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Pacesetters: Procurement with Equity at the Core

August 13, 2020 10:00 am – 11:00 am Virtual via Zoom

Event Details

Join us to learn how procurement can be utilized as an equity tool to build wealth in Black and Brown communities.

Tickets

Free to Members and Non-members
(Advance registration is required.)

Join us to learn how procurement can be utilized as an equity tool to build wealth in Black and Brown communities.

Launched in 2018, Pacesetters is a partnership of large and midsized companies and anchor institutions who use their collective purchasing power to create opportunities at scale for local, ethnic businesses of color. Pacesetters is aligned with the work of the Chamber’s Committee on Economic Opportunity which is charged with developing the united response of the business community to economic inequality.

Join us for a conversation about the best practices companies of any size can implement to use supplier diversity as an equity tool. Speakers will share strategies and changes that can streamline procurement and supplier diversity, which can increase equity and close the racial wealth gap in the Commonwealth.

Casey Baines

Director, Policy & Communications

[email protected]
617-557-7320

FEATURING

David Cho

Chief Procurement Officer, UMass Featured Speaker

David Cho is the Chief Procurement Officer for the University of Massachusetts, Unified Procurement Services Team (UPST) comprising strategic sourcing, contracts,…Read more

Betty Francisco

General Counsel, Compass Working Capital, and Co-Founder, Amplify Latinx / Latina Circle Moderator

Betty Francisco is a seasoned business executive, board director, investor and community leader. She has over 20 years of experience advising high growth start-ups,…Read more

Betty Francisco is a seasoned business executive, board director, investor and community leader. She has over 20 years of experience advising high growth start-ups, non-profits, life sciences, technology and health and wellness companies in the areas of legal, compliance, risk management, operations and human resources. As a corporate attorney, she has extensive business and legal experience negotiating and advising companies on mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, licensing transactions and strategic partnerships. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Beth Israel Lahey Health, the second largest health care system in Massachusetts, and serves on the Nominating and Governance, Patient Quality and Community Benefits Committees. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the largest philanthropy in New England dedicated exclusively to education; the Board of Directors of the Boston Foundation, one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the nation; and the Investment Committee of Boston Impact Initiative Fund, which invests integrated capital in regenerative local enterprises. She is also an entrepreneur and angel investor with Pipeline Angels, giving her the ability to understand new businesses quickly, and guide strategy and growth. Betty is currently the General Counsel at Compass Working Capital, a financial services non-profit that provides financial coaching and asset building programs for families with low incomes. She oversees the organization’s legal affairs and supports board development, human resources and strategic initiatives. She founded Reimagine Play, a startup that offers fitness programming for children and families in Greater Boston. Previously, she served as EVP, General Counsel for Sports Club/LA and Reebok Sports Club/NY, a national, luxury fitness brand acquired by Equinox Fitness. There, Betty built the company’s legal department and advised the C-suite and Board on all major business initiatives, development, and acquisitions, including the opening of a new club location and sale to Equinox. Betty began her legal career as a Senior Business Law Associate at Edwards Wildman, representing start-ups, corporations and investors in financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and general corporate matters. Betty is also involved deeply involved in the community. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Roxbury Community College, the Board of Corporators of Eastern Bank, and the Board of Directors of the Greater Boston YMCA. She is the co-founder and board chair of Amplify Latinx / Latina Circle, a social venture that is building economic and political power within the Latinx community in Massachusetts. She is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank’s New England Community Development Advisory Council, an advisory member for the Boston Women’s Commission under Mayor Martin Walsh, and an Advisory Council member for The Capital Network. In 2018, Boston Magazine named her as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Boston. She has received awards from uAspire First Ones Honoree (2020), the Hispanic National Bar Association Leadership Award (2019), GetKonnected GK100: Greater Boston’s Most Influential People of Color (2018), State Street Corporation’s Community Award (2017), Women’s Bar Association’s Pioneering Women in the Law Award (2017), Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Top Women of Law Award (2012) and In-House Leader in the Law (2010). She has been featured in Boston Magazine, Boston Business Journal, Boston Globe and Hispanic Executive Magazine. Betty obtained her JD and MBA from Northeastern University, and her BA in History from Bard College. She is fluent in Spanish and resides in Dorchester, MA.

Narciso “Pat” Patterson

President and CEO, Elysium Enterprises, Inc. Featured Speaker

Pat Patterson is the President and CEO of Elysium Enterprises, Inc. (dba Elysium Inclusion and dba Elysium Strong), an NMSDC certified minority-owned business. He…Read more

Pat Patterson is the President and CEO of Elysium Enterprises, Inc. (dba Elysium Inclusion and dba Elysium Strong), an NMSDC certified minority-owned business. He is a Supplier Diversity professional that spent 25 years at Verizon Communications. His most recent responsibilities included advocacy/outreach and public policy agreements between Verizon and state/local agencies nationwide, as well as overseeing Supplier Diversity efforts by partnering with multiple Verizon Sourcing teams, all as a member of the Global Diversity and Inclusion organization. In his 25 years with Verizon, he held key roles in Global Diversity & Inclusion, Real Estate, Construction, Regional staff positions, along with his engineering responsibilities with Empire City Subway Company, a Verizon subsidiary. He spent his last ten years in various supplier diversity roles in Verizon. Patterson has served as a board member of the Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council, the Women’s Business Enterprise Council of PA, DE, sNJ, and the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council, where has was the Chairman of their Education and Training Committee. In addition, he is the recipient of the 2014 Corporate Advocate of the Year Award by the Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council, the 2014 Advocate of the Year Award by the Women’s Business Enterprise Council of PA/DE/sNJ, as well as multiple nominations from advocacy organizations dating back to 2011. Patterson graduated from Polytechnic University (a partner of NYU) with a BS in Civil Engineering, where he was inducted into the University’s Basketball Hall of Fame. He obtained an MBA from Dowling University. He is a certified Engineer-In-Training (EIT) in Civil Engineering, a 2012 graduate of the Synergy Education Leadership Program in NYC, and a board member of the American Breast Cancer Foundation. Patterson resides in New Jersey with his wife Susan. He has two children and two grandchildren. He is a fitness expert and enthusiast, as well as a certified personal trainer.

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Discover fellow Chamber members.

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Boston’s Future Leaders

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