Corporate Advocate Archives - WBE Hall of Fame

Debbie Dennis

Corporate Advocate

Cheryl Stevens, vice president, supplier diversity, Energy Future Holdings, presents a Corporate Advocate award to Debbie Dennis, senior vice president, human resources and corporate affairs, Oncor Electric Delivery.
Debbie Dennis has responsibility for all human resource planning, policy, performance management, rewards strategies, sourcing, talent management and employee and labor relations. Dennis is also responsible for the strategic direction of Oncor’s community involvement and volunteer initiatives and their alignment with the company’s philanthropic and business goals. This responsibility includes serving as the executive sponsor of Oncor’s employee volunteer programs and directing Oncor’s signature volunteer program, Oncor Texas Trails.

Theresa Harrison

Corporate Advocate

Billie Bryant Schultz, president, CESCO Inc., presents a Corporate Advocate award to Theresa Harrison, director, supplier diversity, Ernst & Young.
Theresa Harrison is the director of supplier diversity for Ernst & Young LLP, a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. She is responsible for the management and oversight of the firm’s supplier diversity initiative, which includes the design, development and implementation of diverse supplier policies and processes. Under her leadership in supply-chain diversity, Ernst & Young has received several accolades for the firm’s support of entrepreneurs. In 2009, 2010 and 2011, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council named Ernst & Young as one of America’s Top Corporations for WBEs.

Joan Namahana Kerr

Corporate Advocate

Bill Alcorn, board member, American Institute of Diversity and Commerce, presents a Corporate Advocate award to Joan Kerr, director, supplier diversity and sustainability, PG&E.
Joan Namahana Kerr is director of supplier diversity and sustainability at Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Under her leadership in this area, PG&E has more than doubled its annual spend with diverse business enterprises, raising it to more than $2 billion. In 2012, the company’s spend with women reached $659 million, an increase of 28 percent. PG&E has improved results in all areas of diverse spend, while focusing on finding qualified diverse business enterprises in areas that offer the greatest opportunity. PG&E’s 2012 supplier diversity accomplishments demonstrated the company’s commitment to WBEs and community economic development.

Cynthia Chace

Corporate Advocate

Cynthia Chace, enterprise account manager, state government sector, UPS (right), accepts her award from Billie Bryant, president and CEO, CESCO Inc.
Cynthia Chace is an enterprise account manager, state government sector, for UPS in Atlanta. She is responsible for creating, implementing and executing marketing and sales initiatives in the public sector, working her way up from the position of preloader back in 1986. During her 28-year career there, she has been devoted to the connection and advancement of women inside and outside the company. She has championed partnerships with women’s business organizations, such as the National Association of Women Business Owners and Women Presidents Organization. In her role at UPS, she helped found and launch Go for the Greens, a business development conference for women entrepreneurs. Now in its sixth year, Go for the Greens attracts entrepreneurs from all over the southwest and provides them with opportunities to meet with decision-makers from private and public organizations. She also helped steer UPS to become the corporate partner of the year for NAWBO. In recognition of her efforts on behalf of women business owners, Ms. Chace was awarded the World of Difference Award in 2012 by The International Alliance for Women, a global organization dedicated to the economic empowerment and advancement of women across six continents. Ms. Chace earned a bachelor’s degree in science from Radford University in Virginia, which she attended after being recruited – and winning a scholarship – to play basketball.

Michael Robinson

Corporate Advocate

Michael Robinson, program director, global supplier diversity, IBM, accepts his award from Lynn Scott, immediate past chairman of the board of the American Institute of Diversity and Commerce.
Michael K. Robinson is program director, global supplier diversity, for IBM’s Integrated Supply Chain. He is responsible for leading IBM’s supplier diversity initiatives worldwide. In this role, Mr. Robinson and his team focus on the utilization, development and mentoring of diverse suppliers. His team is also responsible for IBM’s Supplier Connection, a free, cloud-based portal that provides small businesses access to large corporations. With Mr. Robinson’s leadership in supplier diversity, IBM has spent in excess of $2 billion on a first-tier basis with diverse enterprises since 2006. The company has received numerous honors, including being named a Top Corporation for Women’s Business Enterprises by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. The company also received the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Frances Perkins VanGuard Award for excellence in utilizing women-owned small businesses as prime contractors, subcontractors and suppliers. Mr. Robinson was named a Champion of Diversity for 2010 by DiversityPlus and a 2011 Congressional Executive Leadership Awardee and was recognized as one of the Best of IBM in 2013 in the category of corporate responsibility. Mr. Robinson serves on the board of directors of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, WE Connect International, the Conference Board Council on Supplier Diversity and Clark-Atlanta University Supply Chain Leadership Advisory Board.

Laura Taylor

Corporate Advocate

Laura Taylor, senior director, procurement strategy and planning, Pitney Bowes Inc., accepts her award from Pamela Prince-Eason, president and CEO, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.
Laura Taylor is the senior director, procurement strategy and planning, for Pitney Bowes Inc. in Stamford, Connecticut. Ms. Taylor provides strategic procurement leadership and is responsible for defining and implementing strategic objectives, policies, procedures and programs. Ms. Taylor and her team have global procurement accountability for the strategy and program management of spend analytics, project sourcing, controls and compliance and supplier risk. At Pitney Bowes, Ms. Taylor was twice awarded the company’s One Standard Excellence Award for results in business process improvement. As a former chair of the board of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, she leveraged her track record of creating innovative, business enhancing initiatives at Pitney Bowes to help strengthen the strategic direction of WBENC and its 14 regional partner organizations. She has also served as WBENC’s board first vice chair, where she campaigned to re-launch the organization’s Ambassador Program, reinforcing the quality of corporate membership. In other positions with WBENC committees, Ms. Taylor has tirelessly worked to expand membership and advance WBE competitiveness. Ms. Taylor has received WBENC’s most prestigious honor, the William J. Alcorn Leadership Award, and was named one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Corporate Supply Diversity by Women’s Enterprise USA in 2013. Believing that the seeds of collaboration and leadership are planted early in life, Ms. Taylor is an active volunteer in Girl Scouts and has served on the board of directors of the Southwestern Connecticut Girl Scouts Council.

Lynn A. Boccio accepts from Bill Alcorn

Corporate Advocate

Lynn A. Boccio, Esquire A successful trial lawyer prior to joining Avis Budget Group Inc. in 1996, Boccio blazed a new trail for herself and the car rental giant as she developed, organized and implemented the supplier diversity team. Today, she leads the company’s supplier diversity team and oversees the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program at 238 airport locations. Boccio serves as a mentor for Avis Budget Group’s Women’s Leadership Group and is WBEnC board chair.

Benita Fortner accepts from Jim Holloway

Corporate Advocate

Benita Fortner Fortner is the director of supplier diversity for Raytheon Co., a position she assumed in 2000 after serving as the socioeconomic program manager for the Waltham, Massachusettsbased defense contractor. Before joining Raytheon, she held numerous management positions during a 28-year career at Hughes Aircraft Co. As procurement manager at Hughes, she was instrumental in significantly increasing the number of corporate agreements awarded to small minorityand women-owned suppliers, implementing supplier customer feedback sessions and fostering second-tier alliances.

Gene Tabor accepts from Laura Taylor

Corporate Advocate

Gene Tabor The foundation for women’s business enterprises’ successes was set when Tabor joined Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc. in 1987 and saw firsthand the quality and innovation inherent in many womenand minority-owned suppliers. Before his recent retirement, he was general manager of procurement of indirect and production materials for Toyota. During his 28 years with Toyota, Tabor also lead the supplier diversity team, where he was instrumental in developing the automaker’s current women’s business enterprise initiative.

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