Madison Gunter III has more than 20 years of experience leading global teams in the areas of supplier diversity, workforce diversity, offsets and countertrade, technical marketing, engineering, and channel business development. Last year, Gunter was asked to lead Salesforce’s supplier diversity and supplier sustainability programs after spending a year consulting. He was also a small business owner with Gunter Group Inc., which has had a huge amount of success working with small and medium sized businesses. Gunter received his MBA from University of Santa Clara Leavey School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts from California State University Chico, and is certified as a Telecommunications Engineer from University California, Berkeley.

He is a member of Boy Scouts of America- Piedmont Council Board and past board member of Youth Uprising.

Clifford A. Bailey is President & CEO of TechSoft Systems, Inc. a Managed Services Provider company specializing in network consulting, infrastructure management and monitoring, IT data architecture, cybersecurity, and IT Staff outsourcing. Headquartered since 1983 in Cincinnati, Ohio, TechSoft Systems offers a wide range of services to maximize customers’ technological investments.

Bailey is an advocate for small businesses and a driving force in community reconciliation and development. He is a leader devoted to education, employment, and economic development, and is active with organizations that share these same passions. He is the National Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee (NMBEIC) Immediate Past Chair for the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and serves on the Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council Board. He has also served on the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority Board, Small Business Administration’s National Advisory Council, and the Boards of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber (as Vice Chair) and the Downtown Cincinnati, Inc. (as Chair).

Bailey is recognized as a candid, inclusive, and visionary leader. He has the skills, ability, and experience to inspire, motivate and lead. He speaks internationally to business and student groups and in front of corporations and public audiences on the topics of leadership, economic development, emotional intelligence and change management.

Bailey graduated from Tuskegee University with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering. He continues to provide strategic direction and growth initiatives for TechSoft Systems, Inc. as it expands its portfolio to provide the ‘next big thing’ in technology.

LaSonya Berry is a dynamic human resource professional who has lent her expertise to a wide array of government agencies, nonprofit organizations and Fortune 500 companies for over 18 years, such as Wells Fargo, IBM and General Electric.

Carmen Deale has been with Office Depot for 14 years, serving as manager for Supplier Diversity for the last 4 years.

As the Founder and CEO of Color Coded Kids (CCK), a computer programming firm geared toward children, Shay Gillespie is responsible for overall strategy and expansion of CCK’s current national footprint. In addition, she also founded CCK Foundation, a 501(c)(3) aimed to provide financial assistance for CCK’s courses. In the past three years, CCK Foundation has awarded more than $40,000 in scholarships and workshops to students in underserved communities.  Shay also founded CCK Money, a financial literacy organization, with a mission to teach junior high and high school students money management and wealth-building.

Shay works full-time as central division business development manager for World Wide Technology, covering Fortune 500 corporations in 19 states. She is responsible for supporting more than 70 sales representatives with their diversity strategy within their client organizations. She sits on several boards and has earned recognition in local media for her work. Other awards St. Louis American’s Salute to Young Leaders Award and Delux Magazine’s Power 100.

She is also an active member of her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, and served as a chair for more than six years. Shay is a graduate of several leadership programs, including St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative Fellows program, and is a member of Professional Organization of Women, Regional Business Council and United Way’s Young Leadership Society.

Bernita McCann Hightower is the president and CEO of Next Generation Fuel, a wholesale distributor of gasoline, diesel and alternative fuels throughout the United States and South Africa. In her role, she has secured international partnerships with Fortune 100/500 corporations. In 2016, Next Generation Fuel was recognized by Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) as the Top Female and Minority-Owned Energy Firm. In 2018, it was recognized by Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council (OMSDC) as the Emerging Company of the Year. And in 2019, it was ranked #24 by Cincinnati Business Courier Largest Women-Owned Businesses in Cincinnati. In 2020, Next Generation Fuel received the Ohio Success Award, and was recognized last year in The Dayton Business Journal 40 under 40 Class of 2020!

Bernita has completed various executive leadership programs, including at Dartmouth Tuck School of Business, Procter and Gamble Business Development Program, Shell Oil & Gas Energy Executive Program, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program and OMSDC Middle Market Executive Program at The Fisher College of Business.

Bernita is married to Steve Hightower, Founder & President of Hightowers Petroleum and is a member of National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), International Black Women Public Policy Institute (IBWPPI), Odyssey Media, The Dream Walker Academy and Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

Jared L. Kelly has an uncommon business acumen and skill for problem-solving. He has more than 20 years of unmatched experience in strategy, corporate sales, marketing, accounting, and financial management. In 2002, Kelly founded his first startup venture, Complete Entertainment Inc, now known as CEI Media Group. As the principal consultant and marketing/tech strategist, he delivers C-Suite consultation, strategy, and execution services for the firm’s top clientele. As a trusted advisor and creative director, his company has been the invisible bridge for numerous clients who need assistance filling critical gaps in data, design and digital media and technology. The firm has won multiple awards including Southeast Chicago Commission’s Small Business Partner Award and the Class I – Supplier of the Year from the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council.

Steve Lamar is an entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in construction, diversity, and real estate development. He is strongly focused on sustainable development and construction diversity, and as an early adopter of green construction, became a LEED accredited professional and a green building advocate. He is well-versed in sustainable design and construction and formerly served on the board of directors for the United States Green Building Council Los Angeles chapter. During his tenure as the Director of Diversity Services for Kaiser Permanente’s National Facilities Services Department, Lamar helped the organization’s capital projects teams ensure opportunities were being provided to diverse vendors, including (but not limited too) minorities, women, and veterans; and ensured all diversity goals and requirements were met and exceeded, leading to KP being the first healthcare provider to join the Billion Dollar Roundtable.

In his role at GSD&M, Max Rutherford applies his innumerable years of supplier diversity expertise in managing, directing, and providing leadership to the agency’s Vendor Partner Diversity and Small Business Subcontracting Plan. His efforts consistently help ensure that small, disadvantaged, veteran-, minority- and women-owned firms are provided equitable purchasing opportunities. In his 10 years here, Rutherford has successfully developed and implemented an agencywide Vendor Partner initiative that has brought an emphasis to the continuation and advancement of vendor diversity efforts across various accounts. He has been recognized with the DiversityFIRST™ Award for having demonstrated outstanding commitment to D&I in the workplace. As a result of his efforts, GSD&M has been honored in the Multiethnic Supplier Partners category by the American Advertising Federation’s Mosaic Awards.

Liz Whitehead is the CEO of 12PointFive, a business development consultancy that specializes in building business development strategies so that diverse business owners can leverage certification and ultimately win new business. She supports her clients in reaching their goals through facilitation, consulting, and one-on-on coaching. Recognizing that diverse businesses need a program to give them the information they need, when they need it, and in a way that drives them to take action, Whitehead co-founded Diversity Masterminds® with Heather Cox. Diversity Masterminds® is an online curriculum focused on building a roadmap to certification success. Clients who work with Whitehead benefit from more matchmaker meetings at national conferences, more business opportunities, and more visibility in the supplier diversity networks. She serves on the WBENC National Forum and the WBEC DMV forum.

Tonia Woodbury joined BNY Mellon as Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Americas in July of 2022.  She is responsible for driving regional DEI progress and impact across North and Latin America, including continuing to support achievement of our U.S. Black and Hispanic/Latinx representation goals and strategy, and contributing to the advancement of enterprise DEI operationally and across business solutions.

Tonia brings 25 years of experience in financial and insurance services with expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion, supply chain management and marketing communications for high-growth companies.  Her extensive skills include consulting, strategic leadership, implementation, negotiation, and facilitation.  Tonia has held leadership roles in Corporate and Investment Banking Technology, Human Resources, Supplier Diversity, Employee Experience and DEI at Wells Fargo (and its predecessor companies) and Mass Mutual.

Tonia is on the Board of Directors for National Black MBA Association Charlotte Chapter; Diversity Professional Advisory Board and was appointed by the national President and CEO of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. to the National Strategic Partnerships committee for term 2019 – 2022.  Recently, Tonia joined the Black Wall Street Forward Initiative Charlotte Council as part of a statewide (North Carolina) entrepreneurial campaign to revitalize the “Black Wall Street” ingenuity and prominence to address the wealth gap in the black community.

Tonia received a BS in Business Administration from South Carolina State University and an MBA in Marketing from Clark Atlanta University.   She has been certified as a Supplier Diversity Professional (CPSD); holds an Institute of Supply Management (ISM) Project Leadership Certification; and a DEI in the Workplace certification from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business.