Construction Day 2020:
Best Practices to Best Opportunities

Diverse Suppliers, GCs, & Subcontractors: Hear directly from Corporate industry leaders as they share upcoming construction projects/opportunities, prerequisites for contracts, bonding & insurance, and more! After the main event, join us for an informal virtual networking hour. Diverse suppliers will have the freedom to float between virtual breakout rooms where our Corporate Participants will be stationed!

🎃 Attire: Feel free to dress in your Halloween costume! 🎃

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Special Speakers

⭐ Tanya Nixon

Tanya Nixon is project manager for the National Supplier Diversity team at Kaiser Permanente. She is responsible for leading and supporting internal and external supplier diversity operations which include collaborating with lines of business, sourcing and key stakeholders to develop and align business and functional strategies to drive Kaiser Permanente’s supplier diversity goals. Tanya leads the Supplier Diversity Development University program which kicked off in 2015 at the CFO Appreciation and Awards breakfast.

Lili Kwan

Lili Kwan is a Manager of Supply Chain Responsibility at Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). She supports PG&E’s nearly 40-year-old Supplier Diversity Program which spends more than $2 billion annually with certified diverse suppliers, representing more than 40 percent of the company’s total procurement spend. She also supports PG&E’s efforts in supply chain environmental sustainability and supplier code of conduct management.

Shahid Holmes

Shahid Holmes is the Director of Supplier Diversity & Inclusion with Las Vegas Sands Corporation. He’s responsible for establishing and leading a comprehensive strategy to promote supply chain diversity, equity, and inclusion by enhancing opportunities, strengthening relationships, and fostering innovation with small, HUBZone, and/or local businesses and diverse enterprises owned by minorities, women, LGBTQ+, disabled, and veterans.

Agenda

Time	Activity
3:00 PM	Event Begins
3:03 PM	Welcome and Intro
3:09 PM	⭐ Headliner Speech
3:13 PM	Event Sponsor Speech
3:16 PM	Government Panel
3:45 PM	MBE Success Storytelling
3:51 PM	Owners Panel
4:20 PM	Builders Panel
4:48 PM	Networking Sponsor Speech
4:50 PM	Final Remarks & Networking Intro
5:00 PM	Networking
6:00 PM	Event Ends

Government Panel, brought to you by

Panel Moderator: Cassandra Manansala, Regional Vendor Diversity Manager, Skanska

Jermaine Carter-Gibson

Business Outreach Liaison, California Department of General Services
Jermaine Carter-Gibson currently serves as an Outreach Liaison and SB/SB-PW/DVBE Advocate with the California Department of General Services, Procurement Division, Certification and Outreach Branch. 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 contracts with the State of California.

Amanda Himes

Supplier Diversity Outreach Manager
Amanda Himes is the Outreach Manager for Caltrans Office of Civil Rights which is dedicated to increasing the participation of Small Business (SB), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) firms in both Federal and State contracting and procurement. Caltrans Office of Civil Rights also ensures non-discrimination in the execution of contracts and promotes positive external customer relations.

John White

Chief Procurement Officer
John Wesley White is the Chief Procurement Officer for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in San Jose, CA. With over 30+ of diverse public and private sector experience, he is responsible for Capital Construction & Professional Services Contacts, Contract Compliance, Procurement, Business Diversity Programs, and Materials Management activities supporting Light Rail, Bus and Paratransit Services and construction of highway projects across the county.

Maceo Wiggins

Director of BART Office of Civil Rights – San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
Maceo Wiggins has served as the Director of the BART Office of Civil Rights since 2018. The BART Office of Civil Rights is responsible for all contract, agreement and labor compliance at BART as well as all matters related to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Equal Employment Opportunity and all of the organization’s contractor equity programs.

Owners Panel, brought to you by

Panel Moderator: Preston Hoopes, Operations Manager, Swinerton

Harold Cordier

Manager - NFS Supplier Relations Management
Mr. Cordier brings 20 years of Supplier Relations Management to his role with NFS Vendor Management. For more than ten years he has utilized that experience to guide the NFS Vendor Management department performance only this year achieving a four star rating in an independent department audit. He played a key role in the design and development of the Preferred Provider Program which he manages.

Lili Kwan

Manager, Supply Chain Responsibility
Lili Kwan is a Manager of Supply Chain Responsibility at Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). She supports PG&E’s nearly 40-year-old Supplier Diversity Program which spends more than $2 billion annually with certified diverse suppliers, representing more than 40 percent of the company’s total procurement spend. She also supports PG&E’s efforts in supply chain environmental sustainability and supplier code of conduct management.

Ron Holmes

Sr. Manager, Supplier Diversity Team
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).

Builders Panel

Panel Moderator: Cecil Plummer, President & CEO, WRMSDC

Elena Anaya

Community & Citizenship Senior Director
Elena Anaya MCA is Turner’s award-winning expert leading Turner’s corporate social responsibility programs in Northern California focused on economic impact, workforce development, outreach & services, philanthropic funding and Employee Resource Groups. She ensures underrepresented Business Enterprises get prequalified and are given opportunities to bid on Turner projects.

Cassandra Manansala

Regional Vendor Diversity Manager
Cassandra leads the Vendor Diversity program for Skanska in California and Arizona. Her background in communication teamed with technical field experience has allowed her to seamlessly integrate a variety of businesses and third parties with major construction projects. Skanska is a world leading project development and construction group, building for a better society. Skanska focuses on building strong working relationships that positively impact local trades, subcontractors, suppliers and communities for years to come.

Mick Penn

Community Relations Liaison
Miquel “Mick” Penn currently works for Swinerton Builders 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 for the National Association of Minority Contractors – Nor Cal, Cypress Mandela Training Center, Mission Hiring Hall, Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange Education Foundation Board of Trustees and the City of Richmond Workforce Development Board. Mr. Penn has a BA from San Francisco State and a Master of Public Administration from University of San Francisco focusing on intersectoral leadership.

MBE Success Storytelling

Heman Chand

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.

Virtual Networking, brought to you by

Breakout Room MBE Moderators

Roger Cheng

Chief Business Relationship Officer

Roger, also known as “the Voice,” has served as emcee or VOG for a number of organizations, including NMSDC and its Regional Councils, Fortune 500 companies such as Toyota and Honda, and multiple cultural Chambers of Commerce. In true servant leadership fashion, Roger serves on boards in his community. And, in 2017, Roger was recognized as the #Hes4Shes champion at the WBENC National Conference.

Grace Keohohou Hao

President & Founder

Grace is grateful to be inspiring leaders locally, nationally and internationally through her speaking, writing and educational programs. She is a Certified Coach with the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC). She has more than 19 years of experience as a business owner, facilitator and professional speaker. She recently received the honor of being named the National Advocate of the Year for Working Mothers and Outstanding Mother of the Year by the American Lung Association.
Fun Fact: Grace is a mother of 8 and a wife of 1!

Nicki Keohohou

CEO and Co-Founder of Coach Excellence School, Business Consultant, Certified Executive Coach, Certified Human Behavior Specialist and Certified EQ Specialist

Nicki began her career as a teacher and has been an entrepreneur most of her life. She built successful businesses, held executive positions in the US and an international company. She has spoken at conventions around the world and provided consulting to hundreds of companies. Nicki is a Certified Business Coach through the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches. She is also a best-selling author, international speaker, and has received numerous awards such as: Top 30 Female Entrepreneurs in America, Hero for Humanity and National Advocate of the Year for Working Mothers.
Fun Fact: I have dated my husband for 51 years and we have been married for 46 years. I am blessed!

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