Evolution in Procurement: Impact Sourcing
Impact sourcing transforms supply chains from transactional to transformational by channeling spend into businesses rooted in community— driving innovation and resilience. It’s about measuring true economic value— community revitalization, and opportunity generation in places often overlooked, yet where future customers and markets are growing.
This is where procurement meets purpose
and delivers real economic impact.
Meet our Speakers
President
Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico (BDE)
Josué E. Rivera is an Economic Developer, Financier, Federal Policy Expert, and Public Servant. He was sworn in as the District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration District Office for Puerto Rico-U.S. Virgin Islands District Office in late January 2021. He served the nation as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development State Director for Puerto Rico from April 2018 to January 2021.
During that time, he organized the first Puerto Rico Rural Lending Investment Summit, achieved Puerto Rico’s selection as a state pilot program for the Single-Family Housing Repair program, and convoked industry-leading roundtables in telecommunications and public health, respectively, with federal and state partners.
During his first year in office, Josué received a Gears of Government Award from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in 2018 for the recovery effort. Due to his negotiation skills, the agency completed the largest public utility restructuring in Rural Development’s portfolio, over a $400 million transaction involving the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA).
Previously, Rivera served as a Policy Advisor with the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA), an agency that represents the Governor of Puerto Rico in Washington, D . is advocacy portfolio included issues such as finance, small business, agriculture, telecommunications, interstate commerce, air cargo deregulation, employee retention credit, HUBZone’s, and federal tax reform.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, he worked directly with FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) and the National Business Emergency Operations Center (NBEOC) to expedite the recovery effort. He also led advocacy sessions and delegations to Capitol Hill, whose work ultimately resulted in the historical appropriation of disaster supplemental funds for Puerto Rico. The Association of University of the Puerto Rico Alumni and Friends Abroad (UPRAA) recognized Mr. Rivera with the Distinguished Alumni Award for his Hurricane María recovery efforts.
Raised in Toa Baja, Mr. Rivera enjoyed a productive career. At the same time, he was a student at the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamon, where he majored in accounting and earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration. Josué previously practiced audit in an associate-level role at PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC). He also practiced as an associate at a local firm, Falcón Sánchez & Associates.
Mr. Rivera has been awarded by multiple renowned institutions for his execution, receiving the 2020 President Theodore Roosevelt Award – Director Category by the Government Executive Magazine, the 2021 Women Economic Forum – Women of the Decade Award for Community Service, the 2021 Zenit Award by the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, and the 2020 USDA Under Secretary Award for Excellence. In 2022, Rivera was selected as an Ideas Fellow of the Aspen Institute in Aspen, Colorado.
Chief Operating Officer of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
Phala Kimbrough Mire is the Chief Operating Officer for the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), the premier organization for diverse and small business inclusion. With over 30 years of experience as a non-profit executive, Mire specializes in orchestrating business growth, program innovation, and cultivating sustainable business relationships between buyers and suppliers. She is a recognized advocate and thought leader on topics related to entrepreneurship, small business growth, diversity, and inclusion.
Prior to this she served as the President and CEO of the Women’s Business Enterprise Councils for Metro New York (New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey), Greater DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) and the Southern Region (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida Panhandle).
Mire is a mother of three and holds a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and an MBA from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. She co-founded the innovative Bigger Discussion series, which explores ‘The Future of Supplier Diversity’ and founded the WB Collective shared workspace for women owned business leaders. In 2020, she was honored for the second time as a City Business ‘Woman of the Year’ and was also inducted into the National Women’s Business Hall of Fame.
Chaiperson
Board of Directors, PRMSDC
José Quiñones Quintana serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for PRMSDC. He holds a Juris Doctor, a Master’s degree in Global Management, and a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering.
With over 20 years of experience across financial services, electronics, and the life sciences and healthcare sectors, he brings deep expertise in procurement and strategic sourcing. He is also a respected leader in the nonprofit space and a dedicated father of four.