Theresa Harrison is the Director of Supplier Diversity for Ernst & Young LLP, a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. She joined the company in 2004 to develop a supplier diversity initiative, and is currently responsible for managing and overseeing the initiative’s policies, processes and procedures. She is a frequent public speaker and works to build supplier diversity awareness both inside and outside of Ernst & Young.

Harrison serves in several leadership positions for organizations such as the New York and New Jersey Minority Business Development Council and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Her supplier diversity efforts have been recognized by WBENC, The Networking Journal and Women’s Enterprise Magazine, and her leadership at Ernst & Young has earned the company accolades from WBENC, the Women’s President Education Organization and Hispanic Business Magazine.

Since 2000, Benita Fortner has served as the Director of Supplier Diversity for Raytheon Company, though she has been involved in minority and women business outreach and development for over 18 years. In a previous position as procurement manager at Hughes Aircraft Company, she was instrumental in significantly increasing the number of corporate agreements awarded to minority suppliers.

Fortner currently serves as chair of the Advisory Board for the Tuck Minority Business Executive Programs and was recently accepted onto the Board of Overseers for the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. In addition, she holds board positions on the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), the New England Minority Supplier Development Council, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the Business Consortium Fund and the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.

John Taylor has served as Director of Supplier Diversity for Cargill since August of 2010, where he is responsible for increasing alignment and coordinating supplier diversity goals among Cargill’s 80+ Business Units. Prior to joining Cargill, he held the Director of Supplier Diversity position at Archer Daniels Midland.

Taylor pledges continued support and participation in local and national organizations dedicated to stimulating the growth of minority- and woman-owned businesses. In addition, he is committed to a continued focus on mentoring activities with the leaders of disadvantaged businesses and developing and administering Cargill’s diversity strategies and initiatives.

As Supplier Diversity Manager at Grainger, Nancy Connor is responsible for developing and executing corporate supplier diversity strategy, satisfying customer expectations for supply chain diversity and driving internal results. Prior to joining Grainger, she managed supplier diversity for R. R. Donnelley & Sons.

Connor is one of the founders of “Corporate Bridges,” an entrepreneurial education program for Minority Business Entrepreneurs in Chicago. She serves in a leadership role on the board of directors for the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and is active with the Women’s Business Development Center and the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council (CMSDC). Connor is the recipient of numerous professional recognition awards on both regional and national levels.

Greta Davis is Executive Director of Supplier Diversity for Time Warner Inc. In this role, she oversees Time Warner’s supplier diversity program, strengthens corporate partnerships with minority- and women-owned businesses (MWBEs), and serves as key spokesperson for the company on all minority business issues.

A board member of the Women’s President Education Organization (WPEO) and DIR, Davis serves on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). She is the recipient of numerous awards recognizing her supplier diversity contributions.

Gretchen Ebert is the Director of Supplier Diversity at Medtronic, Inc., the global leader in medical device technology. Her leadership has been instrumental in Medtronic’s recognition as one of the Top Corporations for Supplier Diversity as chosen by Minority Business News (MBN) magazine, as well as other honors awarded by organizations such as the Women’s Business Development Center, the Midwest Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC) and the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC).

Recognized as a leader in her field, Ebert is also the recipient of several awards honoring her work to advance supplier diversity from respected organizations including MMSDC, MBN, and the Upper Midwest National Minority Contractors.

Currently the Director of Supplier Diversity Development for Kelly Services, Brenda Marshall is responsible for developing strategic alliances with diverse staffing companies for the procurement of goods and services across Kelly’s global enterprise. Prior to joining the supplier diversity team at Kelly in 2001, she held management positions at Comcast and Eagle Communications.

Marshall serves on the Board of Directors for the Council of Supplier Diversity Professionals, the Michigan Minority Business Development Council and DIR. In addition, she chairs the certification review committee for the Michigan Women’s Business Council.

As Senior Director of Supplier Diversity and Strategic Sourcing for Major League Baseball, Corey Smith establishes and maintains League-wide procurement practices for all 30 baseball clubs and the Commissioner’s Office. Prior to joining MLB, Smith spent over four years at NBC Universal as Director of Supplier Diversity, where he implemented strategies throughout the company that increased the use of minority and woman-owned businesses across a variety of services.

Smith’s career reflects over 15 years of experience in procurement and over 10 years in supplier diversity. Prior to NBC Universal, Smith held various sourcing and supplier diversity positions at companies such as Altria Corporate Services, Columbia University and Advanced Technological Solutions.

Tara Spann is the Director of Diversity Initiatives for Staples North American Delivery, where her responsibilities include managing the development of the supplier diversity program into strategic international markets. She also directs Staples’ relationship with the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and their regional and local affiliates.

Prior to joining Staples, Spann served as Senior Software Licensing Negotiator at Harvard University. In addition, she was responsible for managing the university’s minority procurement program and implementing strategic vendor alliances. She holds a law degree from Suffolk University Law School and is a Master Graduate of Discover Leadership Training.

James Sturgis is the Director of Supplier Diversity for the Royal Ahold family of U.S.-based retail grocers. He is responsible for ensuring diverse supplier participation in every category of buying, including items in the grocery stores as well as products and services required to conduct business. Previously, Sturgis functioned as Manager of Supplier Diversity for PepsiCo, Inc.

Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Center for Women & Enterprise, the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council and the Maryland/DC Minority Supplier Development Council.

As Senior Manager of Supply Chain Diversity at Office Depot, Frantz Tiffeau is responsible for educating Office Depot’s sales organization on all aspects of supplier diversity in addition to leading a team that manages the Mentor Protégé program. He began his career with Office Depot 15 years ago as an account manager, later moving into positions within operations, implementation and logistics before accepting his current role.

Tiffeau currently serves on the boards for the Southwest and Houston Minority Supplier Development Councils, in addition to chairing several committees. He is also part of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce’s Advisory and Procurement Councils, and manages Office Depot’s national engagement with both the Institute for Supplier Diversity and the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC).

 

Leslie Bonds is the Executive Director of DIR, a position she has held since 1997. Prior to being appointed Executive Director, she served as DIR’s Publications Manager. She is currently responsible for the successful leadership and management of the organization in accordance with the strategic direction set forth by the Board of Directors. 

Overwhelmingly passionate about the work she does, Bonds is a strong believer in giving back to the personal and professional communities of which she is a part. She is a proud member of the Midwest Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC) and the National Association for Female Executives, and volunteers with the Minneapolis Public Schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and as a mentor at Humboldt High School in St. Paul. She is the recipient of several awards recognizing her leadership during her tenure at DIR.