WBENC July 2012 President's Report

Government SpotliGht: ConneCtion to Federal opportunities with the u.s. department oF the interior

Pamela Prince-eason Contributes to Clinton Global initiative ameriCa meetinG

conference HigHligHts

juLY 2012

President’s rePort

enerGy Future holdinGS' Cheryl StevenS reCeiveS WBenC'S William J. alCorn aWard

president’s reportWBENC

Women construction oWners & executives Western regional conferenceJuly 23, 2012Jonathan clublos angeles, calif.click here for details.

WBec Pa-De-snJ WBe matcHmaker meetingsJuly 24, 2012Wilmington, Del.click here for details.

astra WBa 16tH annual recePtion, WorksHoPs & aWarDsJuly 24-25, 2012Westin st francissan francisco, calif.click here for details.

WBec-West Presents Working WitH DisneyJuly 25, 2012Disney auditoriumanaheim, calif.click here for registration information.

make mine a million anD american exPress oPen comPetition & HomecomingJuly 30 – august 2, 2012Barnard collegenew york, n.y.click here for details.

2012 nglcc Business & leaDersHiP conferenceaugust 7, 2012radisson Blu aqua Hotelchicago, ill.click here for details.

WBec-great lakes inDiana aWarD luncHeon & corPorate connections matcHmakeraugust 22, 2012iuPui campus centerindianapolis, ind.click here for details

gWBc PoWer of Partnering marketPlaceaugust 27-28, 2012atlanta marriott marquisatlanta, ga.click here for details.

national association of Women in construction (naWic) annual meeting & conferenceaugust 29 – september 1, 2012sheraton Denver Downtown HotelDenver, colo.click here for details.

Women’s Business council-sW Harvesting PartnersHiPsseptember 6, 2012Hyatt regency DfW airport HotelDfW airport, texasclick here for details.

WBec-West 9tH annual strategic Procurement oPPortunity conference & aWarDs galaseptember 6-7, 2012san Diego, calif.click here for details.

go for tHe greens: Business DeveloPment conference for Women entrePreneursseptember 13-15, 2012Disney’s BoardWalk resort lake Buena vista, fla.click here for details.

astra’s 16tH annual matcHmaker & exPoseptember 13, 2012Bell Harbor international conference centerseattle, Wash.click here for details.

2012 WPeo BreaktHrougH Breakfastseptember 14, 2012the Pierre Hotelnew york, n.y.click here for registration.

u.s. HisPanic cHamBer of commerce national convention & Business exPoseptember 16-18, 2012JW marriott at l.a. livelos angeles, calif.click here for details.

eDitor-in-cHiefsharon Beadle

eDitorial assistantallison gibson

ProDuction anD Designlimb Design

PHotograPHylinda Johnsonvisionista

WritersPaige adamssenior Director, Development & corporate relations

sharon Beadleeditor-in-chief

kim Jonesmanager, member services

Brenda loubePrincipal/founder of corporate fitness Works

Pamela Prince-easonPresident & ceo

lynthia romneyromneycom, llc

candace Watermanchief of staff

lakesha Whitesr. certification Program manager

calenDar of eventsthis Calendar inCludes events hosted by WbenC's reGional Partner orGanizations and strateGiC Partners. visit WbenC's online Calendar for more events.

eDitorial team

www.wbenc.org july edition 2012

table of Contents: JUly edition of the president’s reportcalenDar of events

PresiDent’s message 4

features

Conference Wrap-up 5spotlight on avis budget and office depot 6top Corporate best Practices: Johnson & Johnson and united airlines 8Government spotlight: department of the interior 10

oPPortunitiesConference highlights 12

recognition energy future holdings' Cheryl stevens receives WbenC's William J. alcorn award 16WbenC honors female leaders with applause awards 18Pamela Prince-eason Contributes to Clinton Global initiative america meeting 20

resourcesWomen on Wellness Column: Who Wants to Go out and Play? We all do! 22

neW corPoratememBersHouston inDePenDent scHool DistrictBernard Willinghamsupplier Diversity specialist


PresiDent’s message

sincerely,

Pamela Prince-easonWbenC President and Ceo

to those of you who joined us in orlando, you experienced

first hand the many values of attending the WbenC national

Conference & business fair. We had a great showing of

people looking to drive growth among women’s businesses –

nearly 3,000 attendees of which approximately 1,200 were

WbenC-certified Women’s business enterprises.

i have received amazing feedback regarding our keynote

speakers, our informative workshops, our networking

opportunities, our WoW! experience on tuesday evening

at the WoW! reception and silent auction, the business

fair opportunities and thursday night’s tribute program.

the business fair attracted 327 exhibitors and spanned

technology, manufacturing, professional services, consulting

and consumer product goods among many categories. the

matchmaker program administration and logistics did not

meet our service standards, but we are committed to taking

the many lessons learned from this experience to improve

our interactions going forward.

on an extremely positive note, our keynote speakers

reminded us to grow with each experience. mike Jones

inspired us with a high-energy, interactive presentation on

seizing opportunities. frances Cole Jones demonstrated

“how to Wow” clients and colleagues by being ready to

present our strengths at any moment and in any setting.

lisa Price, founder of Carol’s daughter, shared her experience

as a woman business leader with the forum on monday.

the WoW! experience on tuesday night was a new event

that engaged us in games to help recognize and honor our

constituents in an innovative way. through sponsor videos

and regional Partner organization (rPo) Celebration rooms

– where participants found music, dance and even karaoke –

participants had a wonderful time collecting stamps for their

WoW Passport. they then brought that Passport to a life-

size WoW Game board where they competed to win prizes

using their knowledge about WbenC and our community.

all in all, the WoW! experience helped us to highlight

the Women of WbenC (WoW!), our rPos, Corporate and

Government members and other key groups – and celebrate

WbenC’s 15 years of vision, opportunities and success!

thank you to our terrific Co-Chairs whose collaboration and

support made this event possible: avis budget Group, office

depot, accel inc. and iCon information Consultants. We at

WbenC are also very grateful for the support of the other 97

companies who participated as sponsors at the conference,

contributing greatly to its success. thank you also to our

gracious host Council, the Women’s business development

Center – florida, led by President and Ceo nancy allen,

and to her impressive host Committee, chaired by Joyce

landry of landry & Kling events at sea.

our conference drew on so many of the talents in our midst,

including those who contribute by giving back. i would

like to acknowledge michelle robinson, whose nonprofit

organization Giving and receiving was instrumental in

providing the cheerful and knowledgeable volunteers who

helped guide us during the week.

throughout the remainder of this President’s report, we will

cover some of the memorable aspects of our special event.

now we are moving forward with our eye on many more ways

to serve our constituents. in fact, we at WbenC work every

day to enable the growth of women’s businesses on national

and regional levels in concert with our Corporate and

Government members, our rPos and other associations.

thank you for your support and active participation. it is the

key to our success, and i look forward to continuing to work

together throughout the year.

WoW! our 13th national ConferenCe & business

fair Was quite a suCCess!

july edition 2012 PG 5 www.wbenc.org

Keynote speaker frances Cole Jones demonstrates how to speak with power even after the hotel temporarily lost it!

mike Jones, Keynote speaker

buisness fair ribbon cutting

Conference attendees

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mark J. servodidio, executive vice

President and Chief administrative

officer, avis budget Group delivered a

keynote address

➤Pamela Prince-eason, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee

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2012 national WBenc conference & Business fair

the national ConferenCe

& business fair Was a huGe

undertaKinG and an even

Greater suCCess. attendees

Were WoWed by the event

from beGinninG to end.

By tHe numBers:

attendees: 2,930

CorPorate attandees: 1,219

Wbe attendees: 1,210

exhibitors: 327

Wbe exhibitors: 158

CorPorate exhibitors: 133

sPonsors: 101

president’s reportWBENCFeatureS

avis BuDget grouP anD office DePot co-cHair national conference & Business fairavis budGet GrouP foCuses on the strateGiC advantaGe of WorKinG With Women’s businesses While offiCe dePot Clearly understands the PoWer of marKetPlaCe aCCess

for avis budGet GrouP, co-chairing the 2012

national Conference & business fair was an appropriate

way to Celebrate WbenC’s 15 years of vision, opportunities

and success! as a Corporate member, long-time supporter

of the organization and one of america's top Corporations

for Women's business enterprises for 12 consecutive years,

avis budget Group is actively engaged in WbenC’s path

forward on the Roadmap to Growth and Sustainability.

“avis budget Group and WbenC have been the perfect

business development partners since the early days of

the organization. We remain committed to growing this

partnership and to providing opportunities for certified

women-owned businesses,” said mark J. servodidio,

executive vice President and Chief administrative officer,

who delivered a keynote address at the national Conference

& business fair.

avis budget Group, inc., a leading provider of vehicle rental

services, was there in force with representatives from sales,

human resources and other areas of the company at its

business fair booth and throughout the week. "We believe

diversity is a vital component of business success; and avis

budget Group is committed to inclusion and diversity within

our global organization and operations," servodidio said.

as evidence of this commitment, avis budget Group is a

member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable, which achieves

spending of at least $1 billion with women- or minority-

owned suppliers. the company contributes its expertise to

WbenC. david myers, senior vice President, Performance

initiatives, serves on WbenC’s CPo advisory board and

lynn boccio,vice President, strategic business & diversity

relations, serves on the WbenC board of directors.

avis budget Group’s approach to diversity is to consider four

of its constituencies: employees, communities, customers

and suppliers. a growing segment of its car rental and

transportation business is with dynamic entrepreneurs,

making women suppliers a key segment of its customer base.

“our PartnershiP With WbenC Creates a huGe

strateGiC advantaGe for us,” servodidio

exPlained. “throuGh WbenC, We are findinG

Ways to helP Women’s businesses GroW and at

the same time Create synerGies With our oWn

business initiatives.”

one case in point is ashley fina, President of michael C.

fina, who met servididio a year ago through a Power lunch,

and developed a business relationship with avis budget by

providing jewelry and gifts for recognition initiatives. this

year, fina sat at avis budget Group’s table at the WbenC

national Conference, where avis budget Group has referred

her to other sources of business, such as through the airport

minority advisory Council.


offiCe dePot came to the WbenC 2012 national

Conference & business fair as a Co-Chair that was ready

to engage with the attendees on many levels: from the

keynote presentation by Chairman and Ceo neil austrian

and a dynamic booth that offered interactive workshops,

to a team of senior decision makers who were excited to

meet future office depot suppliers.

austrian, a long-time advocate of opportunities for women

in business, advised Women business enterprises (Wbes)

to compete on superb performance, strong capabilities

and sharpened skills.

“develoPinG a laser foCus – ConCentratinG on

one imPortant asPeCt of your business – is

CritiCally imPortant in differentiatinG your

business and suCCeedinG in the marKetPlaCe,”

austrian said.

in fact, office depot’s roots are in entrepreneurship. While

today it spans the world in 60 countries, with 39,000 global

associates and 1,130 stores in the united states alone,

the company actually started as a small business in 1986

when the office superstore concept was the vision of three

entrepreneurs. so it was fitting that Jack Greene, director,

field Procurement for office depot, came to the national

Conference & business fair with the intent of cultivating

business with Wbes.

“Women make three-quarters of the purchasing decisions

for office supplies. they represent an increasingly influential

segment in small and medium business ownership.

including women- and minority-owned businesses in our

events, is not just the right thing to do – it is critical to our

success, both now and in the future,” he said.

Greene brought with him a team of six senior level

buyers, including linda boykin, vice President, supplies

merchandising, responsible for creating and overseeing the

strategy and execution for supplies-related merchandise

sourcing at the company, and Cynthia Walker, supplier

diversity Coordinator. together they were prepared to meet

Wbes that would help them to fill categories of supplier

needs for the near future. Wbes seeking to make connections

at the office depot booth were rewarded with access and the

opportunity to build a business relationship.

additionally, business fair attendees were able to join in

booth workshops on a variety of topics around diversity

procurement, such as how to do business in today’s

environment, how to get your product or service in the

door, or how to reinvent your company to adapt to future

business needs.

office depot is also contributing its expertise to WbenC as

Kim moehler, Chief Procurement and accounting officer

and Controller, participated on the Chief Procurement

officer advisory Council for WbenC.

“We continue to build relationships with women-

owned businesses and introduce new companies into

our organization who understand where our business is

going and what our future needs and demands will be,”

servodidio said.

to make those introductions easier, avis budget Group will

continue to be prominent at WbenC events and encourages

Wbes to register on its supplier diversity web page.

neil austrian, Chairman and Ceo offiCe dePot


toP corPorate Best Practices:JoHnson & JoHnsonFiRSt HealtHcaRe company in tHe Billion DollaR RounDtaBle, toucHinG one Billion liveS, eveRyDay

Johnson & Johnson, a six-time winner of the WbenC america’s

top Corporations for Women’s business enterprises awards, believes that doing business with Wbes is key to serving its community and the 1 billion lives it touches everyday.

last year, Johnson & Johnson lived up to this belief by becoming the first health care company to join the Billion Dollar Roundtable, a group of 18 companies that spend more than $1 billion annually with minority- and women-owned businesses.

hans melotte, Chief Procurement officer at Johnson & Johnson, and a member of the WbenC CPo advisory board, explained, “With the endorsement from our Ceo and executive board, we took on this challenge because it aligned to our Credo, to put the needs and well-being of the people we serve first and our commitment to the communities in which we live and work.”

supported by champions across the organization, Johnson & Johnson has implemented measurable strategies for growing the dollars spent with Wbes as first- and second-tier suppliers. these strategies comprise mentoring Wbes and encouraging them to become certified; establishing Wbe-spend requirements in its contracts with prime suppliers; and ensuring Wbe-access to opportunities in various parts of the corporation.

in 2010, Johnson & Johnson had more than 100 Wbes with accounts more than $1 million, a 32 percent increase over the prior year. Johnson & Johnson’s spend with Wbe suppliers with accounts over $2 million increased by 18 percent.

hoW did they do it?

on the mentoring front, Johnson & Johnson accomplishes growth by reaching out to existing suppliers and encouraging them to become WbenC-certified. Johnson & Johnson also offers third-party coaching assistance and tracks Wbes’ progress, so that they understand the importance and opportunity that certification can provide.

once Wbes are WbenC-certified and prepared to compete for a larger piece of business, Johnson & Johnson works to identify

and mine opportunities for them. it performs detailed analyses of Wbe capabilities and spend in each category and each franchise of its businesses. then the company directs category teams to analyze the existing Wbe utilization and understand what Wbes have to offer.

as a result of this guidance and mentorship, one Wbe for a Johnson & Johnson medical device company was able to grow $800,000 in just one year, to $7 million in Johnson & Johnson business.

as for contract requirements, Johnson & Johnson also expands the use of its women’s business suppliers through requirements with specific prime suppliers to use and report on preferred Wbe suppliers in tier ii relationships. in one example, Johnson & Johnson held in-house forums to introduce three newly contracted, non-diverse marketing prime suppliers to existing diverse suppliers. the introductions and ensuing collaboration resulted in almost $1 million in Wbe tier ii direct reported spend generated by these three prime suppliers. by emphasizing the importance of supplier diversity with their primes as well as these types of focused efforts, Johnson & Johnson saw a 79 percent increase in tier ii spend reported by its primes in one year.

on a broader basis, Johnson & Johnson encourages other companies to engage in this work to encourage Wbe business engagement and economic growth. melotte noted the result of supporting a WbenC-certified company’s growth:

“the benefit of job creation made more of an economic impact than anyone had anticipated. this company hired 19 new employees all in one day to meet the need of their first successful initiative with us and have grown to more than 35 management and staff members, serving multiple Johnson & Johnson companies on five sites.”

as beverly Williamson, head, office of supplier diversity & inclusion, Johnson & Johnson and a member of the WbenC board executive Committee, added, “the business case for supplier diversity continues to be significant. as our suppliers’ businesses grow, this may result in job creation. their employees can take better care of their families and the entire community


When united airlines and Continental airlines merged in

2010, the mandate from the top was clear: the newly formed company was going to be more committed than ever to building and growing a pool of talented, diverse suppliers.

“diversity is a core part of our business plan,” said Katrina manning, vice President technical Procurement at united airlines. “We had the incredible opportunity to merge two programs, and we ensured that our focus on supplier diversity remained up front in the procurement process.”

the result is an array of diverse business relationships with Women, minority, veteran, lGbt and small business enterprises across a number of disciplines in the airlines business – from airport operations, food services and technical operations to it, Corporate and Professional services.

to accomplish this, united airlines drives diversity across the merged organization in three key ways: • organizationally • Procedurally • quantitatively

organizationally, to ensure company wide scope and participation, the supplier diversity team is centralized in the procurement division, with a director-level executive and a full staff.

from a procedure aspect, united ensures that supplier diversity is a component of every request for Proposal (rfP) and contract agreement. the supplier diversity team reviews each rfP as the opportunity is set up united’s procurement system to ensure that certified and qualified diverse suppliers are invited to directly participate in bid opportunities.

“We ensure that our supplier diversity team has advance visibility on each rfP we launch,” said manning.

during the rfP process, the team communicates united’s supplier diversity requirements to prospective suppliers. as rfP responses are received, the supplier diversity and procurement teams work together to review the second-tier supplier diversity plan responses and evaluate the suppliers.

also, before contracts are awarded, the supplier diversity team partners with prime suppliers to finalize the second-tier supplier diversity plan.

“our second-tier program has become an effective pathway for smaller diverse businesses to work with united, resulting in a strong, positive impact on the economy,” manning added.

the third way that united airlines ensures diversity success is through its measurement. the leadership team reviews united’s supplier diversity results on a monthly basis to keep a finger on the pulse of the activity. they track contract wins and losses to determine where or how improvements can be made to drive the airlines diverse spend. leaders also monitor trends such as sudden movements in diverse spend from quarter to quarter or year over year.

“our monitoring and tracking process plays a critical role in our goal achievement,” manning said. “We review our spend to identify new areas where we can enhance our work with women-owned and diverse businesses. this also sheds light on the areas where we can coach our suppliers to navigate opportunities successfully.”

overall, the organization prizes collaboration. the supplier diversity and procurement teams work consistently with business units to identify new ways for diverse suppliers to work with the airline. as a result, active Wbes include duty free World, Prospect airport services, Gideon toal management, intervine and software house international.

this month the dW Group, a WbenC-certified Wbe headed by President denise Walthers, specializing in women’s travel apparel, will be featured in the sKy mall magazine. Walthers was a member of the host Committee for the 2012 national Conference & business fair and along with Wbe terri hall launched the legacy Collection of WbenC-related charms and jewelry. to learn more, see coverage of the business fair on fox 35 tv orlando.

“as we continue our work to form the world’s leading airline, supplier diversity will play a key role in our global success,” manning said. “We’re excited for united to continue working hand-in-hand with diverse suppliers to reach our goals.”

benefits. many of these families use our products. Johnson & Johnson touches 1 billion lives, everyday.”

Johnson & Johnson demonstrates that by focusing on these three strategies they can make a tremendous impact.

uniteD airlinesmeRGeR KeepS Women’S BuSineSSeS a pRioRity


government sPotligHt: connecting to feDeral oPPortunities WitH tHe DePartment of tHe interior

Given its scope, business owners have countless

opportunities of doing business with doi, which comprises

nine technical bureaus:

• Bureau of Indian Affairs

• Bureau of Land Management

• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

• Bureau of Reclamation

• Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

• National Park Service

• Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

• U.S. Geological Survey

if you are interested in securing business with the doi, be

sure to take the following keys steps:

1. make sure your capabilities statement is clear, succinct

and customized for the department with which you are

prospecting.

2. obtain a data universal numbering system (duns)

number .

3. register your business in the Central Contractor

registration (CCr) .

4. familiarize yourself with doi contracting procedures.

5. identify your target market within doi.

6. identify current business opportunities at fedbizopps .

7. Consider becoming a General services administration

(Gsa) contractor.

8. explore sub-contracting opportunities.

9. review small business programs.

10. ensure you can accept credit card payments.

the avenue to enter the doi supply chain is through one of

their many small business specialists. these individuals

are the government’s equivalent to the supplier diversity

representatives in the public sector.

Click here for a listing of all the specialists from each

bureau within the doi. a listing of events where these

individuals may be in attendance can be found here . it is

important to participate in events hosted by government

agencies your company is targeting for procurement

opportunities, in order to begin building relationships to

foster your success.

for more information on connecting with the many bureaus

within the department of interior, please click here.

Please note: many government procurement sites will be

migrating to a new system know as Sam, System award

management, in late July 2012. For more details, please

visit www.sam.gov .

the u.s. dePartment of the interior (doi) is resPonsible for ProteCtinG our land

and natural resourCes, as Well as the administration of ProGrams for tribal

Communities. due to the dePartment’s broad ranGe of resPonsibility, it is also

sometimes referred to as the “dePartment of everythinG else.”


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president’s reportWBENCopportunitieS

conference HigHligHts

national conference rounD-uP for those Who Were unable to Join us, We hoPe this hiGhliGht

story and Photos Will enCouraGe you to marK your Calendars

noW for next year's WbenC national ConferenCe & business fair,

WhiCh Will be held June 25-27, in minneaPolis.

bird's eye view of business fair

nancy allen, President & Ceo, Women's business development Center- florida host Council

WoW! experience board Game

discussion at the Conference

WbenC women having some fun

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notHing quiet aBout tHe silent auction

silent auction

silent auction

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the silent auction, led by Wbe Chair lynn Griffith of Welcome events, Corporate Chair, vickie hsi of

Kraft foods, offered an incredible array of travel, sports, technlogy and jewelry – ensuring there was

truly something for everyone. a few of the biggest draw donations included:

• a 7-day/6-night luxury adventure in napa valley

• front-row seats to a dallas Cowboys game complete with limo and stay at the omni hotel

• two iPads

• custom-designed necklaces

additionally the ever-popular Power lunches were a great draw, as always. through our corporate

partners, we offered nearly 30 of them this year. a Power lunch gives a Wbe unparalleled access to

a senior executive and other relevant procurement representatives for a personal conversation. Power

lunches are only open to WbenC-certified Wbes.

Power lunch opportunities were offered by office depot, avis budget Group, raytheon, united

airlines and at&t, to name a few. WbenC also offered a unique government experience designed

to provide participants with key information on how to do business with the federal government by

introducing the attendees to important government and private sector executives. We offered 25

individuals the opportunity to attend at $1,500 per person. We still have a few spots available. if you

are interested, please contact Paige adams at [email protected].

on behalf of WbenC and our auction Co-Chairs, we would like to say thank you to all of the donors

and the winning bidders who made the auction a success.

president’s reportWBENCWbenC is proud to have teamed with shell oil Company to present the 2012 student entrepreneur Program.

the program brings aspiring women entrepreneurs from diverse universities across the united states to the 2012

national Conference & business fair.

reaching out to the next generation of potential Wbes, this year’s program placed special emphasis on

students from the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines. the students were introduced to key

corporate leaders and women business owners, who shared career planning, creative and critical thinking, and

entrepreneurial development.

“this year’s ConferenCe alloWed me to Pay it forWard and Give to an orGanization that

has afforded me PriCeless eduCation, netWorKinG oPPortunities, and ConneCtions,” said

lasonya berry, faCilitator of the ProGram and President and Ceo, mCPherson, berry &

assoCiates, inC., an orGanizational develoPment, ConsultinG and PerformanCe imProvement

firm. “i Was able to develoP a CurriCulum that Provided a riGorous exPeriential learninG

exPerienCe to assist the Creation of their business ConCePt.”

the conference also served as a platform where the students could network and participate in professional

education workshops. the students, who represented howard university, dillard university, florida a&m university,

Jackson state university, north Carolina agricultural & technical state university, norfolk state university, lincoln

university – missouri, fort valley state university, north Carolina a&t state university, bethune-Cookman, tuskegee

university, and Clark atlanta university, presented a final business plan project to a panel of judges.

an invaluable facet of their experience was the mentoring they received from the following student supporter

sponsors—ernst & young llP, Pitney bowes, Pfizer inc, exxonmobil Corporation, raytheon, ashtel Global

information systems, llC, raytheon, and the u.s. Postal service. read more about this WbenC-shell initiative

in next month’s President’s report.

stellar stuDent Program

students surround lisa Price, founder of Carol's daughter; lasonya berry, Presdent & Ceo, mcPherson, berry & associates (white jacket), and Pamela Prince-eason, President & Ceo, WbenC.

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(left to right) shari francis, hub merchandise manager, office depot; lynn a. boccio, vice President, strategic business & diversity relations, avis budget Group; Peabody duckmaster; Pamela o-rourke, President & Ceo, iCon information Consultants; tara abraham, Chair and Co-Ceo, accel inc.

Pamela Prince-eason, President and Ceo, WbenC; marilyn Johnson, ibm vice President (retired); neil austrian, Chairman and Ceo, office depot; laura taylor, vice President, strategic sourcing and Procurement operations, enterprise Procurement at Pitney bowes, and Chair of the board, WbenC

front row, seated, left to right:marsha firestone, Ph.d., President & founder, Women Presidents' educational organization-ny; sandra eberhard, executive director, Women Presidents' educational organization-dC; nancy allen, President & Ceo, Women's business development Center – florida; susan repka, executive director, Women's business enterprise alliance; blanca robinson, President, Women's business enterprise Council south; Carol dougal, Co-President, Women's business development Center - Chicago

standing, left to right: Pamela Prince-eason, President and Ceo, WbenC; michelle richards, President, Women's business enterprise Council - Great lakes; diane l. mcClelland, President, astra Women's business alliance; debbie hurst, President, Women's business Council-southwest; Geri swift, President, Women's business enterprise Council-Pa-de-snJ and Chair, leadership Council; mike Jones, Keynote speaker; Pamela Williamson, Ph.d., executive director, Women's business enterprise Council-West; rea Waldon, executive director, ohio river valley – Women’s business Council; susan rittscher, Ceo and President, Center for Women & enterprise; roz lewis, executive director, Greater Women’s business Council; laura taylor, vice President, strategic sourcing and Procurement operations, enterprise Procurement at Pitney bowes, and Chair of the board, WbenC

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WbenC Conference➤

imPortant: tHe tuck-WBenc

executive Program DeaDline Has

Been extenDeD. aPPlications Will

noW Be accePteD until august 10.

president’s reportWBENCreCoGnition

energy future HolDings' cHeryl stevens receives WBenc’s William J. alcorn aWarD

the Women’s business enterprise national Council (WbenC) honored Cheryl stevens, viCe

President of suPPlier diversity at enerGy future holdinGs, with the William J.

alcorn award on June 21, 2012, at its national Conference & business fair in orlando. WbenC

presented the award to stevens for her outstanding leadership contributions to WbenC’s mission.

"Cheryl stevens is an extraordinary leader Whose

exPertise and Wisdom have Contributed to WbenC’s

GroWth throuGhout our 15-year history. Cheryl’s vision in

PositioninG us for the future is matChed by her ability to

drive imPeCCable results aCross the orGanization. We are

Proud that she is a leadinG liGht in our Community,” said

laura taylor, WbenC board Chair and vice President, strategic sourcing

and Procurement operations at Pitney bowes.

stevens is a member of the WbenC board of directors and former WbenC board Chair. she

is actively involved in the organization, directing key strategic planning initiatives and specific

programs that enable WbenC’s stature as the leading advocate for, and authority on, Women’s

business enterprises (Wbes) as suppliers to the nation’s corporations and government agencies.

the William J. alcorn award was named in honor of WbenC’s first Chair of the board of

directors, William J. alcorn, for his years of dedication and outstanding leadership. alcorn

is the retired senior vice President and Chief Purchasing officer of the JCPenney Company.

this award recognizes exemplary leadership contributions made by individuals in support of

WbenC’s mission to open the doors of opportunity in corporate contracting to certified Wbes.

“Cheryl is an invaluable resource and guide in our work to enable corporations and government

entities to build productive relationships with women’s businesses. We are honored to share in

her deep knowledge and experience,” said Pamela Prince-eason, WbenC President and Ceo.

Cheryl stevens, vice President of supplier diversity at efh, receives William J. alcorn award at the 2012 national Conference & business fair at the Peabody orlando

july edition 2012 PG 17 www.wbenc.org july edition 2012

laura taylor, WbenC board Chair and vice President, strategic sourcing and Procurement operations, Pitney bowes; Cheryl stevens, vice President, efh and William J. alcorn award recipient

in addition to WbenC’s board, stevens currently serves on the boards of directors and executive

Committees of the Women’s business Council – southwest; the dallas/fort Worth minority supplier

development Council; and she is a past Chair of all three organizations. she is a member of the board of

directors of the american institute of diversity and Commerce and the advisory boards of minority business

news and Women's enterprise. she is a graduate of leadership texas, leadership dallas and menttium 100.

under stevens’ leadership, energy future holdings has become a nationally recognized leader in supplier

diversity. it has received numerous regional and national "Corporation of the year" awards for supplier

diversity accomplishments.

stevens herself has received numerous awards, including WbenC’s coveted “applause” award. she has

been recognized by the dallas/fort Worth minority supplier development Council and the Women’s business

Council – southwest as Corporate advocate of the year and was named as “a Woman Who means business,”

by minority business news usa.

stevens has also been named a "Woman of excellence," by Women's enterprise, “minority business

advocate of the year,” by the small business administration, and recipient of the mCompany “Catalyst

award.” minority business news named her to its supplier diversity “best of the decade” list. the dallas

business Journal named her one of the twenty-five Changemakers in dallas. she was elected to the

Women’s business enterprise hall of fame in 2009.

in 2006, stevens was named a “txu fellow,” one of twelve employees in the inaugural fellows Program made

up of individuals whose expertise, attitude, ethics and innovative ideas have raised the bar for all employees.

fellows are considered the “go-to” person in their field inside the company and throughout the industry.

a virginia native and graduate of east Carolina university, stevens joined txu (now known as energy future

holdings) in 1979. throughout her career she has held roles in customer relations and management. she

became manager of the supplier diversity initiative in 1991 and named vice President in 2001.

laura taylor, WbenC board Chair and vice President, strategic sourcing and Procurement operations, Pitney bowes; Cheryl stevens, vice President, efh; and Pamela Prince-eason, President and Ceo, WbenC


WBenc Honors female leaDers WitH aPPlause aWarDs

the Women’s business enterprise national Council

(WbenC) bestowed three applause awards honoring those

who have made exceptional accomplishments in expanding

opportunities for Women’s business enterprises (Wbes). WbenC

presented the awards during its recent national Conference

& business fair in orlando. the event attracted some 3,000

corporations and women-owned businesses.

two corporate executives, debra stewart, director, supplier

diversity, Workforce development and diversity outreach at

shell, and Cyndi hopkins, director, Global supplier diversity

at dell inc., earned applause awards. each recipient is

recognized for advancing women’s business growth by

providing suppliers access to their companies; supporting

diversity initiatives within or outside their organizations; and

mentoring the next generation of executives or suppliers.

a special applause award was presented to a team of

corporate executives serving on the WbenC board, the

WbenC certification staff, and WbenC’s regional Partner

organizations (rPos) this year. this group was recognized

for enabling WbenC to deliver the new Women owned

small business (Wosb) certification on behalf of the united

states small business administration (sba) for its federal

Contracting Program.

after being notified in July 2011, by the sba of WbenC’s

status as one of the few organizations to provide Wosb

certification, WbenC was able to begin providing

certification by september, generating an overwhelmingly

positive response by suppliers and government entities. the

recipients included the following individuals.

WbenC CertifiCation team:

• susan Cates, manager, alliance relationships

• Candace Waterman, Chief of staff

• laKesha White, senior Certification Program manager

WbenC board members:

• nancy Conner, Chair, WbenC national Certification

Committee and manager, supplier diversity W.W. Grainger

• benita fortner, WbenC board vice Chair and

director, supplier diversity, raytheon

• Pamela Prince-eason, President & Ceo, WbenC

• Cheryl stevens, vice President of supplier diversity,

energy future holdings and former WbenC board Chair

• laura taylor, WbenC board Chair and vice President,

strategic sourcing and Procurement operations,

Pitney bowes

the 14 WbenC reGional Partner orGanizations,

With sPeCial reCoGnition to:

• debbie hurst, President, Women's business Council

southwest

• michelle richards, President, Women's business

enterprise Council – Great lakes

• susan rittscher, Ceo, Center for Women and enterprise

• blanca robinson, President, Women's business enterprise

Council – south

• Geri swift, Chair of the leadership Council and President,

Women's business enterprise Council Pa-de-snJ

“WbenC is proud to recognize these leaders who are changing

the landscape for women’s business success. from filling

the pipeline of science, technology, engineering and math

applause award Winners

left to right: laura taylor, WbenC board Chair and vice President, strategic sourcing and Procurement operations, Pitney bowes; Kim brown, vice President, General Procurement, dell; applause award Winner Cyndi hopkins, director, Global supplier diversity, dell; brian hall, manager, supplier diversity/outreach, small business liaison officer, shell; applause award Winner debra stewart, director, supplier diversity, Workforce development and diversity outreach, shell; Pamela Prince-eason, President & Ceo, WbenC

www.wbenc.org

(stem) -educated women, to enhancing marketplace access

for women’s businesses in both the corporate and federal

contracting marketplace, our 2012 applause award winners

are enriching our present and future economy,” said Pamela

Prince-eason, WbenC President and Ceo.

WbenC’s applause award recipients are selected based on

their impact on the growth of Wbes; creation of policies,

procedures or initiatives that increase opportunities for

Wbes; and innovative and inspirational leadership on behalf

of women business owners and their companies.

debra ClarK steWart is director of supplier diversity,

Workforce development, and diversity outreach at shell. she

is responsible for developing and implementing strategies

and programs that support u.s. supplier diversity, such as

local content and diversity outreach programs, including

diverse nongovernmental organization partnerships; ensuring

compliance as a government contractor; and maximizing

corporate brand and reputation. in addition, stewart leads

shell's efforts in identifying and creating external programs

and approaches to attract young talent to engineering,

geosciences, operations and maintenance crafts through

workforce development initiatives.

since joining shell in 1990, stewart has worked across a

spectrum of businesses (plastics, intermediate chemicals,

basic chemicals, refining and lubricants) in roles of increasing

responsibility and challenge in market and business

management, technical management, international marketing,

project management and mergers/acquisitions/divestitures.

in one example, as an assignment as vice President of

technology at shell deer Park refining Company, stewart

led a department of 100 managers, engineers, inspectors

and technicians responsible for developing and ensuring the

capability and reliability of refinery assets over $1 billion.

stewart is a recognized leader in a number of activities in

support of the shell community and the external community. a

previous Chair of shell’s united Way campaign and a graduate

of unW’s “Project blueprint,” stewart serves on the board of

directors of target hunger, a united Way agency that seeks to

eradicate hunger and its root causes in houston’s inner city

neighborhoods. she was a member of the start up team for the

shell black networking Group (sbnG) in 1996 and served

as the inaugural Chair of the network’s mentoring Committee.

she currently serves as executive Co-sponsor of shell’s

multicultural women’s affinity group, PoWer (Promoting

opportunity for Women across ethnicity and race).

stewart is a graduate of Case Western reserve university

in Cleveland with bachelor and master degrees in

Polymer engineering.

Cyndi hoPKins serves as the director of Global supplier

diversity and the small business liaison officer at dell. in

this role, she is responsible for driving in excess of

$3 billion spend with diverse suppliers. hopkins launched

the dell supplier diversity Champion team and transformed

the program by driving a 47 percent year-over-year

increase in spend with diverse suppliers. she currently

serves on the board of directors for the Women’s business

Council southwest and the southwest minority supplier

development Council. hopkins is also active in her

community as the chair of the austin regional task force.

since joining dell in 1999, hopkins has held a variety

of roles. she led an accounting team while part of the

Corporate finance organization. she also defined business

requirements and led the Joint application development

for dell’s corporate invoicing project. hopkins has also

held many roles in the Product Group organization leading

new product development teams. she was chosen to lead

the project team to develop and launch the first products

with amd microprocessors. While in Product Group,

hopkins earned her Green belt and served as the area

Champion for several years. she has served as a mentor to

several individuals.

Prior to dell, she was a 10-year veteran of baylor College

of medicine where she held various analyst and project

management positions, including administrator of molecular

Physiology and biophysics. she was responsible for her

line of business in distribution of headcount, supply

expenditures to ensure adherence to the organization’s

guidelines and governmental regulations. as the youngest

basic science administrator, she was appointed to the

President’s advisory Committee in support of vision 2000.

hopkins graduated from the university of texas with a

bachelor of arts in economics.

july edition 2012 19PG

More about the aPPlause award reciPients


Pamela Prince-eason contriButes to clinton gloBal initiative america meeting

Pamela Prince-eason, President and Ceo, Women’s business enterprise national Council

(WbenC), recently attended the prestigious 2012 Clinton Global initiative america

(CGi america) meeting in Chicago. she was invited to contribute to this landmark event

because of her role as a national expert on women’s business growth.

CGi america is an annual meeting bringing together leaders from the business,

foundation, nGo and government sectors to develop solutions that address

unemployment, prepare americans to be competitive global citizens and rethink current

models that shape our economy and society. this year President Clinton called on

participants to strategically integrate the lens of girls and women throughout the program.

this approach is called the Girls and Women (G&W) Champion model. Champions are

asked to represent the G&W lens in their respective Working Group.

Prince-eason joined the more than 750 stakeholders who gathered at the two-day working

meeting. she participated in the small business Working group, serving as a G&W

Champion. during the session, Prince-eason shared her insight into, and experience with,

the broad range of strategies utilized by WbenC’s corporate and government members

in generating productive and sustainable growth among women’s businesses. WbenC

enables its certified Women’s business enterprises (Wbes) to access these strategies,

and acquire the skills and capacity needed to compete for and win major corporate and

government business.

“i Was HonoreD to rePresent WBenc in integrating Women anD girls

into a successful economic moDel for our future,” Prince-eason saiD.

“our corPorate anD government memBers are committeD to Diversity

across tHe BoarD; anD many Have Programs to eDucate anD fill tHe

PiPeline WitH tHe next generation of Women entrePreneurs.”

as Past Chair of the WbenC board and former vice President of Worldwide Procurement

for Pfizer inc., her background combines a suite of knowledge and experience from the

procurement, women’s business leadership and nonprofit realms. she is driving WbenC’s

strategy to advance innovative corporate, government and Wbe partnerships that enhance

productivity and add jobs to the economy.


about cGi aMericaPresident Clinton established the Clinton Global initiative america (CGi america)

to address economic recovery in the united states. CGi america brings together

leaders in business, government and civil society to generate and implement

commitments to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, foster innovation and

support workforce development in the united states. since its first meeting in

June 2011, CGi america participants have made more than 100 commitments

valued at $11.8 billion. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments

will improve the lives of 3 million people, create or fill more than 150,000 jobs,

and invest and loan $354 million to small and medium enterprises in the united

states. to learn more, visit cgiamerica.org.

about the clinton Global initiative

established in 2005 by President bill Clinton, the Clinton Global initiative (CGi)

convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the

world’s most pressing challenges. CGi annual meetings have brought together

more than 150 heads of state, 20 nobel Prize laureates and hundreds of leading

Ceos, heads of foundations and nGos, major philanthropists and members of

the media. to date CGi members have made more than 2,100 commitments,

which are already improving the lives of nearly 400 million people in more than

180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be

valued at $69.2 billion.

CGi’s annual meeting is held each september in new york City. CGi also

convenes CGi america, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic

recovery in the united states, and CGi university (CGi u), which brings together

undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their

community or around the world. for more information, visit

clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on twitter @ClintonGlobal and facebook

at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.


ask any child what his favorite part of the school day

is and most will say, “recess.” Why? because it is fun

– makes school more enjoyable, relieves stress and helps

them stay focused when they are back in the classroom.

so, why don’t we have recess at work?

according to a recent study led by the Center for the

enhancement of teaching and learning, health Promotion

and education at the university of Cincinnati, “recess serves

a critical role in school as a necessary break from the rigors

of academic challenges . . . provides a unique contribution

to a child's creative, social and emotional development.”

so for adults, it follows that the same would be true. if we

plan some fun – whether it is physical activity or simply

a mental break – in our days, our creativity will increase,

our stress will be reduced, and we will be happier, more

productive employees or business owners.

these are the very reasons why WbenC incorporated

exercise and fun for the first time into this year’s national

Conference & business fair.

some 40 individuals participated in the tuesday and

Wednesday early morning zumba sessions, led by certified

zumba instructor, Kate armstrong, who is also the supplier

diversity leader at itron.

“starting each morning of the conference with a burst of

cardio was just what those ladies needed to go out and

make valuable business introductions and connections,”

said armstrong.

on thursday morning, we changed the pace and offered

yoga for those who enjoy combining physical and spiritual

exercise to set the tone for their day.

as beneficial as physical exercise is, we did not stop there.

Just ask those who hopped from square to square on our

giant-sized WoW! game board during our tuesday evening

reception. after getting their game passports stamped at our

sponsor stations, participants climbed on the game board for a

chance to answer WbenC-themed questions and earn prizes.

and on Wednesday night, those who were not afraid of

a little rain enjoyed a variety of food and entertainment

at universal’s City Walk. after a “red carpet” welcome,

attendees chose to grab the mic and sing karaoke with a live

band, dance to top hits spun by a dJ or sit back and listen to

relaxing music – all the while having fun while “at work.”

WbenC’s emphasis on wellness at the conference is part of

the organization’s larger commitment to women’s health.

in the words of our health and Wellness editor, brenda

loube, Principal/founder of Corporate fitness Works, “With

consideration to any form of physical activity, the key is to

find one that you enjoy. have fun with fitness and you’ll find

it’s so much easier to create a habit.”

reSourCeS

Women on WellnessWHo WantS to Go out anD play? We all Do!

Documents

WBENC July 2012 President's Report