Valarie Cofield is a facilitator of business opportunities and a champion for equitable diversity and inclusion; Valarie boasts over 30 years of advocating at the highest levels of government and industry, assisting private companies in developing their supplier diversity business strategies and public entities in implementing economic development initiatives. As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council (EMSDC), Valerie sparks and facilitates business partnerships betweenEMSDC’s corporate members and its certified Minority Business Enterprises. With invaluable experience in contract negotiations, strategy development, and opportunity identification, Cofield works to prepare MBEs to successfully engage with the supply chains of EMSDC’s corporate and institutional members. Cofield ensures that they are positioned to bring value and solutions to the procurement process while actively and consistently making a case for supplier diversity across all industries.