Lanisha Mullin, Supplier Diversity Manager for Flagstar Bank, has a three-phased approach for success. The first is outreach, actively participating in and funding organizations that provide resources to diverse-owned businesses. The second is inclusion, to include diverse-owned suppliers in competitive bid opportunities, and finally, partnership. She works with internal teams to collaborate on upcoming opportunities and partners with advocacy groups to ensure diverse suppliers have an opportunity to compete. By attending various outreach events and sharing her insight on webinars and panels, Lanisha is able to connect with diverse suppliers all across the country. She also applauds senior leaders for supporting partner organizations through sponsorship of supplier development programs and networking events. Lanisha has also launched a Tier 2 program to promote the utilization of diverse suppliers across the existing supply chain.
Lanisha educates colleagues at all levels to create support and momentum for supplier diversity. In addition to the Sourcing team, Lanisha collaborates with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), the DE&I team, the ESG team, and the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) team to stay abreast of emerging trends and identify areas of opportunity. Lanisha hopes that implementing a strategy of investing in diverse-owned suppliers will ensure sustainable community impact.