Contact: Lynthia Romney
RomneyCom L.L.C.
914-238-2145
Washington DC –January 14, 2008– The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the leading advocate for women’s business enterprises (WBEs) as suppliers to corporate America, announced the appointment of 8 new members to its Board of Directors.
The new directors will serve three-year terms with a distinguished group of corporate business leaders and business owners who are certified as women's business enterprises, who, together with executives of WBENC's Regional Organization Partners, comprise the 57-member WBENC Board of Directors.
The nominations were confirmed at the WBENC Fall/Winter Board Meeting held on
November 13, 2007. Three new corporate representatives were elected to serve beginning November 14, 2007:
Shari Francis, manager-vendor development, Office Depot
Ms. Francis has been with Office Depot since 2001 during which time she has been instrumental in the company’s recognition by WBENC as one of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises as well as numerous awards from the Florida Regional Minority Development Council and the NMSDC. She is a vice president of the Hugh Jameison Foundation and has been an active member of the ISM, Canadian Aboriginal Minority Supplier Council and the Florida Regional Minority Business Council. Ms. Francis holds a master’s degree in accounting and is a CPA, CPM and APP.
Melinda Painter, director of worldwide procurement, Dell
Ms. Painter has over 20 years of procurement and supply chain management experience in high technology organizations. She leads a global team in sourcing and negotiations for components to support Dell and its manufacturing partners facilities worldwide. Her many achievements at Dell include receiving an Office of the Chair Award, Champion Manager award, and an award for leading the Dell Operations fundraising efforts for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Ms. Painter is a graduate of West Virginia University’s College of Business Administration and is a CPM.
Diane Pinkney, senior manager, purchasing quality & compliance, Philip Morris USA
Ms. Pinkney has served in increasingly responsible positions at Philip Morris since joining the company in 1985. Her significant management experience includes responsibility for a $3.5M budget, sourcing and price negotiations for over 200 projects and task force leadership resulting in the design and implementation of supplier performance management programs. She has served widely as a volunteer to local, regional and national organizations and has received the Territory Sales Manager leader award a Top Corporate Fundraiser-USA-MS Walk award.
Elected to terms beginning January 1, 2008:
Donna Mullen Good, CEO, Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE)
Joining CWE three years ago, Donna Mullen Good leads a staff of 25 and hundreds of volunteers serving approximately 2,500 clients every year. Prior to joining CWE, Ms. Mullen Good held several government and nonprofit senior posts: as manager of the Denver Department of Human Services she supervised Family and Children Services. After serving as deputy campaign manager for the Webb for Mayor Campaign in 1999 (Denver) she became Webb’s director of Boards & Commissions and his chief policy advisor for Health, Education and Human Services. Donna was also the executive director of the Denver Summit of the Eight Host Committee and vice president of external affairs at Population Services International.
Ella Koscik, CEO, Management Decisions, Inc.
Under Ms. Koscik’s leadership since 1994, MDI has expanded from 10 consultants to more than 650 consultants and travelers. Her guidance has helped boost revenues from $1 million to the more than $80 million projected for 2007. She has overseen the company’s expansion into six major U.S. cities. Koscik has 17 years of experience in the staffing industry. She is an active member of the Georgia Women’s Business Council (GWBC) and has served on the board of the Georgia Association of Personnel Services (GAPS). She also is a founder of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and the National Association of Computer Consultant Business’s Open Door Foundation.
Gail Warrior-Lawrence, president and CEO, The Warrior Group, Inc.
Since its founding in 1997, The Warrior Group, Inc. has grown to become the largest woman-owned provider of modular buildings in the United States. Ms. Warrior-Lawrence holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in marketing. She received the Black Contractors Association’s 2006 Large Contractor of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year by Mcompany, the Small Business Administration’s 2006 Minority Small Business Person of the Year, and a 2007 WBENC Business Star. She has been featured in and quoted by numerous publications, including Seeds of Success, by Vivian Castleberry, Fortune Small Business Magazine, and Black Enterprise Magazine.
Roz Lewis, executive director, Georgia Women’s Business Council (GWBC)
The GWBC received national recognition as a WBENC Partner of the Year in 2007—just one year after Ms. Lewis was named executive director. During her career with Delta Airlines, Lewis was featured by Women’s Enterprise WE USA magazine as one of the 100 Women who impacted Supplier Diversity in 2006. She is currently on the Board of Curators, a diversity consortium for Delta Air Lines. Her former leadership roles include: chair of the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council’s MBE Coordinator sub-committee, and co-chair of the Atlanta Business League “Super Tuesday” conference. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida International University and received her CPM 2001.
Pamela O’Rourke, president, ICON Information Consultants
Pamela O’Rourke has built ICON Information Consultants into an organization with more than 700 employees in 46 states with forecasted revenue in 2007 of $70M dollars. She has consistently been recognized for her success with awards such as: Top 10 Women-Owned Businesses by the Houston Business Journal (Largest Actual Revenue Growth), the WBEA Top 50 Woman-Owned Businesses in Texas, and as one of the “Top 25 Women Business Builders” by Fast Company Magazine. Pamela has sponsored local and national events through WBEA (Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance) to further assist the growth and development of woman-owned businesses.
Cheryl Stevens, WBENC Board chair and vice president, Workforce & Supplier Diversity, Oncor said, “We are fortunate to be able to call upon the collective expertise of this extraordinary board, and to know that, as individuals, each is committed to advancing WBENC’s mission. Ensuring opportunities for women business owners is more important than ever before since these business owners represent not only a rapidly-growing group of small businesses in the U.S., but also a significant consumer market.”
About Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC):
- Founded in 1997, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is the nation’s leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, and the leading advocate of women’s business enterprises (WBEs) as suppliers to corporate America.
- The average WBENC certified company has revenues of $7.5M, 49 employees and 14 years of experience.
- More than 60 WBE firms have revenues in excess of $100M, and seven certified WBE companies have revenues in excess of $1 billion.
- 248 US corporations are active members of WBENC and representatives of 36 corporations sit on the WBENC Board of Directors, along with nine representatives of its regional partner organizations and nine certified women’s business enterprises.
- WBENC certification is accepted by more than 700 corporations, representing America’s most prestigious brands, as well as government entities at the state, local and Federal levels.
- WBENCLink is an internet database, accessed by WBENC corporate members and certified women’s business enterprises, which contains information on certified WBEs for purchasing managers nationwide.
- WBENC also has developed several highly regarded initiatives for recognizing excellence in corporate supplier diversity targeting WBEs (America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises, The WBENC Applause Awards) and women’s business enterprises (WBENC’s Women’s Enterprise Stars).
- WEBuy@wbenc.org is an online marketplace where corporations and government agencies, as well as WBEs, post RFPs, sources sought, and RFIs.
- WBENC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks and accepts donations form corporations, foundations and individuals that support its mission and priorities.