Supplier Diversity Professionals
Highly Qualified, Dedicated Professionals: The People Behind Supplier Diversity
Adriene K. Bruce Managing Executive, Supplier Diversity As Ameren’s Managing Executive for Supplier Diversity, Adriene Bruce focuses on developing opportunities for diverse suppliers to gain access to procurement opportunities. Bruce joined Ameren in November 2006, to lead and transform its Supplier Diversity Program—a formal program at Ameren since 2002.    Bruce is a senior statesman in the field of supplier diversity, including more than a decade working with the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and its regional affiliates. Under her leadership, Ameren has joined the NMSDC and WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council) to foster stronger relationships within the diverse business community. She is actively involved with Edison Electrical Institute’s Supplier Diversity committee on behalf of Ameren. She serves on the board of directors for the Regional Union Construction Center in St. Louis and the St. Louis Regional Health Commission Community Advisory Board.    Bruce is a past board member of the Michigan Minority Business Development Council (MMBDC)—a responsibility she assumed while leading Supplier Diversity for JPMorgan Chase and Bank One for the eastern half of the U.S. During her stint in banking, Bruce tripled the bank’s spend with diverse businesses.    Bruce also served as past co-chair of the Michigan Women’s Business Council (MWBC) while leading supplier diversity for Kelly Services Inc., a global staffing company headquartered in Michigan. Bruce was a founding member of the Council of Supplier Diversity Professionals (CSDP), where she was an active board member and chaired the Program Committee.    Prior to moving into the discipline of Supplier Diversity, she spent eight years in the retail industry in Washington, D.C. with the May Company and Metropolitan Detroit with Dayton Hudson Corporation, where she held a number of increasingly responsible management positions.    Bruce earned a Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She has addressed many of the NMSDC regional councils and numerous Fortune 500 companies and other organizations on the value diversity adds to the corporate community. Bruce received her certificate of completion from the St. Louis University’s John Cook School of Business Advanced Supply Chain Management Program in June 2008, and is currently in the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative’s Fellow’s Program, chosen as one of two employees by Ameren’s Chief Human Resources Officer to complete this executive development process. Bruce is an active member of ANME (Ameren Network for Minority Employees) and the Ameren Corporate Diversity Council. She was awarded the St. Louis Lambert Airport Authority Women Builders of Communities and Dreams award in 2008; the distinguished Chairman’s Award by the SLMBC in 2007; and was honored by the Women’s Informal Network as one of “Metropolitan Detroit’s Most Influential Black Women” in 2001.
J.P. Keating Supplier Diversity Specialist Ameren named J.P. Keating the supplier diversity specialist contact for Business and Corporate Services sourcing in September 2008.    Keating came to Ameren after serving more than 11 years in procurement, contracting, project management and internal auditing roles at The Boeing Company and Anheuser-Busch Companies. His responsibilities included production procurement and supplier management for defense related programs; contract management and sales for training systems hardware and services; project management duties for executive management; and company-wide internal auditing of global operations.    A native of St. Louis, Keating earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a MBA from Saint Louis University. He is an active board member of the John Cook School of Business alumni association serving on the networking and community relations committee.
Byron J. Witherspoon Supplier Diversity Specialist Byron Witherspoon came to Ameren with more than 12 years experience developing and executing Civil Rights/Supplier Diversity programs designed to provide meaningful contract opportunity for diverse vendors.    Witherspoon directed the Supplier Diversity Program of the St. Louis Regional Public Transit Provider, Metro. He was responsible for implementing the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program for Metro and has worked in similar capacity with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and the St. Louis Lambert Airport Authority (SLAA). Byron has trained other agency’s staff in the successful implementation of its DBE program components.    Believing in the importance of supporting a diverse workforce, he has provided life skill coaching to individuals enrolled in pre-apprenticeship programs who were interested in the construction trades. Witherspoon was also directly responsible for the implementation of the local “Construction Career Day” where 500 high school juniors and seniors are exposed to hands-on demonstrations of many construction trades. To date, more than 1,500 high school juniors and seniors have participated in this event. Witherspoon has also served as a business leader for the St. Louis Public Schools “Career Pathfinders” and the “Men of Tomorrow’s” program and on the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board.    Witherspoon, a St. Louis native, earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO). Witherspoon is the recipient of the Diversity Excellence and Advocacy Diversity Champion Award by the St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers (SLCCC).