For nearly a decade, Vince Gumbs has worked to make Philadelphia more equitable and inclusive for small and diverse businesses. Coupling leadership positions in the public sector with private sector consulting experience has made Vince well rounded in his approach to economic development practices. Now serving as Supplier Diversity and Inclusion Manager for the University of Pennsylvania, he continues to champion economic inclusion for underrepresented business owners. Vince holds a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and is, a Philadelphia native who resides in the city with his wife and two children.

Al Motley is a technology thought leader and also the founder and CEO at Techademics, a technology company focused on innovation in education, social impact, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector. Al is a nationally recognized expert in the intersection between responsible and innovative use of technology to deliver online learning for K-12, higher education and adult learners. Al supports many organizations through his CIO & CTO as a service model where he embeds himself in organizations in a part-time role to build the internal capacity for a high-level technology executive or department. An example of this service is his role as the Chief Technology Officer Lead for Gallaudet University, a school for deaf and hard of hearing students in Washington DC. He also has served as CIO for Philanthropi a national Fin-Tech platform that seeks to democratize Donor Advised Funds in order to empower communities with more philanthropic funds. Al is a partner or part-owner of several companies located in The United States, Spain, Argentina, and Botswana.

Al is also a Pahara Aspen Institute Fellow and holds a certification in Agile CSM project management. In addition, Al serves on the board of trustees as chair for The Learning Accelerator and also serves on the board of The Education Law Center in Pennsylvania. Al also has served as an instructor and mentor for the University of Pennsylvania’s Capstone Education Entrepreneurship Masters Program.

Dr. Erica Patterson, DM is an Influencer, Mentor, Motivational Speaker, Leadership Enthusiast, Leader Practitioner, and Youth Advocate. Dr. Patterson is the Director of Contracts Management & Supplier Diversity in the Supply Chain Department of the 5th largest municipally owned gas utility Company - Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW).  She has been employed with PGW for 8 years.  With over 15 years of professional experience in various disciplines of business across both private and public sectors; her professional experiences include Business Management, Business Administration, Human Resources, Supply Chain Management, and Supplier Diversity.   Dr. Patterson has received many honors and recognition for her work and overall achievements in Supply Chain Management and Supplier Diversity. Dr. Patterson serves on serval non-profit boards and Leadership committees supporting her profession in Supply Chain, Supplier Diversity, Leadership, and her her passion for elevating the Youth. Dr. Patterson successfully defended her dissertation on “Leader-Follower Perceptions of Servant Leadership Trainings in Municipal Organizations” in April 2020.  She earned her Doctor of Management (DM) degree in Management and Organizational Leadership.  She holds a Master’s degree in Management (MM) and a Master of Arts in Organizational Management (MAOM) from University of Phoenix.  She received her Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Management from Penn State University.
She is a life-time member of University of Phoenix’s Lambda Sigma Chapter of Delta Mu Delta International Honors Society. She’s a foodie, enjoys quality time with her son and family, and retail therapy (shopping)!

Lawrence (Larry) Wooten: has over 30 years of supply chain and supplier diversity experience.  Larry’s primary responsibilities are as manager corporate supplier diversity manager reporting to the Chief Procurement Officer. Larry’s background is diverse in terms of the organizations he has worked for and his responsibilities varied in nature  from building a program from the ground up to enhancing and reinvigorating an existing program. Larry has exceeded expectations and built a reputation as someone who takes personal responsibility for the success of the supplier diversity process.

Larry spent the majority of his professional career with United Technologies Corporation (UTC), Sikorsky Aircraft Division, providing leadership and management of annual spend of $5B to ensure diverse suppliers had the opportunity to compete for contracts awards. Larry is past Vice- Chairman of the Central Region for the Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council and is the former Chairman of The Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council (GNEMSDC) Board of Directors.