Agenda

Roger Cheng

Lead, Supplier Inclusion
AT&T

Roger Cheng recently joined AT&T as a Sr. Supplier Diversity Sourcing Manager. Prior to AT&T, Roger spent the previous 14+ years with M/WBEs in the technology space leading business development through Supplier Diversity.

Roger, also known as “The Voice,” has served as emcee or VOG for a number of organizations across the country. In 2017, Roger was recognized as the #Hes4Shes Champion at the WBENC National Conference.

Pritesh Patel

Principal Analyst, SD & Engagement
Constellation Energy

Pritesh Patel serves as the Principal Analyst for Supplier Development and Engagement at Constellation, where he leads initiatives that drive inclusive procurement strategies and supplier diversity across the energy sector. In his current role, he collaborates closely with internal stakeholders and external partners to expand access for small and diverse businesses, thereby shaping a more competitive and resilient supplier ecosystem. He is passionate about building meaningful partnerships with a wide array of suppliers and has played a crucial role in expanding Constellation’s engagement within the communities it serves.

Prior to this position, Pritesh held roles as a Senior Chemist and subsequently a Senior Instructor of Engineering at one of Constellation’s Clean Energy Centers. His transition from technical operations to Supplier Development and Engagement reflects a career-long commitment to operational excellence, continuous learning and improvement, and thoughtful innovation.

Pritesh holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Loyola University Chicago and an MBA with a Project Management Specialization from Seton Hill University. He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Pritesh is a regular contributor to national supplier development forums and is proud to represent Constellation as a Roundtable Leader at CelebrASIAN.

Axel Adams

Manager - S.D. and Inclusion
Delta Air Lines

Axel D. Adams is employed with Delta Air Lines as a Manager in Supplier Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion where he and his colleagues are responsible for ensuring diverse businesses have an opportunity to secure contracts for business with Delta. Prior to Delta, he had a brief stint as National Director of African American Outreach with 2020 Presidential Candidate Tom Steyer’s Campaign. His overall responsibility keeping the campaign focused on AA voters, issues, concerns and what is most important to them.

Axel’s most noted employment was noted with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition (RPC) where the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. is the Founder and President. Axel served in a many roles such as the Chief Operations Officer in the Chicago Headquarters managing all operations/departments of the organization. staff, finance, education, trade bureau, press, finding, national and regional conventions, and cooperate relationships, emerging markets, and regional offices to name a few. He also held the positions of Bureau Chief, and National Youth Director.

Prior to RPC, Axel was with Westinghouse Savannah River Company as a supervisor in the Nuclear Materials Processing Division. During his employment there, he was the first African American to receive the Community Service Award.

Axel is a recipient of many awards/honors such as the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama; The Georgia Assembly passed House Bill 1984 for his dedication to the betterment of the citizens of the State of Georgia; South Carolina Senate recognized Axel Adams and passed Resolution 1118 for his significant contributions and outstanding achievements in the fields of politics, business, and community outreach. He is the author of “The Journey”, a book detailing his life experiences in politics, community service, and social activism. He is President of the Axel Adams Foundation (www.axeladamsfoundation.com), which is committed to making long-term improvements in education, health and wellness, and combating socioeconomic issues in the Central Savannah River Area. Axel has the honor of being the first African American elected to serve on City Council in New Ellenton South Carolina at the early age of 22 years old, serving two-four-year elected terms on city council. And he was Acting-Mayor and Police commissioner for three years, and the first African American to serve in this capacity as well.

He has a master’s in business administration, and bachelor’s degree in business management. Axel says that God is first and foremost in his life.

Antoine Hinton

Sr. Director, Small Business Development
Dollar General

James Flynn

Head of Market Strategy & Supplier Sustainability
JPMorganChase

He joined the firm in 2010 in Sourcing and has been a member of the Supplier Diversity team since 2017. Jim is the Head of Market Strategy and Supplier Sustainability for the Supplier Diversity function that focuses on small, local and or diverse business ecosystem development and the firm’s Supplier Chain to increase supplier opportunity and excellence. Jim led the firm’s application and membership in the Billion Dollar Roundtable in 2019. Jim began his career at General Electric Company in Finance and graduated from their Management Training Program. An industry recognized Procurement, Business Development and Supplier Opportunity leader his experience includes Strategic Sourcing and Logistics at Limited Brands as well as Global Procurement and Supply Chain at DHL. He graduated summa cum laude from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, was elected Phi Beta Kappa, and earned an MBA from University of New York at Albany. He lives in Columbus, Ohio and enjoys all things outdoors, football, Mexico, and travel.

Quinae J. Ewing

Responsible Sourcing Manager
MassMutual

Doing Business with Corporations & Government Agencies Roundtables

Quinae J. Ewing is a MassMutual Supplier Diversity manager, supporting the company’s innovative supplier diversity strategy that aligns with MassMutual's core values, and was appointed to this position in July 2022. With more than two decades of manufacturing, engineering, global procurement and supplier diversity management experience at Xerox Corporation, Quinae has managed significant corporate initiatives across North America, Asia, and Europe.

Quinae is an active and visible member of his community. He has worked as an adjunct professor of Mathematics at Monroe Community College (Rochester, NY) and also served on the Board of Directors at the Carlson Metro Center YMCA (Rochester, NY). Quinae represented Xerox Corporation as a corporate member of the Portland Black Business Association (Portland, OR) and over the past ten years, has attended various Supplier Diversity and Sustainability conferences and activities nationwide.

Quinae holds a Master of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Business from Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY). He earned Bachelor of Science degrees in both Interdisciplinary Science and Mechanical Engineering from Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta, GA) and North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro, NC) respectively. Quinae is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated (Gamma Kappa Chapter) and Pi Tau Sigma National Mechanical Engineering Honor Society

Tobias Thornwell

Director of Global Business Impact
MGM Resort International

Tobias Thornwell, CPSM, C.P.M., serves as Director of Global Business Impact for MGM Resorts International, an S&P 500 global gaming, hospitality and entertainment company. In this role, he leads the development and execution of supplier inclusion strategies across MGM Resorts’ regional properties, with a focus on helping those properties meet or exceed corporate, state and local goals for engagement with certified diverse-owned and local businesses.

Mr. Thornwell serves on the Board of Directors for the New York and New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council and Women Business Enterprise Council Metro NY and Greater DMV, further reflecting his commitment to advancing supplier development, advocacy and access for diverse-owned businesses.

In recognition of his leadership and advocacy, Mr. Thornwell received the Maryland Governor’s Citation Award in 2025 and the WBEC Greater DMV Outstanding Women’s Business Advocate Award in 2023 for his commitment to business diversity, innovation and supplier development throughout the DMV region.

Mr. Thornwell began his career with MGM Resorts at MGM National Harbor, where he most recently served as Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager. In that role, he oversaw procurement activities including vendor sourcing, purchasing, contracts and business diversity, and played a key role in helping the property achieve and surpass its diverse spend goals in Maryland and Prince George’s County.

With more than 12 years of experience in purchasing and supply chain management in the food service industry, Mr. Thornwell previously held roles as National Product Manager and Regional Buyer at The Chef’s Warehouse in Hanover, Maryland, and Lead COP Buyer and Product Line Manager at US Foods in Severn, Maryland.

Mr. Thornwell earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Maryland, College Park, and holds both the Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) and Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.) designations from the Institute for Supply Management. Originally from the Bronx, New York, Mr. Thornwell enjoys traveling and exploring new cultures.

Sandeepa Nayak

Technical Director
Kha Creation, LLC

Parul Saini

Founder
USPAACC | AI Ally Works

Maitjian Welke

Western Chapter President | Founder and Chief Security Officer
USPAACC | CMIT Solutions

Maitjian Welke is the Founder and Chief Security Officer of CMIT Solutions Silicon Valley which is an IT Managed Service Provider specializes in IT infrastructure, Cyber Security, IT Consulting & CIO/CISO services. Maitjian Welke has Computer Science background and extensive IT & Software Engineering experience of over 20 years working in fortune 500 corporations including IBM, SUN, CISCO, AMEX, NCR, VMware and GOOD Technology. Maitjian Welke started their company CMIT Solutions of Silicon Valley in 2009 and continue to grow with two acquisitions. As an active VAR Channel Partner for fortune 500 computer manufacturers, she has been recognized in the Women of the Channel by CRN Magazine every year since 2015 for her leadership and accomplishments. Maitjian and her team are passionate about helping businesses and corporations with their Technology and Cyber Security. Maitjian recently developed a Cyber Security in Supply Chain course for University of California Santa Cruz extension and has been teaching it since 2021. She had been invited to be on Cyber Security Panelists for a number of Cyber Security Summits and Expos in San Jose, Fresno and Los Angeles and provided a number of Cyber Security webinars for professionals in recent years. Maitjian also volunteered and served on three Boards - Board of Industry Council for Small Business Development, USPAACC Western Chapter and Alameda County Employer Advisory Council.

Queanne Smith

Senior Vice President, Business Impact Strategy
U.S. Bank

Asheesh Agarwal

Antirust Consultant
American Edge Project | Argawal Strategies, LLC

Dawood Ahmed

CEO
Softwise Solutions

Raul Saurez-Rodriguez

Director, Global Inclusion & Supplier Diversity
Merck

Raul Suarez-Rodriguez currently serves as Director, Global Economic Inclusion and Supplier Diversity at Merck. In this role, Raul is responsible to drive diverse supplier inclusion, innovation and economic growth through lens of the company mission by partnering with internal business leaders and external advocacy groups to grow mutual value, and create a lasting impact on the business and communities where we live and work.

Raul joined Merck in 2018 from CVS Health, where he led their Supplier Diversity Program to Best In Class by being inducted into the Billion Dollar Roundtable and winning several top awards including National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) Corporation of the Year for Innovation, DiversityInc Top Companies (No.1) for Supplier Diversity, and Americas Top Corporation for Women Business Enterprises.

Raul is recognized for his creative and innovative thinking and transformation efforts in Supplier Diversity. Most recently, he was recognized as the Supply Chain Advocate of the Year by Disability: IN for his work around Disability Owned Business Enterprises where he serves as the Procurement Council Co-Chair. Also, the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council (GNEMSDC) recognized Raul as Advocate of the Year and Shining Star. Raul co-led the Retail Industry Group (RIG) driving change and strategy while advocating for diverse businesses to become strategic partners in the global economy for major retail companies. Raul serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Diversity Alliance for Science.

Raul holds a Master in Business Administration with a concentration in Leadership, and a Bachelor’s Degree from Nova Southeastern University

Ann Anjali Ramakumaran

Founder & CEO
Ampcus, Inc.

Ann Ramakumaran is the Founder and CEO of Ampcus Inc a technology savvy entrepreneur with more than 10 years of contribution towards the design and development of software services and delivery of Information Technology services. Under her leadership, she has grown Ampcus Inc into a fast-growing consulting and professional services firm.

She has been awarded as the top Asian American owned businesses by USPAACC for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 and 50 fastest growing women owned businesses in the CONUS by the Women Presidents Organization for the years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. Ampcus Inc made the Inc 500/5000 list for the years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. Ampcus Inc has also been recognized as the Top diversity business for the years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Ann has helped fortune 2000 companies with their enterprise-wide customized solutions. She reports to the board and drives the company to attain its vision of being one of the largest Professional services companies globally. She has been involved in executing a consultative methodology to define, qualify, and quantify the clients’ targeted and strategic IT and business objectives and from this, develop solutions to proactively address current and evolving needs and projects.

Ann holds her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in business and commercial management from India. She has also completed an executive management program from the Robins School of Management, University of Richmond.

Hans Nirmal

Global Technology Lead, Fund Services
JPMorganChase

As the Global Technology Lead for Fund Services, Hans is responsible for the strategy, development, architecture, and program management of the Alliance Suite of Applications (50+) and Complex Assets Applications. He oversees mission-critical platforms that facilitate daily Net Asset Value delivery for JPMorganChase’s extensive client base of asset managers, supporting Fund Services' operations and growth.

He leads a global team of technologists across multiple locations, managing the entire breadth of Fund Services technology, including Complex Assets, Alternative Fund Services, and our innovative Alliance Framework - a modular, microservices-based platform that has been instrumental in driving substantial growth in Assets under Administration.

Beyond application management, Hans spearheaded the Global Fund Services Public Cloud modernization program, lead resiliency initiatives to meet regulatory requirements, and drove innovation through marquee applications like COBALT (client onboarding tool), PRIMA (automated pricing solutions), and PEAL (Private Equity automation platform). His role encompasses both strategic technology leadership and hands-on delivery of transformative solutions that enhance our competitive position in the market.

Hans joined JPMorganChase in 2007 and is based in Plano, Texas. A recognized innovator, he holds three patents.

Dennis Ong

Technology Executive, Board Advisor, Amazon Web Services | TEDx Speaker
Amazon

Dr. Dennis Ong serves as a Technology Leader at Amazon Web Services, where his primary role is to drive business and technology innovation for Fortune 100 companies, with particular emphasis on AI/GenAI and cloud transformation. He is also an Industry Advisory Board member of the University of Pennsylvania’s PRECISE Research Center. Prior to this, he spearheaded 5G AI applied research at Verizon, leading his team to develop the world's first 5G/AI autonomous vehicle, a collaborative project with the Honda Research Institute.

Dr. Ong has given two TEDx talks: one on "IoT Transformation through Machine Learning" and the other on " Securing the World with Blockchain". A frequent presenter at international conferences, his topics revolve around AI, 5G, IoT, and Blockchain. His research collaborations span various global technology companies like Cisco and Nissan, as well as major research universities like the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on AI and 5G. His innovative 5G and AI designs have earned him three patent awards in 2022. Additionally, he co-founded “Leading AI”, a non-profit that delivers leadership and AI education to students and emerging professionals worldwide.

Dr. Ong earned an MBA, graduating with honors, from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He also received a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The Ohio State University as a University Fellow. Furthermore, he served as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University.

Sebastian Paul

Senior Vice President, Head of Technology - Merchant Payments Services (NA)
U.S. Bank

AT&T

CVS Health

Constellation Energy

Dollar General

JPMorganChase

Mass Mutual

Pacific Gas and Electric

PENN Entertainment

Southern California Edison

Speakers from Southern California Edison

Target

ARC Document Solutions

AT&T

Constellation Energy

Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM)

Pontoon Solutions, Inc.

Softpath Systems, LLC

Takeda Pharmaceutical

Target

U.S. Bank