previously, Bianca was Vice President, Senior Strategy and Integration Consultant for Social Impact and Sustainability at Wells Fargo. In 2020, Bianca was named a Golden Spoke Champion, Wells Fargo's highest employee recognition for outstanding performance and consistent demonstration of excellence in leadership, teamwork, and risk management. As a second-generation Latina from California's Central Valley, Bianca saw first-hand the struggles faced by communities that lack the resources to succeed. She is inspired by her parents, who taught her the value of entrepreneurship, a strong work ethic, and the importance of supporting the local community. Driven by their example, she has devoted her career to working in the nonprofit and corporate responsibility sector. She is also a member of the San Francisco Latina Giving Circle for the Latino Community Foundation and volunteers with local food banks and educational nonprofits. Bianca enjoys staying up to date on pop culture (especially BTS), bike riding, traveling, visiting museums, and reading and collecting books. She lives in San Francisco with her partner, Matt, and their senior poodle, Wookiee.

Monica Wright

Category Manager, GPO Construction

Monica Wright is a Procurement professional with a strong passion for diversity, equity and inclusion. Monica serves as a current lead in Amazon affinity groups BEN and GESS DEI to lead initiatives that create more opportunities for underserved and under-represented communities through Amazon sponsored events, partnerships with national professional networking associations, HBCU career fairs and mentoring programs. As a Category Manager, Global Procurement Operations (GPO) supporting Construction MEP NA, EU and ECCF for Amazon, she has been instrumental in cross-team collaboration and partnerships to increase standardization, process improvements and spend strategies. She is a part of a team that is aligned with Amazon’s mission in creating more Amazon partnerships with certified Diverse Owned and Small Businesses (DOSBs) through outreach and engagement. To that effort, she brings extensive industry knowledge and procurement skills to help identify potential opportunities within GPO for DOSBs. During her career at Amazon, Monica has also served as a Site Procurement Manager, managing the relationship with suppliers supporting services and consumables for various ARS, TNS AND IXD sites and assisted with onboarding and coaching SPMs for new launches across Southern California. Before joining Amazon, Monica has worked in Procurement for over 10 years supporting a variety of industries including, Real Estate, Insurance, Technology and Marketing. Monica, was born and currently resides in Los Angeles. She has also lived in Houston, Texas and Denver, Colorado. She earned an M.B.A. in Global Business and Marketing from Southern New Hampshire University. Monica enjoys traveling and spending time with her family, including her spouse, 12 year old daughter and 8 year old fur baby.

Xavier Webb

Supplier Diversity Sourcing Specialist

Xavier has been in the current role for 2 years at Adobe. Prior to that, Xavier has spent numerous years in technical accounting and finance roles at companies such as Oracle, Brocade, and VMWARE. Xavier is currently Board Member of the Mid-Peninsula Chapter of the United Nations Association, where he engages with civic leaders on incorporating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals at the local level. In addition, he also has a role as a commissioner on the Human Relations Commission for the City of Mountain View. In his spare time, he officiates sports in the San Francisco area.

New participants will be added periodically! Keep checking back.

HALL OF OPPORTUNITIES

Open All Day

WRMSDC’s Expo will have two Halls of Opportunities, where we will display upcoming opportunities from Corporate Members and primes, as well as B2B opportunities, along with key details like how to engage, contact info, restrictions, timelines, etc.

PLENARY

1:15 PM to 2:55 PM

Cecil Plummer

President & CEO

Cecil Plummer is the president and a member of the Board of Directors for the Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council. Plummer formerly worked with Robert Half for 17 years and left his most recent position as the Director of CSS Strategic Solutions to join the Council. Plummer has over 13 years of executive leadership experience and possesses a solid background in strategic sourcing, change management, performance and process improvement, Supplier Diversity, strategic planning, and risk management.

Tanya Nixon

Director, Supplier Diversity | Strategic Sourcing & Procurement - Corporate Services

Albert BW Louis

CPSM

Timothy McLaughlin

Director of Supplier Diversity

Tim McLaughlin is Director of Supplier Diversity is responsible for developing, maintaining and administering San Jose Water’s Utility Supplier Diversity Program (USDP) and supports San Jose Water Group (SJW Group) Supplier Diversity Programs in Connecticut, Maine and Texas. Tim has served in several volunteer leadership capacities including 2016-2019 past President of the Industry Council for Small Business Development (ICSBD), Institute of Supply Management’s (ISM) Diversity Committee, Disabled Veteran Business Alliance Advisory Council, and the National Utility Diversity Council’s (NUDC) Advisory Committee. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Integrated Manufacturing and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering.

Ryan McKamie

CEO

Ryan McKamie is CEO and co-founder of Certus Cybersecurity, a leading provider of information security services. Certus Cybersecurity currently serves Fortune 100 enterprises, including the largest US bank by assets and several of the largest US corporations by market value.

Camille Hampton

Senior Vice President, Sales Support Manager

Camille Hampton is a Senior Vice President and Sales Support Manager at Bank of America. In this role, Camille leads a team of sales support associates and administrative assistants to drive operational excellence, sales readiness, and market effectiveness for two high-growth markets generating over $100MM in combined revenue. She is a thought leader in the development, implementation and inspection of strategic growth initiatives designed to responsibly capture incremental market share of mid-size businesses generating between $5-$50MM in annual sales. Active in the community, Camille holds several leadership positions in San Francisco and the surrounding communities. The key tenets of her work include building accessible, diverse educational pathways in K-8 independent education, as well as driving the education and empowerment of women and girls. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Marin Country Day School in Corte Madera, CA where she chairs the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee. She also serves on the Strategic Planning, Finance, and Governance committees. Camille also spearheaded an alumnae mentoring program for her alma mater Katherine Delmar Burke School, an independent K-8 girls school in San Francisco, CA. She serves as a mentor for teammates across Bank of America as an executive sponsor of the Pacific Southwest Leadership Council, and a founding member of the Northern California Black Executive Leadership Team. Camille joined the bank in 2010, and has held a variety of roles in both retail and commercial lines of business. Prior to her career in banking, Camille spent over ten years as professional choreographer and performer for the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings dance teams. She is the former head coach of the award-winning University of California Davis dance team and has appeared in commercials for major brands including Nike. A San Francisco native, Camille received her Bachelors of Science degree in Economics from the University of San Francisco. She resides in San Francisco.

Demeshia Swanson

Business Outreach Program Manager

Demeshia Swanson serves as the Business Outreach Program Manager within the Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (OSDS) for the CA Department of General Services. She has over a decade of experience in OSDS with certification, regulations, compliance, reporting and outreach. Her Team helps small, diverse, and DVBE businesses thrive by teaching them "how to" access state procurement opportunities through outreach, education, and advocacy.

Gigi Orta

Managing Director and Wealth Advisor

Gigi Orta is a Managing Director and Wealth Advisor with J.P. Morgan Private Bank, serving the San Francisco Bay area. She draws on 20 years of experience as a practicing attorney to design estate planning and tax strategies for affluent families, successful executives, tech entrepreneurs, founders and startups. Gigi takes a proactive approach to open up the breadth of opportunities derived from sophisticated wealth guidance. She is deeply knowledgeable about generational transfer, asset protection and charitable giving. Gigi has an innate ability to explain complex topics in a way that is relatable and clear. Enthusiastic about working with clients, she has built a reputation for her thought leadership in this space. Before joining J.P. Morgan, Gigi founded Osterloh & Orta, a boutique estate planning firm. Previously, she was an attorney at Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May and its successor ReedSmith. In recognition of her commitment to excellence, Gigi was named a Northern California estate planning “Super Lawyer” for nine consecutive years. Gigi received an L.L.M. in Taxation, with honors, from Golden Gate University of Law. She holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of San Francisco and a B.S. from Syracuse University. Gigi is an adjunct professor of law at John F. Kennedy University School of Law, where she has taught Wills & Trusts, Estate Planning and Community Property. Considered a subject matter expert among her professional colleagues, Gigi is a contributing author of Decedent’s Estate Practice. She is a member of the East Bay Estate Planning Council, the San Francisco Estate Planning Council, the Asian American Bar Association, and the California Bar Association Trusts and Estates Section. Gigi currently serves on the Professional Advisory Council of the San Francisco Foundation. Previously, she was a founding member of East Bay Trusts & Estates Lawyers and served as President of the Board of Directors of Camp Augusta. A native San Franciscan, Gigi lives in the East Bay and enjoys spending time with her three children, reading, exercise, food and travel, preferably all on the same day

Laura Higgins

Executive Director, Head of Supplier Relationship Management

Laura Higgins is an Executive Director, Head of Supplier Management at J.P. Morgan Chase. Laura joined the firm in May, 2015 to build a new team focused on elevating relationships with the bank’s strategic partners, Gold Suppliers, leading to increased value for both the bank and its partners . As part of this she and her team led the Gold Suppliers to strengthen their Supplier Diversity programs and increase their spending with diverse owned business by in excess of $10B in under two years. In addition, her team enables the bank’s Commercial and Investment Banking sales and client relationship management efforts by helping to bring additional value to clients beyond traditional financial services including enabling the bank’s focus on providing financial solutions to diverse owned businesses and underserved communities. Prior to joining JP Morgan Chase, Laura spent 15 years at Deutsche Bank in New York City where she held a variety of technology, COO, and supply chain leadership roles. Laura holds a B.S. in Accounting and Management Information Systems from the University of Delaware and currently resides in San Francisco with her husband Brian, their 3 sons and dog Izzy.

Surendra Sarnikar

Associate Professor of Management

Surendra Sarnikar is a Professor in the Department of Management and Coordinator for the Master of Science in Business Analytics Program at the College of Business and Economics, California State University East Bay. He holds a PhD in Management Information Systems from the University of Arizona. His research interests include business analytics, machine learning and healthcare analytics. He has published over 60 articles in Information Systems journals and conferences, and has won best paper awards for his work in analytics and healthcare information systems at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences and the International Conference on Information Systems.

Corecia Davis

Sr. Director of Human Resources and Compliance

Corecia Davis serves as the Sr. Director of Human Resources and Compliance at SBM where she also leads the company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative alongside Chief Corporate Sponsors. She earned her undergraduate degree from UCLA and a graduate degree from Pepperdine University where she focused on Labor and Employment. Corecia has an extensive background in Human Resources and Compliance specifically in the real estate and property management industries where she served as the VP of Human Resources of a large real estate firm for over 7 years.

Renee Boyce

President & CEO

My Next Career Path (MNCP) Staffing is a Nevada-based staffing and professional services firm that provides resources to private and public sector firms and agencies nationwide. When assistance is needed, we are here to make your next the best. From accounting, system/network administrators, project managers, developers, clinical/healthcare workers, designers, customer service experts, and marketing specialists - we have talented professionals readily available to assist you.

Belinda Guadarrama

CEO

Belinda Guadarrama founded GC Micro in 1986. GC Micro is a provider of integrated hardware and software systems and solutions to the defense and aerospace industries, federal agencies and Fortune 500 companies. GC Micro is rated one of the 500 largest U.S. Hispanic-owned companies by Hispanic Business Magazine. Ms. Guadarrama is co-chair of the Dell GovEvolve advocacy organization representing IT firms involved in Federal contracting. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Summit State Bank. Ms. Guadarrama has served as Chair of the NASA Minority Business Resource Advisory Committee. The committee worked with NASA and its contractors to ensure the participation of minority-owned firms in the future of space exploration. Ms. Guadarrama also served as a member of the U.S. Department of Energy Task Force on Small Business Development.

Beverly Norman-Cooper

Chief Strategist

Reimagining Economic Regeneration Strategies, LLC

Beverly Norman-Cooper is the President/Owner of Reimagining Economic Regeneration Strategies, LLC, a Black, woman-owned strategic and management advisory and consulting firm based in Baltimore, MD. The company helps large corporations, small-to-midsize companies, anchor institutions and non-profits harness the power of inclusive and diverse purchasing to regenerate communities and improve lives. She is the former Executive Director of National Supplier Diversity at Kaiser Permanente, where she oversaw increased spend with certified women- and minority-owned companies from approximately $1.3 billion when she took the role in 2015 to more than $2.3 billion when she retired from the healthcare company in 2018.

Vic Baker

Founder & CEO

Dr. Vic Baker is the founder and CEO of Equitify, LLC - a professional development solutions provider that focuses on optimizing organizational structures to foster equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace atmospheres while maximizing performance. Dr. Baker's executive leadership spanned more than 25 years as an executive in the energy industry, where he has led teams in engineering, operations, procurement, innovation, safety, customer service, community relations, and government relations. Victor has also served on the Board of Directors for many local, regional and national organizations. "The most successful people have an extra something that sets them apart, a combination of grit, passion, perseverance and stamina. This quality enables them to stay focused on their dreams and objectives until they are realized."

BREAKOUTS

3:10 PM to 5:10 PM

Breakout Rooms are designed to provide a casual setting for Corporate Members, Buyers, and Industry Leaders to speak directly with diverse suppliers about a range of relevant topics. It will also equip diverse suppliers with tools and strategies to increase their business by hearing directly from potential and current clients.

Staffing & Professional Services
Construction & Utilities
Tech & Manufacturing
Finance & Healthcare
Entertainment, Gaming, Hospitality & Government

Topics Covered:

State of the Industry
AI, Machine Learning, & Emerging Technologies
Sourcing, Bidding, & Rules of Engagement
Rapid-Fire Opportunities
Audience Q&A and more!
Industry Hot Topics

Each Breakout Room will have a Lead Moderator and Co-Moderator, certified MBEs who have been selected to direct activities and topics within their room. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions when the moderators open the floor for Q&As.

Construction & Utilities
BREAKOUTS

Left Hall, Baden A

⭐ MBE Moderators ⭐

Heman Chand

Vice President

Heman Chand has 20+ years of experience in the Construction Industry and is part of the Ownership Group at S+B James Construction (MBE). Chand has been an active participant with WRMSDC for the past two years and what he enjoys the most about being a part of WRMSDC is the ability to give back to others.

Akash Kapoor

Bio forthcoming!

Jammie Hsu

Owner

Jammie Hsu, owner of Proforma element 7, started her journey in the promo and print world in 2006. Her company provides marketing programs and solutions. Proforma applies creativity and innovation to your business challenges—from the development of brochures and promotional items to the execution of marketing campaigns and ecommerce solutions—making us the one source for all your brand marketing and graphic communications needs. Jammie is passionate about helping customers, volunteering in her community and spending time with family, especially her 4-1/2 year-old son Trey, who is now her ex-coworker.

⭐ Participating Reps ⭐

Lisa Roben

Supplier Diversity Program Manager

Vanessa Sood

Senior Supplier Diversity Sourcing Manager

Mick Penn

Community Relations Manager

Timothy Evans

Supply Chain Responsibility Program Consultant

Alejandro Serrudo

Principal, Supply Chain Responsibility

Alejandro is a Supplier Diversity Principal at Pacific Gas and Electric Company. He is responsible for working with Electric Operations in strategies to increase spend with diverse businesses, foster supply chain environmental sustainability best practices and supplier code of conduct compliance. In addition, he supports the second tier spend growth, by collaborating with PG&E’s prime suppliers to increase their subcontracting efforts with certified diverse suppliers. Alejandro serves on the PG&E Pride Network Employee Resource Group as Director of Professional Development.

Michelle Nolen

Director of Community Outreach & Supplier Diversity, Northern Pacific Region

Michelle Nolen is responsible for building relationships with small and diverse firms within the construction industry and develops programs that reinforce McCarthy’s commitment to build stronger and more vibrant communities where we live and work. She leads Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives through the McCarthy National Supplier Diversity and Community Outreach programs to promote small and diverse business partnerships. Michelle has worked on many private and public works design-build projects including projects at SFO, SFPUC, Kaiser, UC Davis and California State Universities. She has over thirty years of construction industry experience which includes work in project management, field supervision and estimating, as well as ten years in procurement and compliance roles that included fostering and implementing DE&I best practices during procurement and construction. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and a Masters of Business Administration focusing on finance from the University of California at Berkeley.

Judy Seto

Global Sourcing & Supply Manage

Kathleen Lassle

Sr. Compliance Manager

Ms. Lassle is a CA licensed Civil and Mechanical Engineer serving in the role of Senior Compliance Manager for Webcor’s San Jose area projects. She oversees contract and regulatory compliance as well as the Diverse Business Enterprise program, Local Workforce Development, and Community Engagement in the South Bay Area. She previously served in the same role for the $1.3 billion UC Merced 2020 project, which doubled the size of the UC Merced campus. With an extensive work history in the construction industry in roles ranging from project engineer to estimator to owner’s representative for Bay Area companies including Kaiser Permanente, Clorox, and Sutter Health, she has a particular interest in encouraging young people to consider career opportunities in the design and construction business. In her free time, Kathleen is a textile artist and enjoys hands on home remodeling projects.

Robert Kertsman

Senior Procurement Analyst

Bio and headshot forthcoming!

Fred Fox

Business Development

Dominic Ashley

Associate Account Executive

Dominic is an Associate Account Executive supporting Managing Director, Alex Tokar. In this role, he is responsible for the day-to-day management and servicing of our client’s insurance programs. This includes the coordination and facilitation of the marketing processes, policy review, contract review, certificate production & delivery, auto identification cards, premium allocation and fulfilling any other needs and requests of our clients. During his time with Aon, Dominic has worked with the Project Solutions Team on various OCIP’s as well as managed several contractor insurance renewals.

Entertainment, Gaming, Hospitality & Government
BREAKOUTS

Left Hall, Salon D

⭐ MBE Moderators ⭐

Luis Miguel

CEO

When Luis Miguel founded Avantpage in 1996, he saw a need for a language firm dedicated to making the benefits of living in the U.S. accessible to people with limited English proficiency. This belief continues to drive us today. Avantpage is a linguistic bridge that connects people, cultures, and communities through understanding. We provide exceptional translation and interpretation support to healthcare, government, elections, education, and other sectors critical to the wellbeing of non-English-speaking populations.

Mellissa Tong

Newscaster turned Award-winning Storyteller | Best Selling Author | International Speaker | Film & Video Director/Producer

Ms. Tong is a three-time #1 Best Selling Author on Amazon, Award- winning Storyteller, and Founder/CCO of a Creative Marketing and Content Production Company, DuckPunk Productions, Inc. At DuckPunk, Ms. Tong works with businesses to build their brand, drive sales and win more customers. Her work includes branding and marketing, storytelling training, TV commercials and branded content. Some of her clients have seen sales increase up to 400%. Her previous clients are Westin, Nissan, Verizon, Wells Fargo, CBS, California Department of Health, just to name a few. Awards she won include Clio, Addy, Telly, Best of Business in Video Production for nine consecutive years starting in 2012, and a dozen more from film festivals across the country. Celebrities she’s worked with include Shaquille O’Neal, Bryan Cranston, Keke Palmer, Arsenial Hall, to name a few.

⭐ Participating Reps ⭐

Dalia Demian

Outreach Branch Manager

Beverly Johnson

Contract Equity Administrator

Roger Cheng

Sr. Supplier Diversity Sourcing Manager

Roger Cheng recently joined AT&T as a Sr. Supplier Diversity Sourcing Manager. Prior to AT&T, Roger spent the previous 14+ years with M/WBEs in the technology space leading business development through Supplier Diversity. Roger, also known as “The Voice,” has served as emcee or VOG for several organizations across the country. In 2017, Roger was recognized as the #Hes4Shes Champion at the WBENC National Conference.

Demeshia Swanson

Business Outreach Program Manager

Johnathan Tatum

Director of Procurement

Johnathan Tatum has been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years. He joined Caesars in July of 2022 as the Regional Director of Procurement, overseeing Las Vegas and Laughlin. Prior to joining Caesars, he worked in regional procurement management roles with Boyd Gaming, Penn Gaming and MGM Resorts International.

Ron Holmes

Senior Manager, Supplier Diversity

Renee Boyce

President & CEO

Shelly Brown

Diversity Solutions Leader

Shelly Brown leads Aon’s Diversity Solutions practice which is an integrated enterprise economic inclusion strategy engaging colleagues, clients and partners. He is a catalyst for profitable growth, innovator, value driver and is passionate about investing in underserved communities. He is a charter member of the firm’s Global Inclusive Leadership Council and an Advisory Council member of the Aon Apprenticeship Program. Through #AonUnited, the latest Aon initiative driving colleague collaboration, he aims to deliver the best of the firm to clients, continuing Aon’s transformation into a leading global professional services firm. Prior to joining the firm, he led Supplier Diversity & Business Development strategies at Johnson Controls’ manufacturing and construction businesses.

Mark McComas

Business Opportunity Specialist

Mark McComas has worked at the U. S. SBA San Francisco District Office as a Business Opportunity Specialist in the 8(a) Business Development Program for 9 years. Mark has also served as a Business Development Specialist with the U. S. Department of Commerce/Minority Business Development Agency. Mark holds a Level II Federal Contracting certification and assists companies with Federal contracts. Mark is also a specialist in all of the Federal Small Business Certifications. He has served in the WOSB, HUBZone and 8(a) SBA certification processing units. Mark has been recognized for his outstanding customer service and received a National Award from the Department of Commerce. Mark was also appointed to serve on the White House Executive Order - Strong Cities/Strong Communities during the Obama - Biden Administration.

Finance & Healthcare
BREAKOUTS

Right Hall, Salon I-J

⭐ MBE Moderators ⭐

Ray Arzate

Managing Partner / Owner

Ray Arzate is a veteran videographer and video editor who won an “oscar” in high school. He carried his video camera everywhere. His church youth leader awarded him an “oscar award” for best documentarian. He still displays that small, plastic award on his desk. It now sits next to his dozens of real Emmy, AP Broadcasters, Edward R. Murrow, Promax, and NPPA Best of Photojournalism Awards. Ray is co-founder and managing partner of Storyville Road, a full-service video production and media coaching company. Prior to starting his own business, Ray served as chief photographer at the NBC & FOX affiliate stations in Las Vegas as well as creative services promotions manager of the latter. He has also worked at television stations in Atlanta, Nashville and El Paso, TX. Ray serves on the Executive Board of Governors for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences- Pacific Southwest Chapter. He also chairs the documentary division for the National Press Photographer’s Association (NPPA) Best of Photojournalism Awards.

Madelyn Mackie

Madelyn Mackie is the career activator! As a Certified Career Management Coach, member of the National Résumé Writers’ Association, and former board member of the National Speakers Association, Madelyn offers conference keynotes, professional development trainings, and career coaching to help her clients design unique, job-getting documents, build successful career plans, and create lifelong success. Her clients have landed positions at AAA of Northern California, American Red Cross, AutoDesk, Contra Costa County, Kaiser Permanente, Mozilla, Safeway, Pacific Gas & Electric, Tripit.com, NFL Super Bowl Host Committee, Wells Fargo Bank NA, and several tech firms, health care agencies, and nonprofit organizations. A sample of Madelyn’s resume work can be found in Modernize Your Resume: Get Noticed … Get Hired (Emerald Publishing) by master resume writers Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark and she has been quoted in articles on Glassdoor.com, Ivy Exec, and A Great Days Work. Madelyn draws on her experience of navigating four high-profile careers – the lab (as a published biochemistry researcher), the stage (as a stage and production administrator at four Tony Award–winning theaters), the C-suite (as an officer with the American Red Cross), and the owner’s box (CEO of Madelyn Mackie & Associates, a career management and professional development firm) – to help individuals activate their career dreams.

Babi Thapa

Founder

Babi is founder of Shirubaa Inc., a consulting company focused in virtualization, data storage and cloud technology. Prior to Shirubaa, Babi worked in various management positions with 30+ direct reports under her organization. Babi is passionate about organizational leadership, social entrepreneurship and giving back to the community. Shirubaa is a consulting and staffing company located in Silicon Valley. We have been helping many fortune 1000 companies with our expertise in storage technology and cloud technology since 2011.

⭐ Participating Reps ⭐

Albert BW Louis

CPSM

Donna Ruff

Director, Supplier Diversity and Development

Laura Higgins

Executive Director, Head of Supplier Relationship Management

Ernie Flores

Supplier Diversity and Inclusion Manager

Lynn Reddrick

Assistant Vice President, Supplier Diversity & Business Partners

Lynn Reddrick is the AVP of Supplier Diversity and Sourcing at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and is responsible for developing, implementing, and administering those programs in the Twelfth Federal Reserve District. Lynn is an advocate for fair inclusion of diverse businesses in the procurement process. She serves on the board of directors for the WRMSDC, Women’s Business Enterprise Council-Pacific, and the Financial Services Roundtable for Supplier Diversity. She is also a member of the Executive Committee for the Bay Area Business Roundtable.

Tanya Nixon

Director, Supplier Diversity | Strategic Sourcing & Procurement - Corporate Services

Peter Lee

Supplier Diversity Director

Peter is Supplier Diversity Director at The Cigna Group. He joined the company in February 2022 bringing over 15 years of supply chain and supplier diversity experience to help drive supplier inclusion at The Cigna Group. Prior to joining The Cigna Group, Peter was the Vice President of Supplier Diversity at Wells Fargo & Company, where he helped increase the bank’s diverse spend and foster relationships with national organizations and outreach to local business communities.

Staffing & Professional Services
BREAKOUTS

Right Hall, Salon G-H

⭐ MBE Moderators ⭐

Shabana Siraj

CEO

Shabana Siraj is the Founder & CEO of Trident Consulting, an IT/Engineering staffing company that has displayed tremendous growth over the past decade. Shabana built her business based on the tenets of Trust, Transparency and Tenacity and is constantly striving to place the brightest minds in the best seats. A firm exponent of diversity in the workplace, she led her team to win the 2021 Cornerstone Award, one of WRMSDC’s annual recognitions that showcases the best in supplier diversity and minority business excellence.

Rahul Kuruvilla

CEO

Rahul is the Founder and CEO of Triune Infomatics, an IT staffing company based in Fremont, California. With a nationwide presence, Triune offers staffing solutions to clients in the education, government, and commercial sectors, and has been recognized multiple times by Inc Magazine as one of the fastest-growing IT staffing companies. Rahul is also a Certified Executive Coach. He also Volunteers as the Chair of MBEIC for WRMSDC and is , a board member for IT Serve, USPAACC and an Alumni Board member for Cal State East Bay. What sets Triune apart from other staffing companies is its unwavering commitment to People, Quality, Cost, and Delivery. Triune’s goal is to provide its clients with a comprehensive staffing solution, whether they are looking to hire contract, contract-to-hire, or full-time employees. Rahul, resides in San Ramon, California with his wife and two children. He enjoys playing tennis and golf in his spare time.

Carolyn Joshua

President & CEO

Carolyn Joshua is the President and CEO of Trilyon, Inc., a leading content management, documentation, and technology services provider for Fortune 500 companies. Under Carolyn's exceptional leadership, Trilyon has earned notable recognition, including the esteemed 2023 Fast 100 Asian American Business Award from USPAACC. Her outstanding achievements have also been acknowledged through the prestigious Enterprising Women of the Year Award in 2023. Furthermore, she has been honored as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of San Francisco for 2023 by Women We Admire, highlighting her significant contributions to the business community.

⭐ Participating Reps ⭐

Lou Rosas

Director Supplier Inclusion

Georgina Moreno

Executive Director, Procurement

Shivangi Bajpai

Category and Supplier Manager at Cisco

Ashley Araujo

Global Sourcing Manager

Keisha Stephens

Director People Operations

Keisha joined Splunk 3 years ago and spearheaded the go-live of their 1st generation Contingent Workforce program. She has a wealth of experience in Contingent Strategy and Operations from managing programs at NetApp, as well as vendor side experience with KellyOCG and Workforce Logiq. In addition to Contingent Workforce, Keisha leads several People programs for Splunk including: Offers+, Recruiting Coordination & Employee Referrals, Global Mobility & Immigration, SPOT, and Contingent Workforce. She has a proven track record in building, implementing, and managing global programs and processes. She collaborates to combine extensive industry expertise with the latest market trends to guide the best business decisions and deliver programs that help reach strategic organizational goals.

Scott Vowels

Manager, Supplier Diversity

Tech & Manufacturing
BREAKOUTS

Left Hall, Baden B

⭐ MBE Moderators ⭐

Sydni Craig-Hart

CEO

Sydni Craig-Hart is CEO and Co-Founder of Smart Simple Marketing—the multi-award-winning, go-to firm that the biggest brands in Silicon Valley, the global tech world, and beyond turn to when they want to increase market share and drive engagement with small, minority- and women-owned businesses. Having spent 17+ years working with over 11,000 small and diverse-owned businesses in 79 industries, Sydni and her team have developed proprietary strategies to help brands like Google, LinkedIn, Meta, and many more to increase the value of existing customer spend, recapture marketing investments, grow customer lifetime value and decrease attrition.

Harish Vakharia

Senior Vice President

Harish Vakharia’s career highlights include 20+ years of extensive, diverse experience in the contingent workforce arena. His experience includes positions of varied increasing responsibility including new account development, global team management and new regional expansion. Harish began his career with Rose 19+ years ago as a Recruiter and grew into the Senior Vice President role he holds today.

Stanley Li

CEO

Netswitch developed a cyber risk mitigation system, CyberRisk Governance System, to address cyber risk and GRC (Governance, Risk, Compliance) issues for SMB (Small Mid-size business) to accelerate autonomous cybersecurity and satisfy ever-changing GRC requirements, like a GPS system with Turn-by-Turn Direction guidance to build cyber resilience with cost- efficiency and justification.

⭐ Participating Reps ⭐

Sal Peinado, Jr.

Head of Responsible Sourcing

Michelle Picard

Director Business Governance & Risk Management / DBE Liaison Officer

Madison Gunter

Vice President, Supplier Programs

Madison Gunter III has 20 plus years of experience leading global teams in the areas of supplier diversity, workforce diversity, offsets & countertrade, technical marketing engineering and channel business development. This year Madison was asked to lead Salesforce’s Supplier Diversity and Supplier Sustainability programs after spending a year consulting. Madison was also a small business owner, Gunter Group Inc. (http://guntergroupllc.com/about-us/), which has had a huge amount of success working with small and medium size businesses. Madison received his Masters of Business Administration from University of Santa Clara (Leavey School of Business), a Bachelor of Arts from California State University Chico, and is certified as a Telecommunications Engineer from University California, Berkeley.

David Pell

Expert Consultant, Supply Chain Responsibility

Julia Reynolds

Leader, Supplier Diversity Program Manager, SBLO

Aleah Menefee

Business Diversity Program Manager

Alex Aceves

Supplier Diversity, Enablement Lead at Google

Jason Grant

Global Supply & Sourcing Manager

Jason Grant is a Global Supply & Sourcing Manager at Apple and serves as the Supplier Diversity Ambassador for Apple’s Direct Procurement Organization. He is responsible for the procurement & manufacturing of Apple’s iPad & AirPods packaging. Additionally, he works closely with Apple’s Supplier Diversity team to identify and develop potential diverse suppliers. Before joining Apple, Jason worked as a Consultant at Kearney for 2 years. Notably, he was responsible for crafting the post-merger corporate governance for the T-Mobile/Sprint Merger of 2020. Prior to that, Jason gained experience in the Investment Banking and Public Accounting industries through internships in Chicago and New York City. Jason earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Morehouse College, where he served as the Philanthropic Chair of their NABA Chapter.

Bianca Corinna Diaz

Senior Program Manager, Education and Awareness Supplier Diversity & Inclusion

Monica Wright

Category Manager, GPO Construction

Kathleen Wong

Manager, Supplier Diversity

NETWORKING RECEPTION

5:20 PM to 7:00 PM

Networking will be held throughout the Expo during breakfast, lunch, and our official Networking Reception at the end of the event. Enjoy our casual Networking Reception while you listen to hip tunes, indulge in delicious food, and toast to your success. Engage and connect with Corporate members, diverse suppliers, primes, and community members.

REJUVENATION ROOM

Pranayama | Breathwork Session | Mindfulness

10:30 AM to 11:45 PM - Location: Salon B

It will be headed by Sam Sharma and will enable folks to drop-in for quick, casual Breathwork to start their day right

My name is Sachin Sharma, and I am a Yogi who is eager to learn, share the beauty and joy of Yoga & Meditation with all people around me. My mission is to spread love, joy, health, peace, and happiness through Yoga. It’s my way of giving back to Yoga and our community. I am a Yoga alliance certified Yoga teacher practicing for over a decade. Visit our Rejuvenation Room at designated times during the Expo to breathe, relax, rejuvenate, and recharge!

Breathwork (Pranayama)
Laughing Yoga
Meditation
Sound Bath
Stress Reduction
Enhanced Focus and Concentration
Increased Energy & Vitality
Overall Well-Being and more!

QUIET ROOM

SALON C

Need a quiet space to take a quick call or get some quick work done? Need to slip away from all of the Expo noise and stimulation for a moment? If yes, be sure to visit the quiet room during the Expo. This room is dedicated to shielding you away from the hustle and bustle of the event, designed to give you a space for a moment of quiet, uninterrupted peace.

NOTE: While this room is designated to be a quiet space, attendees are free to come in/out of this room.

TIME	EVENT
10:00AM - 10:30AM	EARLY ENTRY Corporate Members participating in Meet-Ups can come at 10:00 AM to get settled
10:30AM - 11:45AM	EXPO OPENS Check-In \| Breakfast Snacks \| Meet-Ups \| Hall of Opportunities
12:00PM – 1:00PM	NETWORKING LUNCH
1:15PM – 2:55PM	PLENARY
3:10PM - 5:10PM	BREAKOUTS
5:20PM - 7:00PM	PM NETWORKING RECEPTION Hosted Bar \| Appetizer Stations \| Business Headshots (Headshots end at 6:00 PM)

Date, Time & Location	Friday, Au‍g‍us‍t 2‍5, 20‍2‍3 • 10:‍30am-7:‍0‍0pm PT South San Francisco Conference Center 2‍55 S A‍irport Blvd, So‍uth S‍an F‍rancisco, C‍A 94‍080 Check-In will begin at 1‍0‍:‍30 a.‍m. sharp! Corporate Members that signed up for Meet & Greets can enter early at 10‍:‍00 a.‍m. to get settled.
What to Wear	Business attire - anything that makes you feel your best, most authentic self and the version of you that you want to proudly share with the world. Sports attire and team jerseys are also welcome, as we have an Olympics/Sports Theme!
Weather	The event will be held completely indoors in air conditioned rooms, so plan your attire accordingly. Weather reports indicate that A‍ugust 2‍5 will be 7‍1 degrees and a low of 59 degrees.
Covid Protocols	WRMSDC has lifted its COVID vaccination requirement for all of our events. You will NOT be required to show proof of vaccination or sign COVID waivers. Note that the Expo will be held completely indoors, in a mix of small breakout rooms, a high-ceiling lobby, and a large plenary room. If you would like to wear a mask, please feel welcome and comfortable to do so. WRMSDC may not have masks available at check-in, so please bring your own. We will have hand sanitizer available.
Social Distancing Band	Attendees can opt to wear a red band signifying no hugs/handshakes/touching. Anyone not wearing a red band will be automatically considered open to hugs, handshakes, etc.
Directions, Transportation & Parking	South San Francisco Conference Center offers a free shuttle service from the following South San Francisco public transportation stations: BART Ferry CalTrain CLICK HERE FOR DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO SSFCC/PARKING CLICK HERE FOR THE SSF SHUTTLE SCHEDULE CLICK HERE FOR THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS INFORMATION Ample free parking is available, including on-site at the Conference Center and in hotel lots nearby.
Regular Check-In	Please check in by last name in the Lobby; you will be handed your badge. Once through check-in, you will grab your lanyard (for your badge) to visually distinguish yourself as a guest vs an Expo crasher. You can opt to grab a printed program, social distancing band, and any other items we may have available.
Fast Track Check-In	Fast Track Check-In will be for U.S. Bank, Kaiser Permanente, AT&T, and their guests. Everything described above will be conducted all in one place at our Fast Track Table at the front door to provide our Fast Track guests with a speedy check-in. Regular Check In will be used for all other guests. No Walk-Ins accepted! If you are unable to attend and would like to send someone in your place, please instruct your replacement to provide your name at check-in and let staff know they are attending in your place.
Lanyard	Please wear your lanyard and badge at all times to visually distinguish yourself as a WRMSDC Expo guest vs an Expo crasher.
Hall of Opportunities	Be sure to check out the two Halls of Opportunities to view upcoming opportunities from Corporate Members, Primes, and B2B Opportunities.
Rejuvenation Room	Drop by Salon B for quick, casual Breathwork and other Yoga techniques led by our own MBE Sam Sharma of Saitech to start your Expo day right (available 1‍0‍:‍3‍0am - 11‍:‍4‍5‍am only).
Quiet Room	Step into Salon C for a designated quiet space to take a quick call, get some work done, or retreat from the hustle and bustle of the event for a moment of uninterrupted peace.
Accessibility	All Expo materials are available digitally. There will be designated tables for guests with mobility requirements. Inquire at the check-in table.
Photos	Our photographer will be taking photos at the headshots station in Salon A, the Step-and-Repeat, as well as walking the event taking photos. NOTE: the headshot station will be open from 11:‍3‍0am-1:‍00pm, and again from 5:‍20p‍m-6:‍00p‍m ONLY. If you do not wish to be in photos, it is your responsibility to notify our photographers.

TIME	EVENTS
10:‍00AM - 10:‍30AM	EARLY ENTRY Corporate Members that signed up for Meet & Greets can enter early to get settled
10:‍30‍AM - 11:‍45‍A‍M	EXPO OPENS Check-In \| Breakfast Snacks \| Networking \| Headshots \| Walk-Up Meet & Greets \| Rejuvenation Room
12:‍00‍P‍M - 1:‍00‍P‍M	NETWORKING LUNCH
1:‍15P‍M - 2:‍55P‍M	PLENARY
3:‍10P‍M - 5:‍10P‍M	BREAKOUTS
5‍:‍20P‍M - 7‍:‍00P‍M	NETWORKING RECEPTION & BUSINESS HEADSHOTS (Headshots end at 6‍:‍00P‍M)
7‍:‍00P‍M	EVENT ENDS

WRMSDC'S 45THANNUAL EXPO

ABOUT WRMSDC

Date & Time

Location, Transportation, & Parking

Theme

Weather

Attire

Suggested Hotel Accommodations

HOTELS

Tickets

Premier Members, MBE Platinum Partners, Event Supporters & Make a Difference Supporters

Supporters

Please support our Expo!

Event Supporters

Make a Difference Supporters

This event is free for Diverse Suppliers to attend, thanks to the generosity of our Make a Difference Supporters.

Premier Members

MBE Platinum Partners

Annual Video Production Supporter

Agenda

Activities

Venue Layout

PROFESSIONAL HEADSHOTS STATION

MEET-UPS

Meet-Up Participants

Construction & UtilitiesMEET-UPS

Entertainment, Gaming, Hospitality & GovernmentMEET-UPS

Finance & HealthcareMEET-UPS

Staffing & Professional ServicesMEET-UPS

Tech & ManufacturingMEET-UPS

HALL OF OPPORTUNITIES

PLENARY

BREAKOUTS

Topics Covered:

Construction & UtilitiesBREAKOUTS

Entertainment, Gaming, Hospitality & GovernmentBREAKOUTS

Finance & HealthcareBREAKOUTS

Staffing & Professional ServicesBREAKOUTS

Tech & ManufacturingBREAKOUTS

NETWORKING RECEPTION

REJUVENATION ROOM

Pranayama | Breathwork Session | Mindfulness

QUIET ROOM

Access

Menu

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

Lunch

Premium Sandwich OR Salad. Choose ONE:

Each Boxed Lunch/Salad Comes with the Following:

Networking Reception with Hosted Bar

* Hosted Bar Includes: Beer, Wine and Sodas.

Know Before You Go

ADDITIONAL KNOW BEFORE YOU GO INFO TO ATTEND THE EXPO

Check-In

Venue Layout

Social Distancing Band

Covid Protocols

Contact

Contact Us

WRMSDC'S 45^TH
ANNUAL EXPO

Premier Members, MBE Platinum Partners,
Event Supporters & Make a Difference Supporters

This event is free for Diverse Suppliers to attend,
thanks to the generosity of our Make a Difference Supporters.

Construction & Utilities
MEET-UPS

Entertainment, Gaming, Hospitality & Government
MEET-UPS

Finance & Healthcare
MEET-UPS

Staffing & Professional Services
MEET-UPS

Tech & Manufacturing
MEET-UPS

Construction & Utilities
BREAKOUTS

Entertainment, Gaming, Hospitality & Government
BREAKOUTS

Finance & Healthcare
BREAKOUTS

Staffing & Professional Services
BREAKOUTS

Tech & Manufacturing
BREAKOUTS