Supplier Diversity Professionals
Highly Qualified, Dedicated Professionals: The People Behind Supplier Diversity
Adriene K. Bruce Managing Executive, Supplier Diversity As Ameren’s Managing Executive for Supplier Diversity, Adriene Bruce focuses on developing opportunities for diverse suppliers to gain access to procurement opportunities. Bruce joined Ameren in November 2006, to lead and transform its Supplier Diversity Program—a formal program at Ameren since 2002.    Bruce has more than 12 years experience in the field, including more than a decade working with the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and its regional affiliates. She is actively involved with the Saint Louis Minority Business Council (SLMBC) and Council Enterprises, Inc., which includes the Central Illinois Minority Business Council, and serves on the board of directors for the Regional Union Construction Center in St. Louis.    Bruce is a past board member of the Michigan Minority Business Development Council (MMBDC)—a responsibility she assumed while leading Supplier Diversity for JPMorgan Chase and Bank One for the eastern half of the U.S. During her stint in banking, Bruce tripled the bank’s spend with diverse businesses.    Bruce also served as past co-chair of the Michigan Women’s Business Council (MWBC). Bruce was a founding member of the Council of Supplier Diversity Professionals (CSDP), where she was an active board member and chaired the Program Committee.    Bruce also managed Supplier Diversity for Kelly Services in Troy, MI, via their MOVE® (Minority Owned Vendor Enterprise) Program where she expanded the global staffing company’s business-to-business diverse supplier business initiatives and alliances. Prior to joining Kelly Services, she spent eight years in the retail industry in Washington, D.C. with the May Company and Metropolitan Detroit with Dayton Hudson Corporation, in areas where she held a number of increasingly responsible management positions.    Bruce earned a Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She has addressed many of the NMSDC regional councils, Dartmouth College’s Amos Tuck School of Minority Business Executive Program, and numerous Fortune 500 companies and other organizations on the value diversity adds to the corporate community. She was awarded the St. Louis Lambert Airport Authority Women Builders of Communities and Dreams award in 2008, the distinguished Chairman’s Award by the SLMBC in 2007, and was honored by the Women’s Informal Network as one of “Metropolitan Detroit’s Most Influential Black Women” in 2001.
J.P. Keating Supplier Diversity Specialist Ameren named J.P. Keating the supplier diversity specialist contact for Business and Corporate Services sourcing in September 2008.    Keating came to Ameren after serving more than 11 years in procurement, contracting, project management and internal auditing roles at The Boeing Company and Anheuser-Busch Companies. His responsibilities included production procurement and supplier management for defense related programs; contract management and sales for training systems hardware and services; project management duties for executive management; and company-wide internal auditing of global operations.    A native of St. Louis, Keating earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a MBA from Saint Louis University. He is an active board member of the John Cook School of Business alumni association serving on the networking and community relations committee.
Brian Montgomery Supplier Diversity Specialist After serving in multiple roles in power generation and other areas within Ameren, Brian Montgomery was named supplier diversity specialist in 2001. A veteran of 19 years service at Ameren, Montgomery quickly developed mentoring programs and a big brother Minority Business Enterprise program. He also helped draft Ameren’s minority business enterprise strategy. These initiatives have resulted in significant increases in supplier diversity spend for several years.    Montgomery was named Buyer Coordinator of the Year by the Minority Business Council in 2002, the Minority Business Advocate of the Year by the St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers in 2003, and the Minority Business Outstanding Service Award Recipient by MOKAN in 2004. Other awards and recognition include Supplier Diversity Champion (Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce) in 2006, and SBA Region 7 Supplier Diversity Champion in 2006.    A native St. Louisan, Montgomery earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and an MBA from Lindenwood University.
Byron J. Witherspoon Supplier Diversity Specialist Byron Witherspoon came to Ameren with more than 12 years experience developing and executing Civil Rights/Supplier Diversity programs designed to provide meaningful contract opportunity for diverse vendors.    Witherspoon directed the Supplier Diversity Program of the St. Louis Regional Public Transit Provider, Metro. He was responsible for implementing the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program for Metro and has worked in similar capacity with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and the St. Louis Lambert Airport Authority (SLAA). Byron has trained other agency’s staff in the successful implementation of its DBE program components.    Believing in the importance of supporting a diverse workforce, he has provided life skill coaching to individuals enrolled in pre-apprenticeship programs who were interested in the construction trades. Witherspoon was also directly responsible for the implementation of the local “Construction Career Day” where 500 high school juniors and seniors are exposed to hands-on demonstrations of many construction trades. To date, more than 1,500 high school juniors and seniors have participated in this event. Witherspoon has also served as a business leader for the St. Louis Public Schools “Career Pathfinders” and the “Men of Tomorrow’s” program and on the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board.    Witherspoon, a St. Louis native, earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO). Witherspoon is the recipient of the Diversity Excellence and Advocacy Diversity Champion Award by the St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers (SLCCC).