Board of Directors

Become a Corporate Member

Robert González

Chairperson

Lead Project Engineering  Manager

United Parcel Service

Robert Gonzalez is Lead Project Engineering Manager at United Parcel Service in the newly formed Corporate Building and Systems Engineering (BaSE) Pre-Construction team. He is responsible for managing construction projects, including expansion and modification of existing operations, and implementation of new automation technology. Robert has been with UPS for over 36 years,
ranging from supervisory positions in operations to leadership responsibilities in engineering and construction. Robert is currently overseeing the design, construction planning, and coordination
for the Network of the Future strategy that UPS has adopted for multiple facilities throughout the United States. This initiative focuses on integration of the latest technologies in automation
sortation systems. His areas of responsibilities include bidding, contract execution, A&E design, and construction oversight of general contractors and conveyor systems integrators for UPS Hub
Automation projects.

Denika Dwyer

Vice Chairperson

Director of Legal Operations at Fivetran

Denika Dwyer is a seasoned professional in the field of Legal Operations, currently holding the esteemed position of Director of Legal Operations at Fivetran, an innovative automated data movement platform that specializes in extracting, loading, and transforming data on a global scale.

Denika’s dedication to her career extends beyond her impressive role at Fivetran. She serves as the Vice Chairperson for the Mountain Plains Supplier Development Council (MPMSDC), a role she has embraced since 2008. Her contributions to the MPMSDC have been diverse and impactful, ranging from volunteering to participating in the awards committee, sharing her insights as a panelist, and graciously hosting events. Denika’s commitment to the MPMSDC reflects her passion for fostering diversity and inclusivity within the business world.

Beyond her professional commitments, Denika is a compassionate advocate for change and serves on the Board of Directors of Colorado Animal Protectors. Her dedication to this cause mirrors her drive to support the growth and development of future generations, both in leadership and business.

Denika’s extensive background includes valuable experience in Legal Operations and Legal Shared Services at Arrow Electronics, where she honed her skills and gained over 15 years of Procurement expertise. This wealth of knowledge enhances her ability to contribute effectively to the mission of the MPMSDC.

Residing in Greenwood Village, CO, Denika shares her life with her three wonderful children, two canine companions, and three feline friends. Her commitment to her family, her community, and her profession exemplifies her unwavering dedication to making a positive impact in all facets of her life. Denika Dwyer is a remarkable individual whose contributions continue to enrich both the corporate landscape and the broader community.

Tammy Martin

Secretary

Director, Business Diversity Program
Burns & McDonnell

With 25 years of experience in supply chain and supplier management, Tammy Martin works closely with executive leaders and business diversity teams globally throughout the 100% employee-owned engineering, construction and architecture firm to identify, utilize and develop relationships with diverse businesses.

Martin leads collaborative efforts across the firm to maintain and develop partnerships, provide an education platform for small and diverse-owned businesses to meet and exceed client business diversity goals, and lead internal trainings for Burns & McDonnell employee-owners. Her robust experience includes leading strategic supply services and supplier relationship management at one of the nation’s largest utility companies, as well as serving in roles where she developed a deep understanding of procurement, contract negotiations and strategic sourcing.

Martin is a Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity from the Institute of Supply Management (ISM). She is also a former member of the Electric Utiity Industry Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance and previously served as vice president of the ISM Cooperatives Utilities Board of Directors and vice chair of the Utility Purchasing Management Group. Martin earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College.

Stan Sena

President/CEO

Mountain Plains MSDC

Stan Sena is President & CEO of the Mountain Plains Minority Supplier Development Council, a 501c(3) corporate member organization that certifies Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs), provides access to certified MBEs to its corporate members, and provides contracting opportunities to its certified MBEs from its corporate members within Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Western Missouri.

Mr. Sena was previously Executive Vice President and COO of Americold Corporation, the leading third-party supplier of supply chain solutions in the consumer packaged goods industry.  Americold, with 117 locations in North America, enjoyed sales of over $800 million and an employee base of over 6500. In his capacity with Americold, Mr. Sena was responsible for the growth of the organization-an LBO from Beatrice Companies-starting with 30 locations nationally and $65 million in sales to an international organization with over 100 locations and $800 million in sales.

Murugan Palani

Interim Treasurer

Director, Office of Business Diversity

Denver Public Schools

Murugan Palani is the Director of Business Diversity at Denver Public Schools. He is a native of Denver, Colorado proudly graduating from George Washington H.S. in 1995 and from the University of Colorado with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Computer Information Systems. He completed his M.B.A. at Webster University in 2011 and earned a Masters in Human Resource Management in 2012.

Murugan served in the Colorado National Guard his last two years in college and served 6 years as an Officer in the Army upon obtaining his Business degree.

Upon completing his service to the United States Army, Murugan accepted a position with Xcel Energy as its Manager of Supplier Diversity in April of 2009. Murugan is a strong proponent of small business and believes that helping small businesses grow and succeed is the key to growing our economy and our community. His passion for small businesses is evident with his involvement in and leadership roles in several of the local Chambers of Commerce and other business organizations.

Krysta Gerstner

Senior Vice President

FirstBank- Risk & Vendor Management – Colorado

Krysta Gerstner is the SVP of Vendor Management for FirstBank.  Krysta is a graduate of Colorado State University and the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking.  She started her banking career with FirstBank in 2008 and currently oversees the supplier diversity initiatives for the company.  She has also served on several non-profit boards.

 

Renee Cusack

Director of Global Procurement Operations/North & Central America Procurement ISS

Ball Corporation 

Renee Cusack is the Director of Global Procurement Operations / North & Central America Procurement ISS at Ball Corporation. A distinguished alumna of Metropolitan State University, Renee holds a master’s degree in Project Management from Saint Mary’s University, showcasing her commitment to excellence in her field.

 With a solid foundation in procurement, Renee embarked on her career at Molson Coors, contributing her expertise to the Merchandise and Point-of-Sale team. In 2021, she transitioned to Ball Corporation, where she now plays a pivotal role in the Global Procurement Operations team and the NCA ISS Team.

 A dynamic professional, Renee is entrusted with overseeing the Supplier Diversity Program, demonstrating her dedication to fostering inclusivity and collaboration within the procurement landscape. Her strategic vision and leadership continue to drive success in the complex world of global procurement.

Lisa Helm

Director Supply Chain Excellence & Diversity

Evergy, Inc.

Lisa Helm is the Director of Supply Chain Excellence and Diversity at Evergy, Inc with responsibilities for managing supply chain strategy, analytics, technology, and various supply chain programs including supplier diversity, supply chain risk and sustainability and continuous improvement. She is an expert supply chain leader, with over 20 years of manufacturing and energy industry experience across all functions of supply chain. Lisa is a pragmatic leader who takes the utmost ownership in her work, thrives on solutioning complex problems through collaboration, while developing high functioning teams that drive improvement in operational excellence. In her personal time, Lisa enjoys exploring the many wonders of the nature by riding her motorcycle, camping, kayaking, hiking, and has an enduring thirst for knowledge.

Keli Hearon

Manager of Supplier Diversity & ESG

Xcel Energy – Colorado

Keli Hearon is a seasoned business empowerment advocate and professional with over 20 years of experience in supplier diversity, procurement, business development, and corporate relations. As a child of parents who were both entrepreneurs in the construction industry, Keli has first-hand knowledge of the challenges diverse businesses face in building capacity and seeking opportunities.

She currently serves as the Manager of Supplier Diversity & ESG at Xcel Energy. Through her leadership, she has implemented new strategic and programmatic processes, increased community engagement, and created the “Listen-In” forums to allow small and diverse companies to share their experience and recommendations on how Xcel Energy can better support the advancement and inclusion of small and diverse suppliers.

Some of Keli’s accomplishments in her 10 years of utility industry experience include the research, development and implementation of best practices and multi-year contract convergence opportunities across the various operating companies. She has also led cross-functional teams through sourcing projects with the end goal of converging business process and outsourced suppliers.

Prior to Keli’s tenure at Xcel Energy, she worked at Delta Air Lines, Exelon and Washington Gas in procurement and Supplier Diversity roles where she led and supported efforts to increase and expand their inclusive procurement programs. She has also owned and developed several businesses. She has served as a member of the New Jersey Supplier Diversity Development Council and Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council Board of Directors. Keli is a graduate of Wayne State University.

Verdis Green

Sr. Diversity Supply Chain Manager

Kiewit Supply Network

Verdis Green serves as the Senior Diversity Supply Chain Manager at Kiewit. In this role, he collaborates with leaders across Kiewit’s engineering, procurement, and construction sectors to identify, engage, and develop relationships with diverse businesses. He also spearheads initiatives to maintain and grow partnerships, providing platforms for small and diverse-owned businesses to help Kiewit achieve and surpass client diversity goals.

With 32 years of experience in the utility industry, Verdis’s career has spanned from a journeyman lineman to leadership roles in contractor management, business analytics, safety, T&D operations, and technical training. His expertise lies in leveraging relationships to identify opportunities that yield sustainable results.

Verdis holds an MBA from Mid-American Nazarene University and has served on and chaired several non-profit boards. He is currently a Board Director for the National Institute for Construction Excellence (NICE) and serves as a mentor to several young and up incoming professionals.

Ivan W. Burwell

Street Source Marketing & Communications

CEO/President

Ivan is an advertising, marketing and communications specialist with over 25 years of experience in the strategic development, design, and implementation of communications and marketing strategies.
As an executive with Coors Brewing Company for many years, Ivan developed multicultural initiatives which included the creation of advertising campaigns and retail initiatives that led to growth within multicultural consumer segments. Following a successful career at Coors Brewing Company, Ivan Launched Street Source Marketing & Communications strategic marketing, branding, and insights agency.
Street Source Marketing and Communications has worked with Fortune 500 companies, as well as city and airport clients developing solutions to enhance brand performance as well as consumer engagement.
Ivan has consulted with numerous executives within the city management and corporations regarding strategies that better define more inclusive environments that embrace the nuances and power of culture.
Ivan has a client – centered philosophy that insists that his team delivers the very best ideas and results for clients.

Ivan received his BA from the University of Denver, and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Denver College of Business
He also received a Certificate of Excellence from the Rutgers Business Center For Urban Entrepreneurship And Economic Development.

Affiliations:

  • Member of the Board of Mountain Plains Minority Development Council
  • Vice Chair of The MBEIC Committee of Mountain Plains Minority Development Council
  • Member of Sigma PI PHI

Sunil Nair

iDatalytics, LLC
Managing Partner-Co CEO
Chairperson of MBEIC

Sunil Nair is the Managing Partner and Co-CEO of iDatalytics LLC, a technology consulting services firm that offers digital transformation solutions and services to clients. Prior to his entrepreneurial journey, Sunil held key leadership roles in a variety of companies ranging from Tier 1 wireless operators to leading systems consulting firms. Most recently, Sunil served several executive roles at Sprint Corporation (now T-Mobile) including Director of Product Marketing and Chief of Staff to the President of Consumer BU and Corporate Strategy. Sunil holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida, and a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering (with honors) from Bangalore University. He is also a graduate of the Kansas City Tomorrow (KCT) civic leadership program. Sunil is passionate about innovation and holds several patents in the areas of wireless applications, platforms and services. As a minority business owner, Sunil understands the importance of supporting fellow MBEs and is an advocate for providing them access to business opportunities.

Dave Saunders

Vice President Manufacturing & Procurement – Hallmark Cards

Dave is the Vice President of Manufacturing & Procurement at Hallmark.  Dave’s career has included key roles across the global supply chain, including US domestic manufacturing, as well as global sourcing operations.  Dave is responsible for the development and execution of Hallmark’s global manufacturing and procurement strategies, encompassing Hallmark’s US-based manufacturing facilities, as well as procurement operations, teams, and suppliers in the US, Asia, Mexico, and other global regions.  Dave maintains a key focus on ensuring Hallmark’s products are efficiently manufactured to high standards, and he’s also focused on adapting and steering Hallmark’s product supply chain to meet the evolving demands of the competitive marketplace, and the ever-changing landscape of global business and international supply chain dynamics.

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