Description

Businesses and municipalities that embrace diverse perspectives don’t just do good—they gain a competitive edge. This panel shows you exactly how inclusive procurement and supplier diversity can drive innovation, create new opportunities, and amplify the impact of your organization.

Join leaders from the public and private sectors as they share actionable strategies and success stories, including:

• Gain a Competitive Advantage: Learn how diverse suppliers bring fresh ideas, innovative solutions, and measurable impact to your organization and community.
• Make Procurement Work for You: See how the City of Naperville and leading corporations are integrating inclusive sourcing to maximize efficiency and outcomes.
• Practical Steps to Implement: Get concrete tools for assessing spend, setting goals, engaging stakeholders, and building long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships.
• Overcome Barriers: Learn how to address common misconceptions, gain leadership buy-in, and sustain supplier relationships that deliver results.

What You’ll Take Away: Leave with practical insights, strategies you can implement immediately, and a clear roadmap for leveraging supplier diversity to strengthen your organization’s innovation, growth, and community impact.

Who Should Attend: Business leaders, procurement professionals, DEI champions, operations managers, and anyone looking to drive innovation and maximize organizational impact through inclusive supply chains.

SPEAKERS


Raymond Munch
City of Naperville

Raymond Munch is the Director of Finance for the City of Naperville, Illinois. He began his tenure in Naperville in 2020, serving as the Budget Manager before being promoted to Deputy Director in 2022 and Director in 2024. Previously, he served as Assistant City Manager for the City of DeKalb, Illinois, overseeing the Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology functions. Raymond has 25 years of experience in municipal government, including 14 years in law enforcement. Raymond holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Science in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration from Western Illinois University.

Nick Pantazes
Southern Company Gas

Nick Pantazes is a dynamic leader with over 20 years of experience in the Utility and Construction industries. He is currently the Manager of Supplier Inclusion for Southern Company Gas where he leads the Supplier Inclusion efforts for Nicor Gas, Atlanta Gas Light, Virginia Natural Gas, and Chattanooga Gas Company.

He began his career with Southern Company Gas in 2018 and has held various leadership roles as the Manager of Forecasting and Organizational Effectiveness and as the Field Deployment Supervisor for Nicor’s AMI project where Nicor updated all 2.2 million of their meters. Before joining the company, he was a District Manager at USIC, leading a team of 9 Supervisors and 175 Field Technicians across Illinois.

Nick holds an MBA from American University and a BA in History Education from Illinois State University, and multiple certifications. He is actively involved in various ERGs, mentorship programs, numerous nonprofit organizations, and coaches’ travel baseball.

HOSTED BY:

No refunds or credits will be issued. Minimum number registration is required for NACC programming to move forward. Attendees will be notified via email if there are any changes to program. We apologize for any inconvenience.