2023 Women of Excellence Honorees

Bentsen is accountable for managing Amgen’s Responsible Sourcing program consisting of Supplier Diversity and Supplier Sustainability programs. She joined Amgen’s Global Strategic Sourcing team in 2012 where she’s held roles of increasing responsibility and supporting Responsible Sourcing program since 2016.  In her current role, Bentsen partners with internal stakeholders to execute strategies for the Responsible Sourcing program that are aligned with Amgen’s Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments to positively impact the communities and environments in which Amgen operates. She is also actively engaged in the supplier diversity community and is part of the Board of Directors for Diversity Alliance for Science, the largest nonprofit supplier diversity organization founded and sponsored by major pharmaceutical companies that provides a platform for developing and connecting small/diverse businesses with life science corporations.

As an IT consultant in the 1970s aerospace industry, Linda Stone soon grew frustrated with the lack of growth and leadership opportunities. In 1980, with just a single contract in hand, Stone founded APR Consulting, Inc. She would soon transform the humble IT staffing firm into a nationally respected and award-winning company, serving multiple industries with a full range

of high-level, specialized talent and a comprehensive suite of offerings, from professional recruitment and contingent staffing to payroll and MSP support. Over the last four decades, Stone has deftly steered APR through tectonic, economic, technological, and societal shifts — from Y2K to the Great Recession to 2020 — with the agility and ingenuity to turn them into catalysts for transformation for her clients, her contractors, and her company. This culture of growth and possibility has made APR the employer of choice for thousands of driven professionals and earned consistent accolades from clients and industry alike.

Founded in 1998, FCI is an energy/water consulting company offering a broad level of expertise in energy/water efficiency services. Today, FCI is a certified, woman-owned, minority corporation, headquartered in Long Beach, California, with offices in New York and Georgia.  Watts developed her knowledge and skills from an expansive 24-year career in the electric utility industry with Southern California Edison during which time she held management and supervisory positions in customer service, energy services, marketing, public affairs, and community relations. This experience allowed her to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the electric utility industry in the regulated and deregulated environments.  Watts is very active in the community and illustrates her commitment through work on several community-based organization’s boards such as Goals for Life and Community Build.