Brenda Smith, MBA, PMP

Experienced, innovative supply chain, supplier diversity program project management executive. Empathetic, dependable leader with 15+ years of global diverse experience in high-tech Fortune 100 companies. Project leadership in operations, vendor management, risk mitigation/resiliency, sustainability, and change management. Demonstrated success creating, developing, and implementing programs and applying best practices. Executive presence with ability to communicate at all levels applying excellent oral, written, and influencing skills for program funding and approval. Talented thought leader with a cross functional perspective that effectively engages at various levels to develop a shared vision for success.

Gained CFO of Nike Retail, President of Brand Jordan and others within company to close Chicago NikeTown for an event during a specified time frame at a national event. Impact: Goal was to create a metric driven business case of diverse businesses that spend dollars on Nike product. Expenditures increased 40% during this time period.

Led Big Brother Strategy with Lyft Sales/Business Development team in partnership with 4 Black suppliers to bid on government contracts to increase opportunities for disadvantaged businesses. Impact: Partnership on $200M contract Savannah, GA for transportation for law enforcement mobile maintenance and analytics. In October 2022, top 2 finalists, and waiting for final decision.

Created, implemented and launched Lyft’s first Supply Chain Equity Program. Impact: Established program baseline and created 15-year strategy and road map. Created and launched online training for all 5000 employees. Expenditures doubled in first year. Presented to ELT and gained approval for $300K budget. Implemented flexible payment terms for diverse suppliers with average payment terms of 17 days. Managed Service Provider (Managed our contract labor) had >51% of diverse suppliers. Three Black suppliers presented to Founder on their capabilities. Received Exceeds Performance review and scheduled for promotion.

Digital Marketing Expert, DMI