MBN USA

April 05, 2023

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NMSDC advocacy team offers quarterly update

The National Minority Supplier Development Council Inc. (NMSDC) advocacy team continues to build an influential policy presence in Washington D.C. by establishing relationships with our top governmental leaders in the United States Congress and White House. The elevation of racial economic equity continues to grow across the federal government as more investments from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Inflation Reduction Act, American Rescue Plan, and CHIPS Act reach the greater business community. It is vital these investments give MBEs an equal opportunity to grow business revenue in the public and private sectors as part of the U.S. strategy of buying American products and services.

Meetings on the hill

NMSDC CEO and President Ying McGuire and Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Programs Lisa Morris are making their presence known on the Hill. McGuire is leading the charge by continuing her leadership on the U.S. SBA Council on Underserved Communities. She continues to advocate in her position as chair of the Subcommittee on Access to Contracts for actionable recommendations that include increasing SBA size standards, promoting greater data transparency in the contracting utilization of MBEs involved in federal contracts, and convening major prime contractors to develop new strategies of MBE utilization in private sector supplier diversity supply chains.      

Meanwhile, Lisa Morris represented NMSDC at the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Meet and Greet where she talked about many important issues related to increasing access to capital and contracts for MBEs.

This past week, McGuire and Morris also attended the Women’s Business Summit hosted by President Biden at the White House where they advocated for MBEs and women of color business owners.

NMSDC is also continuing to meet with top administration officials at the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Commerce, and other federal agencies to promote advocacy solutions that will increase access to capital, contracts, and procurement opportunities. These touch points are critical relationships to maintain and guide the real-time solutions necessary to support all MBEs and reach NMSDC’s goal of $1 trillion in certified MBE revenue.

Advocacy across the country

Recently, Morris represented NMSDC at the American Council of Renewable Energy (ACORE) on the panel “Securing a Supply Chain to Maximize Clean Energy Deployment.” She highlighted the need to increase MWBE opportunities in the $10 trillion renewable energy economy. A major pillar of NMSDC’s advocacy strategy is to advocate for MBEs to be included in the greater digital transformation and green energy economy as U.S. investments fuel a new “climate-ready nation.” MBEs are essential businesses that can help deliver the technological and innovative solutions needed to ensure underserved minority communities reap the business rewards of this massive shift in technology investment.