Cheryl Snead

Cheryl Snead, president and CEO, Banneker Industries Inc., accepts her award from Benita Fortner, director of supplier diversity, Raytheon, and chairman of the board, WBENC.
Cheryl Snead is the president and CEO of Banneker Industries Inc., a provider of supply chain management solutions headquartered in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. A mechanical engineer and green belt Six Sigma specialist, she founded the company in 1991 to manufacture precision-machined components, but changed the focus of the firm when she realized that a wide range of industries had a critical need for tailored solutions to supply chain challenges. Ms. Snead is vice chair of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council Women’s Enterprise Forum and serves on the WBENC board of directors, as well as AMICA Insurance Company. She is an immediate past director of Bank Rhode Island. Her community activities include serving on the Board of Trustees of Bryant University and as a charter member and officer of the Greater Providence RI Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. She travels the country as a motivational speaker advocating for youth, minority and women empowerment. Her business and civic accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. She has been named a Women’s Business Enterprise Star by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and the New England Businesswoman of the Year by Bryant University’s Women’s Summit. Banneker Industries was named the National Subcontractor of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration in 2008.