WORLD TRADE CENTER GREATER PHILADELPHIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA

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  • Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Member Success and Feature Stories
  • About Us
    • Meet Our Team
  • Trade Missions and Shows
    • Medica 2024
    • November 3 - 13, 2024: Trade Mission to Spain, Portugal, & Morocco
  • Services
    • International Trade Counseling
    • Export Finance Assistance
    • Educational and Networking Opportunities
    • Trade Service Provider Referrals
  • Programs
    • Selling to the World >
      • Selling to the World: Training Classes
      • Press Release
      • Global Diversity Advisory Council
      • Export Training Program
    • Initiatives >
      • Making Global Local
      • Educational Institution Partnerships
    • Clubs >
      • China Club
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Signature Events >
      • WTCA's Global Business Forum
      • WTC Day
      • Global Trade Summit
      • Bringing the World to PA
  • Donate
  • Contact

​Global Diversity Advisory Council

The World Trade Center has launched its inaugural Global Diversity Advisory Council (GDAC), comprised of distinguished leaders in the Philadelphia business community and in supplier diversity who are dedicated to advancing economic growth opportunities for minority and women-owned business enterprises.  (MWBEs).  
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Brian Oglesby, Interim President and CEO of the Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council (EMSDC) and Elizabeth Walsh, President of the Women’s Business Enterprise Center – East (WBEC) are Co-Chairs.

GDAC Members include:

Brian Oglesby, Co-Chair
President/CEO
Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council
 
Elizabeth Walsh, Co-Chair
President
Women’s Business Enterprise Center - East

Kenneth Anderson
Vice President Civic Affairs
Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia

Bridgett M. Battles
Director of Community Engagement and Supplier Diversity
Thomas Jefferson University

Steven Scott Bradley  
(former Chair African American Chamber of Commerce)
Principal, Senior Client Executive
One Digital

Norman Bristol Colón
Chief Diversity Officers, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development
 
L. Jay Burks, PhD
Director of Supplier Diversity
Comcast Corporation
 
Regina A. Hairston
President & CEO
African American Chamber of Commerce
 
Iola Harper
Senior Executive Vice President
The Enterprise Center
 
Casey McCourt
Sr. Economic Development Specialist
PECO, An Exelon Company
Michelle Morin
Global Procurement Leader - Supplier Diversity & Sustainability
Corteva Agriscience

Sundari Pai
Senior Manager, Global Supplier Diversity
Bristol Myers Squibb

Beth Pomper
Director, International Business Development
State of Delaware
 
Maria Prince
Global Procurement ESG Leader
DuPont
 
Christina Renna
President
Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey

Natily Santos
Vice President Responsible Sourcing
Aramark & Avendra Group
 
Zachary Wilcha
Chief Executive Officer
Independence Business Alliance
Industrious Workspace
 
Lawrence Wooten
Senior Manager, National Supplier Diversity
American Water
 
Thomas Young
Associate
Bellevue Strategies
 
Khine Zaw Arthur, PhD
President and CEO
Asian American Chamber of Commerce
GDAC Members hold quarterly meetings to  support the implementation of the Selling to the World initiative: Selling to the World: Growing a Vibrant, Inclusive, and Connected Economy for Greater Philadelphia. The COVID19 pandemic significantly impacted small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including MWBEs. Selling to the World is a transformative public/private sector initiative to generate sustainable and inclusive economic growth and family-sustaining jobs.  The initiative is designed to restore and expand the growth of SMEs with a feature program to increase the capacity to transact business globally for MWBEs.  The Selling to the World program will provide qualified MWBEs with export training and mentorship and will introduce a global supplier diversity program, a ground-breaking strategy for MWBEs to generate exports by selling into the global supply chains of international corporations. ​
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A Global Diversity Advisory Council meeting in session.
Increasing the capacity to trade strengthens the overall competitiveness of these businesses, both as exporters and as reliable and resilient suppliers to corporations.  According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, SME exporters grow faster, enjoy higher productivity, pay higher wages, and become more innovative two years after starting to export.  Exporting allows these businesses to diversify their client base and expand profitability - 95% of the world’s consumers and 84% of spending power reside outside of the United States.

“Engaging in the global marketplace is no longer a luxury for businesses seeking a greater level of opportunity and inclusion, it is an imperative for growth as a supplier both locally and globally. The GDAC serves as a bridge to the marketplace and convener of partners in an ever-shrinking world to elevate minority businesses who have traditionally been shut out of the market. In collaboration with our regional stakeholder, we will accelerate the movement of the needle,” says Brian Oglesby, GDAC Co-Chair, Interim President and CEO, Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council.

“The state of the world economy  and the global pandemic negatively impacted women owned businesses disproportionately these past three years; but it has also provided an opportunity to rethink and reinvent business strategies.  This program, as presented by the World Trade Center of Philadelphia,  will allow women owned businesses the opportunity to expand their business to the world’s stage.  WBEC-East is excited to be a part of ensuring the ability of women-owned businesses become more resistant and competent in the face of any future global challenges,” says Elizabeth Walsh, GDAC Co-Chair and President, Women’s Business Enterprise Center – East.

GDAC members will provide guidance on the implementation of the MWBE program and help to promote and recruit companies to participate in the first cohort and training in the “Fundamentals of Exporting,” an in-person program in a dedicated learning community.
Connecting Your Business to the World Starts Here!
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Whether you have questions about our services or want to explore opportunities for global growth, we’re here to help. Our dedicated team is ready to assist you in navigating the international business landscape.

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World Trade Center Greater Philadelphia
One Penn Center, Suite 1690
1617 John F Kennedy Blvd.
Philadelphia, 19103
Phone: (215) 586-4240 | [email protected]