Virginia Gomez Vice President Southern California Minority Business Development Council, Inc.

Virginia Gomez, Vice President, joined Southern California Minority Business Development Council in January 2001, as Deputy Executive Director. Since her appointment, she has assisted in developing strategic initiatives that offer new services and programs for minority businesses and Council corporate members. She served as Interim Executive Director from March 2002 until August 2002.

Gomez’ principal duties include assisting the President in the Council’s day-to-day operations, and overseeing the Information Technology, Certification, and annual major events functions. She supports Council Board committees, including the Corporate Programs, Supplier Programs and the Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee, among others, and participates in and attends Council Executive Committee and Board of Directors meetings.

A retired employee of the LA Department of Water and Power (DWP), the nation’s largest municipally owned utility, she served in management positions in several major DWP business units, directing professional employees performing budgetary, Human Resources, systems development/automation and administrative functions. In one of her last projects at DWP, she lead the development of the first supply chain management e-procurement system ever implemented in Los Angeles’ municipal agencies, a system that proved a 20 percent overall cost savings in the organization’s supply chain, and shaved certain supply chain functions’ processing time from months to days.

Prior to leaving DWP, Gomez developed the direction, goals and deliverables of an internal advocacy group to carry out supplier diversity initiatives. Today, the advocacy group remains a viable body that champions supplier diversity and supplier development at DWP.

Gomez was a member of DWP’s MBE/WBE Outreach Program implementation team and the City of LA Mayor’s Office of Small Business Administration Committee during the City’s formative stages of its supplier diversity program.

She served on the Boards of the Southern California Regional Purchasing Council; Latin Business Association; and Asian Business Association; among others, and participated as an expert panelist on supplier diversity issues in the public and private sectors.

Gomez has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, has earned 21st Century Leadership and Management certificates from USC and UCLA; led and facilitated Total Quality Management and Process Reengineering teams; and obtained continuing education points for Public Purchasing Policy certificates from the Institute of Supply Management.