MBN USA

March 31, 2023

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DFW MSDC’s Supplier Diversity Professionals Working Group shares best practices

Q: Can you tell us a little about your background, including your time at Vistra Corp.?

A: I spent 16 years in talent acquisition and had the responsibility of hiring individuals into the companies in which I worked. When I joined Vistra] in 2001, it was TXU Corp. I left the organization and started my own recruiting company. I then returned to the company in 2007, when it was building two new power plants and a new lignite coal mine.

I had the responsibility for staffing these locations and ensuring that a diverse group of employees were hired. In 2011, I became a senior project manager and provided leadership over projects on the retail side of the business. By this time, I had the great privilege to support the generation and retail sides of the company. All that was left, was to support corporate.

In 2018, I was hired as a program manager of supply chain diversity and was promoted to my current role as senior manager of supply chain diversity in May 2022. In this role, I have responsibility for our multitier program, pre-qualification program and growth and capacity building. In this role, I have been able to take the experiences gained as a recruiting manager by connecting diverse suppliers to the business. I also can use my project management experience to manage the programs under my responsibility. I currently serve on several certification committees and am chair of the [Dallas Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development’s] Supplier Diversity Professionals Working Group and chair of the Women of Color for Women’s Business Enterprise Center – East. 

Q: What is the purpose of the Dallas Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development Council’s Supplier Diversity Professionals Working Group? 

A: The purpose of the Supplier Diversity Professionals Working Group (SDPWG) is to enhance the effectiveness and proficiency of supplier diversity professionals through the sharing and exchanges of best practices, ideas, information and advocacy.   

Q: What attracted you to this opportunity to lead the Supplier Diversity Professionals Working Group? 

I believe the first SDPWG meeting I attended after joining the supply chain team at Vistra was in early 2019. I remember the room being filled with other supplier diversity professionals, and they all talked freely and shared information with one another. As we worked through the “new normal” of virtual meetings, my predecessor saw that the group was still provided valuable content and members continued to share their experiences and best practices with one another. So, when I was asked to lead, I couldn’t say no. Having the opportunity to lead this working group is an honor that I don’t take lightly.

Q: Do you have specific goals you’d like to achieve as leader of the working group? If so, what are some key ones? 

A: My goals are:

• To increase participation in the working group. There has been a decline in participation over the past three years.

• To continue to provide content to help our supplier diversity professionals grow in their careers.

• To continue to have the sharing of best practices and knowledge sharing among members.

• To equip the members with the tools to increase the number of MBEs in their respective supply chains.

Q: What does success look like to you for the Supplier Diversity Professionals Working Group over the next year or so? 

A: • That each member will feel empowered to continue to be an advocate for minority business enterprises.

• Participation by representatives from member companies, who may not have participated before.

• When others view the DFW MSDC Supplier Diversity Professional Working Group as a “best in class” for supplier diversity professionals.

To learn more about DFW MSDC’s Supplier Diversity Professionals Working Group, visit dfwmsdc.com/supplier-diversity-professionals.