SPEAKERS & HOSTS
Deborah Williams
MSM, Senior Director, Program Management Supplier Diversity & Sustainability (EPP)
Premier, Inc.
Deborah Williams, MSM joined the Premier healthcare alliance as the Senior Director of Supplier Diversity in 2008 and became responsible for the Premier Supplier Diversity Committee. Under her leadership, she launched and enhanced the program to include the Sourcing, Education and Enrichment for Diverse and Small Suppliers (SEEDS), a program aimed at increasing the number of small, diverse, and regional enterprises on the Premier contract portfolio. In 2018, her responsibilities were expanded to include Premier’s Sustainability (EPP) program.
Williams has more than 35 years in business development, strategic contract negotiations and supplier contract management in the healthcare industry. She came to Premier from Mills-Peninsula Health Services, a Sutter Health affiliate, in Burlingame, California, where she was the Director of Contracting and Value Analysis. Before that, she was a Medical Surgical Service Line Director for Broadlane Inc., assigned to the Kaiser Permanente account. Williams spent 23 years at Detroit Medical Center serving as a contract administrator, marketing support manager and a strategic sourcing manager responsible for the Detroit Medical Center’s Affiliate program.
Among Williams numerous accomplishments, she is the board chair of the Healthcare Supplier Diversity Alliance, founding member of the National Minority Supplier Development Council – Healthcare Industry Group and Field Operations Council and immediate past board chair of the Carolinas-Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council. A native of Brooklyn, Williams’ has a B.S. in business and M.S. in management from Walsh College and a M.B.A from Strayer University.
Vicky Lyle
Vice President of Industry Associations
Owens & Minor
Vicky Lyle is the Vice President of Industry Associations at Owens & Minor, where she leads the Company’s involvement with industry and trade organizations worldwide. She currently serves on the executive board for Professional Women in Healthcare (PWH) as the Chair for the 2021 and 2022 term. She also serves on the board of Healthcare Supplier Diversity Alliance (HSDA) and serves on the Council of Supplier Diversity for Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA). Vicky has been with Owens & Minor for 35 years, contributing business and technical expertise across all facets of the supply chain.
Prior to her current role, she served as Operating Vice President, Service Line Strategy, where she was responsible for the development of the inventory solutions platform along with service line operations, implementation and support.
In her time with the Company, she has led several strategic cross-functional projects, including business acquisitions, distribution center strategy, and the creation of Owens & Minor’s Third Party Logistics (3PL) service offering.
Vicky holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Averett University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Amber Lawhorn
Manager
Jackson Health System’s Small Business Enterprise Program
Ms. Lawhorn leads Jackson Health System’s Small Business Enterprise Program, managing the diverse supplier program for the third-largest hospital system in the nation. In her role, she supports the economic development of local Miami-Dade County and national diverse communities by increasing, enhancing and facilitating sourcing opportunities. Through advocacy, community outreach and engagement, and building strong relationships, Ms. Lawhorn provides opportunities that foster the growth and sustainability of small and historically underutilized businesses.
Ms. Lawhorn holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Florida International University and is an Institute for Supply Management Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity (CPSD). In her spare time, she enjoys quality time with family and friends, travel, and everything music.
Katherine Huyen
President and CEO
Katt Medical Products, Inc.
Katherine Huyen is the President and CEO of Katt Medical Products, Inc. Katt Medical is a Woman and Minority Owned Company (WBENC and NMSDC) located in Grand Rapids, Michigan (sales location) and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (manufacturing). Katherine was born in Dong Nai, Vietnam. Her father bravely served in the Vietnam War before being captured and jailed in a Northern Re-education Camp for seven long years. Following his release, Katherine and her family immigrated to the United States through the Humanitarian Operation. Katherine went on to attend Davenport University and was a first-generation college graduate. After meeting her husband, Ben, the two owned and operated a mortgaging business with locations in Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Minnesota. Katherine and Ben then founded Katt Medical. Katt Medical’s manufacturing facility is completely vertically integrated and controls the full process of making footwear from yarn-dyeing to packaging. During the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Katherine made the decision to allocate productions to manufacture protective face masks. She had the masks shipped to the United States in order to help protect her community in an uncertain time. In addition to serving communities within the United States, Katt Medical provides books and school supplies for children living in rural Vietnam. In her spare time, Katherine enjoys spending time with her family and traveling to experience different foods and cultures
George Robinson II
Director of Supplier Diversity & Inclusion (SDI)
UPMC
Mr. Robinson’s primary accomplishments include developing UPMC SDI’s Essentials for Success Program (developed in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh Small Business Development Center-Pitt SBDC) and Turner School of Construction Management development program (conducted in partnership with Turner Construction Company Pittsburgh Office) in 2019. To date, these programs have engaged over 2,400 diverse firms across four states (PA, NY, MD, DE) to provide business and technical development including free certification assistance, and produced several diverse vendors of UPMC. He also curated the UPMC SDI Policy to Prosperity program (also developed in partnership with Pitt SBDC). This program includes the UPMC SDI and Government Affairs teams, along with Pitt SBDC staff hosting annual meetings with Pennsylvania House and Senate members serving in districts where UPMC has facilities. Meetings address UMC SDI’s overall economic and community impact in their districts, and policy guidance related to legislation impacting diverse businesses in the Commonwealth. As a result of this and other programs and change management activities, UPMC has grown its annual diverse spend from $125M to $335M during his tenure there.
Mr. Robinson is graduate of the inaugural cohort of The Advanced Leadership Initiative (TALI) Executive Leadership Academy held in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and has completed Executive Education studies at Georgetown University with LEAD360. A Toledo, Ohio native, he previously completed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, an MBA with specialization in Operations Management, and Ph. D studies (ABD) in Higher Education Leadership at the University of Toledo (Ohio).
Adrienne Ainsworth
Enterprise Vice President of Strategic Sourcing
Advocate Health
Adrienne Ainsworth is the Enterprise Vice President of Strategic Sourcing with Advocate Health, the fifth largest nonprofit healthcare system in the United States, including 67 hospitals and over 1000 sites of care. She is also the Vice President of Advocate Health Supply Chain Alliance (AHSCA), a regional group purchasing organization focused on bringing safe and effective products and services to its members at exceptional value.
Adrienne participates in several industry councils including the Milwaukee Anchor Collaborative focused on investing in disadvantaged and disinvested neighborhoods and businesses in the Milwaukee area, and she was recently elected to the Board of the Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM) for 2024. Adrienne resides in Pewaukee, WI with her spouse and three children.
Andrea Reubel-Walker
Director of Marketing & Key National Accounts
Kerma Medical Products
Andrea Reubel-Walker attended Central Washington University. After receiving her BA, she began her career as a Multi-Program Manager. There she developed her skills in Marketing products and services, as well as developing and implementing programs and opportunities.
In September 2007, Andrea joined the family’s company at Kerma Medical Products. Kerma is a Veteran-Minority Owned Company located in Suffolk, VA with a division in Miramar, FL. Kerma manufactures, packages, and assembles a large variety of medical/surgical products as well as manages the delivery of small cap equipment and supplies.
As the Director of Marketing & Key National Accounts, Andrea spearheaded the development and successful incorporation of Kerma’s marketing department and has been responsible for growing Kerma’s marketing ability. She is also known for her organization and operational skills, strategic planning and implementation, business opportunity and customer development, and sales nationwide.
Andrea is on the Board of Directors for the Healthcare Supplier Diversity Alliance (HSDA), a graduate of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth (Building a High-Performing Minority Business), Member of the HIDA Acute Care Advisory Council, Co-Chair of the HIDA Supplier Diversity Council, and volunteers in her community.
Todd A. Gray, MBA
Director of Supplier Diversity NFS
Kaiser Permanente
In his over 15 years of leadership experience, Mr. Gray has successfully led senior and executive level direct report, and cross functional team’s in high performing organizations such as Wachovia, Wells Fargo, CVS, Grady, and Kaiser Permanente. His mix of leadership experience in the Healthcare and Financial services industries has allowed for Mr. Gray to be highly effective in building strategic partnerships with key stakeholder organizations within the state of Georgia, and nationally. With both public and private sector officials, and organizations. In his current capacity as a senior executive at Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest and only fully integrated care delivery model. Mr. Gray leads a team of 10 senior and management level direct reports, and over 25 regional FTEs accountable for executing Kaiser Permanente’s “Total Health” proactive wellness strategy; as it relates to community benefit, local nonprofit support, and social economic equity/local purchasing thru Supplier Diversity. The Kaiser Permanente regions under Mr. Grays direct responsibility includes their U.S. footprint of; Georgia, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii.
Alan Jones
Sr. Manager of Supplier Diversity at Owens & Minor
Cardinal Health
Alan Jones is the Sr Manager of Supplier Diversity at Owens & Minor, he leads the Company’s involvement with and strategy around diverse suppliers. He currently serves on Owens and Minor’s Diversity Council and Vizient’s Diversity Task Force. He is a member of AHA, and the Healthcare Supplier Diversity Alliance (HSDA). Alan has been with Owens & Minor for 3 years, contributing across multiple divisions including Halyard.
Prior to his current role, Alan lead teams as a Director of Sales and worked for industry peers McKesson and Cardinal Health in multiple capacities including category management, contracting and was a member of the Healthcare Leadership Council (HCL).
Alan holds a B.A. from Ohio University, is a Six Sigma Green Belt and holds several other certifications. He calls Ohio home along with his wife and 3 children.
William “Joe” Reubel
President and CEO
Kerma Medical Products, Inc.
William “Joe” Reubel is the President and CEO of Kerma Medical Products, Inc. Kerma is a Veteran-Minority Owned Company (VOSB) located in Suffolk, Virginia (Corporate and Manufacturing location) with a division in Miramar, Florida (Direct Sales location). Joe is an Army veteran and a second generation, minority, small business entrepreneur. He launched his first business in 1984 providing helicopter service for oil exploration, reforestation and seismographic surveys. He later incorporated a telecommunications division, and a wholesale healthcare division. Joe began working with Kerma at inception and in 2006, he purchased the company from his Aunt and Uncle, who founded the company in 1991. Over the past 26 years, Kerma has established itself in the healthcare industry as a company that manufactures, assembles, and packages medical products, along with the direct delivery of Small Cap Equipment and Supplies. Kerma is now one of the largest diversity manufacturer/supplier companies in the private sector. Joe is an active Board Member with HIDA’s Executive Board, Montero Medical Missions (MMM), Hilton Publishing Company (HPC), and the Richmond Make a Wish Foundation.
Andrew Long
EVP, Chief Executive Officer & President, Products & Healthcare Services, Owens & Minor
Owens & Minor
Andy Long is a dynamic business leader with more than 25 years of experience driving results for Fortune 500 companies across the manufacturing, research, distribution and service sectors. Since joining Owens & Minor in 2019 as EVP and Chief Financial Officer, Andy has leveraged his diverse skillset to successfully develop and deploy the Owens & Minor Business System, strengthen the company’s IT capabilities and build a world-class finance organization. Prior to joining Owens & Minor, Andy led a number of global organizations concentrated primarily in the life sciences, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. At Insys Therapeutics, Inc., Andy held multiple C-suite leadership roles and was responsible for a strategic transformation that elevated the company’s innovative clinical pipeline of novel therapies.
Before joining Insys Therapeutics, Andy held the position of SVP of global finance for Patheon, a $2 billion private equity-backed provider of contract services to the biopharma industry. Previously, Andy served as VP of global finance for Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Customer Channels group. Andy holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Indiana University and a master’s of business administration degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.