11/04/2025
We're still reeling from this amazing experience!
The Ford MentorWE cohort began in January, following an amazing kickoff at the Ford Glass House in December of 2024. Eleven business leaders from varying procurement backgrounds were selected to be mentees in this cohort co-developed by Ford and the Great Lakes WBC. Each month, mentees were guided through various target areas that addressed their pain points as business leaders, sharpened their acumen, and took a deep dive into their business models. They reviewed their digital footprint, analyzed how to build a high-performance team, talked about the power of collaboration, and much more. They now join the ranks of more than 90 WBEs who have come through this program since 2019 as MentorWE alumnae.
The mentees were guided by three exceptional and well-established WBE mentors – April Diez, President and CEO of The Diez Group; Vickie Lewis, President and CEO of VMX International; and Lauren Rakolta, Chairman and CEO of DFM Solutions. They led with transparency, wisdom, personal experience, and a business command like no other. Just as importantly, they mentored with compassion, emotional intelligence, and created an environment of trust so that all could share openly and honestly.
We cannot say enough about the Ford Supplier Relations team that was directly involved in every session with the mentees – LaTara Brown and Laura Veit. Their leadership and engagement provided an insider view of what is required and expected in order to conduct business on a larger OEM level. They also brought in an incredible panel of women in leadership at Ford to provide their authentic perspectives on leading. This kind of access is rare, and so is MentorWE.
The Great Lakes WBC MentorWE program has quantitative and qualitative impact in job creation, boosting the economy, and building resilient and confident leaders. The graduation program also featured a powerful presentation on resilience, delivered by WBE Cathy Mott, founder of CWC Leadership Development. She stressed the importance of recharging yourself as leaders and giving yourself permission to be “full” of all that is within you to propel you to where you want to be. We have no doubt that these leaders are well on their way to greater success. Congratulations to the following:
Adrienne Bennett, Benkari LLC
Allison Beers, Events North
Julie Callaway, BDN Industrial Hygiene Consultants
Rita Crawley, Dundee Castings Co.
JR Harper, Envision Advertising Design & Video Production
Sue Kinch, Tangico
Sona Manzo, VersaCom Inc.
Nancy Ryder, Indy Power Products
Mariyah Saifuddin, Innovative Solution Partners
Julie Sanchez, Expert Business Solutions
Ann Wellard, Logodance
For more information on the MentorWE program, visit our website https://www.greatlakeswbc.org/business-development/mentorwe-2/
or contact Lori Wesby, Sr. Business Growth Strategist, at [email protected]
Thanks to:
Travis Spencer, Sr. Manager – Supplier Relations, Ford Motor Company
Shawntay Dixon, Sr. Director, Business Education & Operations, Great Lakes WBC
Michelle Richards, Executive Director, Great Lakes WBC
