Agency / Business name: Battery Park City Authority
Panelist Name / Title: Jahmeliah Nathan, Vice President of Administration

Social Media handles:

Instagram: @bpcparks
Twitter: @bpca_ny
Facebook: @bpca.ny
URL: http://bpca.ny.gov

Agency / Business name: State of NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Panelist Name / Title: Michael J. Garner, MBA - Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer

Biography:

Michael J. Garner is the Chief Diversity and Inclusion officer for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), State of New York. Since arriving at the MTA in 2009, he’s been a champion in the diversity market, making it his personal and professional mission to create a more diverse and inclusive industry. Leading programs at three government organizations, including the NYC Housing Authority, NYC School Construction Authority (SCA) and now the MTA, Mr. Garner, and his teams have been responsible for more than $12 billion in contracts and payments to NYC/NYS, certified MWBEs. In addition, Mr. Garner has designed the country’s leading MWDBE Business Development Program based on dollars paid. To date, the program has awarded 465 contracts totaling $493.6 million to the program participants. The MTA is committed to the maximization of contracts awarded to New York State SDVOBs. Out of the MTA 70k+ employees, under Mr. Garner’s leadership ethnic minority and women hiring has increased by 20%.

Social Media handles:

Instagram: @Michael.garner12
Twitter: @Michael.garner12@verizon.net
Facebook: @Michael.garner7334

Agency / Business name:
Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development New York State Office of General Services

Panelist Name / Title:
Ken Williams/Executive Director

Biography:

Ken Williams is the Executive Director of the NYS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development. The Division is tasked with implementing the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Act, which establishes a NYS contract participation goal of 6% for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (SDVOBs). Prior to being appointed by Governor Cuomo, Ken’s career, in addition to high level management positions, has involved consulting for companies such as BMW of North America, creating and building entrepreneurial ventures, teaching at colleges such as Clarkson University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and being sent to Ukraine by USAID to assist business development. Ken is a Vietnam era veteran and is passionate about the NYS SDVOB Program and the positive impact it is having on veterans of all generations.

Social Media handles:

Instagram: @NYSGeneralservices
Twitter: @NYS_OGS
Facebook: @NewYorkStateOGS

URL:

www.ogs.ny.gov/veterans

Agency / Business name: Port Authority New York and New Jersey

Panelist Name / Title: Anthony Miller, CSCMP, Senior MWSDBE Compliance Representative, Office of Diversity & Inclusion - Business Diversity and Civil Rights

Biography:

I have over twenty years of experience as a Supplier Diversity Professional, Certification Officer, and Compliance Manager within several industries in the Tri-state area. Transportation, General Construction, & Construction Management are the key industries where Anthony has entrenched himself and emerged as the leader he is today. He started his career as an intern on the first public sector Design Build Operate and Maintain (DBOM) project in the United States named the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail System with a small woman-owned firm that provided Project Management services in his hometown of Jersey City, NJ.

New to the construction industry and the profession of construction management, Anthony began to educate himself about the industry and adapted to various roles such as Quality Control/Quality Assurance Monitor, Document Control Assistant, Supplier Chain Manager, Training Program Development Coordinator, and Technical Assistance Coordinator for small businesses.

To date, Anthony has managed over three billion dollars of public and private commercial assets and transportation infrastructure for such entities as NJ Transit, Lend Lease (formerly Bovis Lend Lease) and now The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. These assets include Citi Field the home field for the NY Mets, Barclays Center the home court for the Brooklyn Nets, the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail System, The World Trade Center Memorial, and the Newark Terminal One Redevelopment Program to name a few.

Anthony identifies himself as a small business advocate and ally within the communities he serves. As a Sentinel for small business opportunities, Anthony acknowledges that his performance in his role on behalf of the small business community creates an opportunity for entrepreneurs that didn’t exist before.

Social Media handles:

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook: @panynj:

Agency / Business Name: New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF) Department of Administration

Panelist Name / Title: Jessica Alber, Contract Management Specialist 1

Biography:

Jessica Alber (SUNY Albany, B.A.) - Currently a Contract Management Specialist 1 with the New York State Insurance Fund, she began her career with NYS in The Division of Budget as Executive Assistant to the Director, First Deputy Director and Deputy Director of the New York State Division of Budget. Since joining NYSIF in 2019, Jessica has executed of a wide variety of contracts with subjects ranging from Legal, Investments, Real Estate, Administrative and Insurance.

Social Media handles:

Instagram: @NYSIF Twitter: @ @NYSIF_1914 Facebook: @NewYorkStateInsuranceFund URL: http://www.nysif.com/

Agency / Business name: New York Power Authority

Panelist Name / Title: Anne O’Malley, Supplier Diversity Specialist

Biography:

Anne O’Malley is a Supplier Diversity Specialist with the NY Power Authority. In this role, she is focused on increasing the participation of Small Businesses into Government procurement programs. She concentrates her outreach efforts towards New York State certified Minority and Women-Owned Businesses (MWBE) and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses (SDVOB). She is passionate about Supplier Diversity Programs. They promote innovation and bring-forth companies with new products, services and solutions. Diversity Contracting provides multiple channels in which to procure goods and services. It also drives competition on price and service between existing and potential vendors.

Social Media handles:

Instagram: @nypaenergy
Twitter: @NYPAenergy
Facebook: @NYPAEnergy
URL: www.nypa.gov

Agency / Business name: State of NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Panelist Name / Title: Zenaida Rodriguez, Deputy Chief Diversity

Social Media handles:

Instagram: @mta

Twitter: @mta

Facebook: @mta

URL: www.new.mta.info