Pamela Prince-Eason Named Chair Of Board Of Directors For Women's Business Enterprise National Council

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Pamela Prince-Eason, Vice President of Worldwide Procurement for Pfizer Inc., has been elected Chair of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) Board of Directors.  WBENC is the leading advocate for, and authority on, women's business enterprises (WBEs) as suppliers to the nation's corporations.  Prince-Eason assumes a two-year term in leading WBENC's Board of 63 distinguished corporate business leaders, business owners who are WBENC certified as women's business enterprises, and the executives heading each of WBENC's 14 Regional Partner Organizations.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100210/NY53065 )

Prince-Eason will chair WBENC's newly expanded Executive Committee of 12, which in addition to Prince-Eason includes two Vice-Chairs Laura K. Taylor, Vice President, Procurement Operations, Pitney Bowes Inc. Company, and Laurie Acreman, Manager Strategic Improvements, Global Procurement, ExxonMobil Global Services Company.  

"With this strengthened leadership team, we will turn our immediate attention to quickly transitioning WBENC's structure to increase our sustainability, growth, and continued development of a strong network," Prince-Eason said.  The WBENC network includes its 250 Corporate Members, nearly 10,000 WBEs, its Regional Partner Organizations, and WBENC Staff. 

"WBENC is honored to have as its Board Chair a leader whose vision for profitable partnerships among major corporations and women's businesses is matched by her expertise as both a corporate executive and previous woman business owner," said Linda Denny, WBENC President and CEO and ex-officio member of the WBENC Executive Committee.  

A dedicated supporter of WBENC's mission to advance the success of WBEs, Prince-Eason has led the organization in numerous key officer and director roles over the years, representing Pfizer Inc. on the WBENC Board as Treasurer, Chair and Vice Chair of the Finance Committee, and Chair of the Technology and Audit Committees. 

"My personal passion is leadership development," Prince-Eason said. "There isn't a better time to focus on leadership development among our constituents.  As a major initiative of WBENC's 2010 theme, The Opportunity Connection, WBENC is cranking up its emphasis on education as we encourage higher levels of excellence, sophistication, and leadership among our world class corporations and innovative women's businesses."  

In her position as Vice President of Worldwide Procurement (WWP) for Pfizer Inc. Prince-Eason is responsible for working with the WWP Executive Team and Business Leaders to leverage the company's spend in all regions of the world to achieve cost savings, process optimization and productivity improvements.   

Additionally, Prince-Eason works to advance innovative strategies to deepen Pfizer's commitment to women's business enterprises as premier suppliers.  With an eye towards serving women consumers with superior products and experiences, she drives leadership opportunities for both women's business enterprises and internal Pfizer women to contribute valuably to the company.   

Prince-Eason's professional career as both corporate leader and woman business owner has honed her expertise in strategic leadership, management best practices and cost ownership processes.  Since joining Pfizer in 2000 from Warner Lambert, she has led Procurement Operations in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand supporting Pfizer's multiple business Units.  Additionally, she has led a variety of Global Procurement initiatives with a major focus on leading the company's initiative to implement its strategic procurement technology, the Ariba Spend Management suite.  She has held various leadership positions at Texas Instruments, GSE Systems, Warner Lambert and as a co-owner of women-run RMR Associates, a consulting company where she advised major organizations.

Prince-Eason's dedication to women's business leadership is illustrated in her many professional and personal roles advancing women's excellence and opportunity.  In addition to WBENC, she is a strong supporter of Colleague and Supplier Diversity at Pfizer.  

She is an active member of ISM, the premier supply management association in the world, and the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council.   In June 2006, she was recognized by Women's Enterprise USA as a leading woman impacting Supplier Diversity, and in 2008, she was spotlighted for her support of Women-owned businesses. 

Prince-Eason holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from East Tennessee State University where she was a member of Phi Mu Sorority and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland with a Master of Administrative Science in International Business and Finance.  In May 2008, she was among the first to receive ISM's Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) designation. 

About WBENC: Founded in 1997, WBENC is the nation's leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, with WBENC certification accepted by more than 1,000 corporations, representing America's most prestigious brands, as well as government entities at the state and local levels. WBENC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that seeks and accepts donations from corporations, foundations and individuals that support its mission and programs.  For more information, please go to www.wbenc.org.

SOURCE The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)