Take-A-Lesson with Denise Coley, Director, Global Supplier Diversity Business Development, Cisco

As Director of Global Supplier Diversity Business Development at Cisco Systems, Inc., Denise Coley drives the company's supplier diversity initiative by developing relationships with diverse suppliers and Cisco. The mission of the program is to increase customer satisfaction and enhance sourcing through global supplier diversification. The program is results-focused with an underlying tool and process infrastructure. Since Denise started the Cisco Supplier Diversity program ten years ago, the program has gone global successfully in the following countries: Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, China, India and South Africa. Denise initiated an executive mentor program that allows CEO's of diverse businesses to partner with functional business units executives. Denise serves as a member of the Board of Directors on the following Councils: the National Minority Supplier Development Council, the Rocky Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council, and the Supplier Diversity Council of the Conference Board. She is the Co-chair of the WeConnect International Board and Co-Chair of the Supplier Diversity Council of the Conference board. Denise also served on the Northern California Supplier Development Council as a member of the Board of Directors for over 10 years. Cisco and Denise received 13 awards since 2006 ranging from Corporate Advocate of the Year to The First Lady of Supplier Diversity. She mentors diverse suppliers and encourages them to participate in the UCLA Management Development for Entrepreneurs (MDE) Academy. Coley is very active in the community doing volunteer work with senior citizens and various community organizations. She earned her BA in Speech Pathology and Audiology from the George Washington University, her MA in Speech Pathology from the University of the Pacific, and her MBA from the University of Phoenix. Please join us as we Take-A-Lesson with Denise Coley!