DIR's Board Member, Lesa Rivers-Supplier Diversity Director for Staples, Named a Top Woman in Power Impacting Diversity

Lesa Rivers, Staples
Supplier Diversity Director

2014 Top 25 Women in Power Impacting Diversity by DiversityPlus Magazine:

• Gladys Lopez, Manager, Supply Chain Inclusion Initiative, American Express
• Monette Knapik, Director of Strategic Procurement, CVS Caremark
• Marcella McCullough, Manager, Supplier Diversity, Ford Motor Company
• Gloria Pualani, Corporate Director, Global Supplier Diversity Programs/Government Relations, Northrop Grumman
• Shari Francis, HUB Merchandising Manager, Office Depot
• Christina Morrow, Sr. Manager, Purchasing & Supplier Diversity, Ricoh Americas Corporation
• Sonia Mercado, M/W/DBE Liaison, Schiavone Construction Co. LLC
• Joyce Christanio, Senior Manager, Supplier Diversity, Sprint
• Jamie Crump, Director of Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Diversity, United Rentals
• Kathy Homeyer, Director, Supplier Diversity, UPS
• Bonnie Wong, Founder and President, Asian Women in Business
• Teresa Whalen LeFevre, Vice President and Manager of Supplier Diversity, Comerica Bank
• Michelle L. Taylor, Diversity Procurement Director, Cummins
• Jacqueline Taylor, Diversity Supplier Development Director, Dakkota Integrated Systems, LLC.
• Sherrie Duncan, Manager, Supplier Diversity, Duke Energy
• Deborah R. Pickens, Director of Supplier Diversity, Eaton
• Heidi C. Morgan, Vice President Business Needs – Hospitality, Leisure and Retail Brands, Foodbuy, LLC.
• Stacey Key, President and CEO, Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC)
• Debra Voss, Manager of Supplier Diversity, International Paper
• Valerie Coyazo, Supplier Diversity Manager, Kansas City Power & Light
• Natalie Cortes, U.S. Supplier Diversity Program Manager, Pearson
• Dawn Mitchell, Executive Director of Supplier Diversity, Saatchi & Saatchi
• Lesa Rivers, Director, Supplier Diversity, Staples
• Melissa Persia Oliver, Founder, Odyssey IP
• Dr. Tendai Ndoro, CEO/Founder, Strategy Leadership Institute in Private & Public Affairs, SLIPPA (Strategy Leadership Institute in Private & Public Affairs)

From its press release: DiversityPlus Magazine is pleased to announce the 2014 Top 25 Women in Power Impacting Diversity award winners. The women are honored in the May/June issue of DiversityPlus Magazine as the most dedicated and innovative leaders in the diversity space. The honorees have worked tirelessly to continue the progress that has been made to date in developing diverse work forces and supply chains. To achieve their goals, they developed a host of new approaches to integrate diversity and inclusion throughout entire organizations. The Women in Power strive to promote supportive business cultures and bring to the forefront the diverse talent and suppliers who can play a vital role in improving corporate competitiveness.

One of the things that stands out about the 2014 Women in Power Impacting Diversity is that they have taken the effort to integrate diversity in their organizations to a new level. In the past, they focused on designing the infrastructures needed like supply chain databases and launching Tier 2 programs. The last year saw a remarkable level of activity that involved more internal and external outreach beyond CEOs and top leadership and beyond databases. This reflects a maturity in diversity programs and is proof that many of the programs are ready for expansion.

The Women in Power reached out to the organizational members in positions that can most dramatically impact the development of a culture supportive of corporate and supply chain diversity. They regularly met one-on-one with brand managers and department supervisors to educate them on the connection between diversity and competitiveness, sustainability, and profitability. They introduced suppliers to department supervisors or plant managers and brought together suppliers who could form joint solutions. The honorees developed summits and networking events and arranged for time for face-to-face meetings between corporate decision-makers and suppliers. Small businesses owned by women and minorities were given customized assistance so they could better compete and succeed. Experienced suppliers were connected with diverse suppliers. The Women in Power also assisted small businesses that may or may not end up doing business with their respective organizations. Underlying their efforts is a belief that helping any MWBE helps all MWBEs by advancing diversity.

A broad range of industries is represented, and the women leaders customized their approaches. Examples include the development of a diverse business products catalogue and a program to promote diverse retail pharmacies. The industries represented include energy, construction, heavy equipment and engines, office supplies, parcel delivery services, financial, manufacturing, technology, pharmacies, and many more. The nonprofits are represented also, including the Georgian Minority Supplier Development Council and Asian Women in Business.

All the Women in Power donate time to community organizations, councils and Chambers of Commerce. The proof of the success of the 2014 Women in Power is that their programs have evolved from basic starts to ones guiding decision-making. Each year, diversity principles become more embedded in corporations and society, and it is largely due to the efforts of people like these women. It is with great honor that DiversityPlus Magazine introduces the Top 25 2014 Women in Power Impacting Diversity.

The May/June issue of DiversityPlus Magazine will be distributed at the Women´s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) 2014 National Conference & Business Fair to be held in Philadelphia, PA on June 23-25, 2014. The Women in Power Impacting Diversity awardees will also be featured in the eMagazine version of DiversityPlus, distributed to more than 121,000 readers located in the United States, Europe, and 7 other countries. The 25 winners will be featured on the DiversityPlus website for one year to ensure all readers have an opportunity to learn what the women in leadership positions accomplished in the diversity space. They share their experiences to encourage people in other organizations to assume the mantle of change.

DiversityPlus Magazine issued a call for nominations to its subscribers. The nominations were reviewed by DiversityPlus Magazine researchers and editors to determine the nominees exhibiting uncompromising effort to create opportunities for diverse businesses and talent. The winnowing process was difficult because all the nominees gave tirelessly of themselves in their organizations and communities to integrate diversity at all levels. The final Top 25 Women in Power Impacting Diversity are those who designed innovative approaches and have experienced exceptional success. They are standard bearers who developed best practices that are being implemented in corporations around the world.

DiversityPlus magazine is one of the nation´s leading diversity publications. The rapidly growing subscriber base targets minority suppliers and corporate purchasing and supplier diversity executives at firms worldwide. For more information about the 2014 Women in Power Impacting Diversity or DiversityPlus magazine, visit www.diversity.com. 

Too early to end the early bird special!

Last week after Memorial Day it was a short week for a lot of business people. It was too early to end the "Early Bird" savings for DIR's "Best Practices in Supplier Diversity Strategies and Initiatives" Seminar per many colleagues who called for an extension.

We're pleased to extend the special rate for an additional work week! The Early Bird Special, reflecting a $50 savings, will now end on June 6, 2014.

Take advantage of this timing and register today. For details, please visit DIR's Web site, or click here to see the brochure. Hope to meet you in St. Louis!

Community Level Networking for Diverse Suppliers

We think it's always a good thing to hear from your peers. This article in the Houston Chronicle includes some first person observations from exhibitors at the Women's Business Enterprise Alliance Business Expo at the George R. Brown Convention Center. This closing statement rings true: "The main thing is to try to keep your name in lights."

Keeping your name 'in lights' also means being sure you are registered in a major corporation's supplier database. For a list of corporation who use DIR's online data management tool, click here. Meanwhile, good luck with your community networking!

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Small-business-owners-seek-clients-big-companies-5514730.php

DIR congratulates Novant Health, a client and a supporting Board of Director's member ...

for being recognized nationally for its diversity programs!

From a recent press release, DIR learned that Novant Health has been named one of the 2014 Top 10 Hospitals and Health Systems in the nation by DiversityInc., the country’s leading source for advancing and recognizing excellence in diversity management. Novant Health debuts at No. 3, joining some of the country’s most prestigious healthcare systems including Cleveland Clinic (5th) and Mayo Clinic (8th). (To note: Cleveland Clinic also utilizes SupplierGATEWAY's data management portal. SupplierGATEWAY is DIR's tech partner.)

The ranking uses exhaustive research to look at:

• Talent pipeline: workforce breakdown, recruitment, diameter of existing talent, structures
• Equitable talent development: employee resource groups, mentoring, philanthropy, movement, fairness
• CEO/leadership commitment: accountability for results, personal communications, visibility
• Supplier diversity*: amount spent with companies owned by people from underrepresented groups, accountability, support

“At Novant Health, there is a strong focus on health equity and ensuring that patients, families, communities, employees and stakeholders are respected and heard,” said Deborah P. Ashton, PhD, vice president and chief diversity officer. “Diversity is owned from the executive team through each employee to ensure that our patients’ healthcare experience is remarkable.”

About Novant Health: Novant Health is a four-state integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals that delivers a seamless and convenient healthcare experience to our communities. Novant Health is one of the top 25 integrated health systems in the United States and was named a top 50 “Best Places for Diverse & Women Managers to Work” by Diversity MBA Magazine. For more information, please visit www.NovantHealth.org

About DiversityInc: DiversityInc’s mission is to bring education and clarity to the business benefits of diversity. The 2014 Top 50 Companies for Diversity results are featured on www.diversityinc.com

*Mr. Kevin J. Price, MBA, MHA is Novant Health's Director, Supplier Diversity & Performance. He is also a DIR Board Member. About Mr. Price: Price joined Novant Health in 2006. He is responsible for diversifying the procurement spend base by developing and implementing Novant Health’s Supplier Diversity and Development initiative. Working with various lines of business, Price identifies certified and qualified diverse suppliers, ensuring that they are given an opportunity to compete for Novant Health’s business. As a result of his efforts, Novant Health has increased its diverse supplier spend by 340% utilizing almost 400 diverse suppliers. His latest initiative is the refinement of the Tier II program and encouraging more majority/minority joint ventures. In addition, he monitors and reports the performance of all suppliers within the Supply Chain.

Spotlighting DIR's client: The Home Depot

The Home Depot utilizes SupplierGATEWAY, DIR's technology partner, and DIR to manage its online supplier diversity data. On Diversity and Commerce's web site, The Home Depot is featured in this helpful article about their Supplier Diversity Initiative. It's a terrific introduction to the reasons why some companies choose to pursue a robust supplier diversity plan. Read more below:

"We tell our diverse suppliers we respect them and are committed to the communities they care about," says the supplier diversity directorThe Home Depot (Atlanta, GA) began its formal supplier diversity program in 2003, says Michelle Sourie Johnson, the company's supplier diversity director. That was "primarily because of a shift in our customer base," she explains. "We were looking at increasing numbers of women and minority customers and the increased spending power they had in the marketplace. It made sense to bring in more MBEs and WBEs. ...."