Amber Lawhorn is the Director, Supplier Diversity and Small Business Enterprise Program at Jackson Health System. Under her leadership, the seven-year $2 billion capital program committed to economically developing historically underutilized communities and providing diverse supplier opportunities. Amber offersed targeted outreach and education to build diverse supplier relationships, leading to greater capital program participation. She was also a subject-matter expert for a groundbreaking mentor/protégé program. The contracts increased supplier capacity to do business in communities, enabled increased hiring, developed expansive industry knowledge in the specialized healthcare space, and created relationships with larger, sophisticated supplier partners.
To champion supplier inclusion, Amber establishes and manages critical internal and external relationships to support and grow the program, connects organizational goals and activities to program requirements, and supports diverse businesses in successfully managing their contracts. She leads her team in focusing on “inreach” and outreach to ensure all organizational and community members understand their role in the success of supplier diversity. Amber drives success through networking, developing internal champions, and taking a “no supplier is too small” approach.