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Thursday, May 9, 2024

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Date & Time

Thursday, May 9, 2024
7:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Location

Graduate Cincinnati
151 Goodman Drive 
Cincinnati, OH 45219

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DirectConnect 2024

Championing diversity, equity and inclusion and living it out every day is fundamental to who we are at Cincinnati Children’s. We partner with organizations across the community and across the globe to build healthy communities and vital economies in the places where we live and work.

Establishing relationships with diverse suppliers helps enable Cincinnati Children’s to fulfill our mission while allowing opportunities for minority/women/veteran/disability/LGBTQ-owned businesses to grow and expand. This year’s DirectConnect event will provide ample opportunity to share knowledge and connect with other vendors while hearing from local leaders about ways that diverse-owned businesses can set themselves up for success.

Note that while there is no cost to attend DirectConnect, our booth sponsor fees will be donated directly to Seacrest Studios, a closed-circuit TV and radio station for patients and families at Cincinnati Children’s. Not registering for a booth but still want to support Seacrest Studios? You can purchase items directly from their Amazon Wish List.

Who Should Attend:

  • Diverse suppliers focused on making connections in healthcare
  • Health system leaders striving to advance diversity, equity and inclusion within health system supply chains
  • Professionals focused on improving community and population health and building partnerships

Event Schedule

Time

Topic

Speaker

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM

Registration
Continental Breakfast / Networking

All
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Opening Remarks

Evie Alessandrini
Chief Operating Officer
Cincinnati Children’s

Deirdre Beluan
Chief Executive Officer,
The Health Collaborative

Bobby Rodriguez
VP, Diversity, Inclusion and Community Relations
Cincinnati Children’s

9:30 AM – 9:45 AM
Break
All
9:45 AM – 10:45 AM
Panel Presentation 1: Community Health Disparities and Supplier Diversity

Kristen Bailey
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Sweets & Meats BBQ

Clint Berry
Operations Vice President
Messer Construction

Lauren Bartoszek
Director, Community Health
The Health Collaborative

Monica Mitchell
Director of Community Relations
Cincinnati Children’s

Stanley Warrenhuffman
Economic Inclusion Manager
Messer Construction

10:45 AM – 11:00 AM
Break
All
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
Panel Presentation 2 Successfully Doing Business with Cincinnati Children’s

Daniel Hobbs
Chief Executive Officer
Equipe, LLC

Jennifer O’Neal Harris Director, Supplier Diversity & Value Analytics Cincinnati Children’s

Michele O’Rourke
Chief Executive Officer
O’Rourke Wrecking

James Watkins
President & Chief Executive Officer
Triversity Construction

Gina Yeakel
Vice President
Harmelin Media

11:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Morning Closing Remarks
Dave Krier Senior Vice President, Operations Cincinnati Children’s
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
Lunch
12:30 PM – 1:15 PM

Lunch & Learn
Capacity Scaling:
Preparing for New Business Growth

Curtis Hollis
Chief Operating Officer
Minority Business Accelerator

With Featured Guests from:
  • Ohio Minority Business Development Association
  • Greater Cincinnati Microenterprise Initiative
  • Cintrifuse
  • Lincoln & Gilbert
1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Matchmaker & Vendor Expo
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VENDOR EXPO SIGN-UP
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Evaline A. Alessandrini, MD, MSCE

Chief Operating Officer

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Evaline Alessandrini, MD, MSCE, is chief operating officer of Cincinnati Children’s, a nonprofit, comprehensive pediatric health system. As a leader in research, education, patient care, advocacy and innovation, Cincinnati Children’s is ranked #1 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-2024 list of best children’s hospitals in the nation and is the #2 recipient of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health. Alessandrini previously served as executive vice president, chief medical officer and interim chief operations officer for UC Health, the University of Cincinnati’s affiliated healthcare system, between 2017 and 2021.

Alessandrini first joined Cincinnati Children’s in 2009. Between 2009 and 2017, she served in clinical, research and training roles. As the assistant vice president for improvement integration within the James M. Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence, she led clinical divisions in managing strategically aligned improvement portfolios focused on improving outcomes, experience and value of care. Alessandrini was also director of the Cincinnati Children’s Place Outcomes Research Awards program and the Quality Scholars Program in Healthcare Transformation. Additionally, she served as professor and associate chair of outcomes and process improvement in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Prior to joining Cincinnati Children’s in 2009, Alessandrini served in a number of leadership roles at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), including director of clinical transformation.

Alessandrini received a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee and earned a medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. She received a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics from the University of Pennsylvania. Alessandrini completed her residency and chief residency at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at CHOP.

Alessandrini serves on the executive committee of the board of the Regional Economic Development Initiative (REDI Cincinnati), a nonprofit focused on creating jobs and investment in the Cincinnati region. She is currently president of the board of directors for the Greater Cincinnati chapter of the American Heart Association.

Deirdre Murphy Beluan

Chief Executive Officer

The Health Collaborative

With over 20 years of experience in population health and healthcare improvement, Deirdre Beluan serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Health Collaborative. Deirdre is a seasoned healthcare executive with a track record of collaborating with stakeholders and aligning multifaceted companies to share a vision of improving community health.

In her role as Chief Executive Officer, Deirdre provides strategic leadership for THC’s priorities and works closely with THC’s team, serving as a pivotal advisor to the Board of Directors and representing the organization to local, state, and national stakeholders, policymakers, and associations. Deirdre’s extensive background in value-based care and human resources positions her well to facilitate the alignment of top healthcare organizations in the region, ensuring they share common priorities and collaborate effectively.

Deirdre earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Indiana University, and a Master of Business Administration and Master of Health Services Administration from Xavier University.

Visael “Bobby” Rodriguez

VP of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Community Relations

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Visael “Bobby” Rodriguez is the vice president of diversity, equity, inclusion, and community relations for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). He is responsible of leading Cincinnati Children’s in their development and deployment of strategies to support and sustain diversity, equity, inclusion, and community engagement.

Bobby brings a strong background and absolute passion for diversity and inclusion from personal experience and professional roles in the health and healthcare industry. He will build a vibrant, culturally sensitive, and inclusive environment, maintain strong community partnerships, and deliver on our mission with excellence.

Bobby comes to Cincinnati Children’s with more than 30 years of experience in diversity and inclusion, culture change, talent management, human resources, community relations, sales, marketing, and business development. Most recently, he served as the vice president, chief human resources officer and facilities services for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island. He was also chief diversity officer at Baystate Health in western Massachusetts, and held roles at Florida Blue, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in Baltimore, and Xerox Corporation.

A native of Puerto Rico, Bobby earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial management and marketing from the University of Puerto Rico. His civic engagement has included serving on the board of directors for Skills for Rhode Island Future (Skills RI), ArtsWave of Cincinnati, International Multi-Cultural Institute (iMCI), Executive Sponsor of the Heart Mini-Marathon & Walk Campaign, and the Advisory Council for the Brown University Executive master’s in healthcare leadership.

Clint Berry

Operations Vice President

Messer Construction

Clint Berry is an Operations Vice President for Messer Construction Company, based out of their
Cincinnati office. In his role, Clint is responsible for leading accounts with key market clients, including
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Responsibilities including support and leadership of
preconstruction and operations from project inception to closeout across multiple project sites and
ensuring successful execution of safety, quality, schedule, cost, and DEI goals along with providing an
outstanding client experience.

Clint began his career with Messer in 2006 as a co-op student while studying at Northern Kentucky
University. After graduating with his Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management in 2007, Clint
began full-time in 2007. Clint’s project experience includes work with the following clients/projects:

  • CCHMC
  • Xavier University
  • West Chester Hospital
  • Purcell Marian Catholic High School
  • Patheon Pharmaceuticals
  • Procter & Gamble

 

Outside of his day-to-day responsibilities, Clint serves on the board of A Kid Again, a local non-profit that
provides adventures for children and their families facing life-altering illnesses. Clint is also involved in
various capacities with the American Heart Association as well as other construction industry
committees including Spirit of Construction and Cogence.

Lauren A Bartoszek, PhD, MCHES

Director, Community Health

The Health Collaborative

Dr. Lauren Bartoszek serves as the Director of Community Health at The Health Collaborative (THC).
With a deep focus on health equity, ensuring a fair and just community for all to thrive, Dr. Bartoszek is
committed to strengthening partnerships and building relationships to address regional health
improvement in the Greater Cincinnati region. She coordinates and convenes multi-sector, multi-
stakeholder strategic partnerships, to drive action on collaborative projects centered on reducing
health disparities. In her tenure with THC, she has facilitated the Regional Community Health Needs
Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan, participated in the launch of Mama Certified,
an equity centered certification program for hospitals to create safe and joyful births for Black moms,
and has been integral to the future of connecting medical care to social care, focusing on bringing
together hospital leaders with community experts to create shared visions for transforming care
coordination in our region.

Professional and Civic:
Professionally, Dr. Bartoszek serves on the board of directors for CenterPoint Health, a local
Community Health Center, and Xavier University’s Center for Population Health. With a background is
in academia as an Assistant Professor at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, she has published over 14
articles in peer reviewed journals, most recently in Pediatrics with colleagues at CCHMC, and has
presented at national conferences. She holds a PhD in Health Education from the University of
Cincinnati and is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist, recognized by the National Center for
Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC).

Personal:
Lauren and her husband, TC, live in Cincinnati with their two children. She is active in the community,
including the Norwood Community Health Steering Committee. She enjoys teaching fitness at Barre3
Mariemont and a enjoying good cup of coffee at the many great shops in town.

Stanley M. Warrenhuffman Jr.

Economic Inclusion Manager

Messer Construction

Stanley M. Warrenhuffman Jr. is the Economic Inclusion Manager at Messer Construction.  As a part of the Economic Inclusion team Stanley is responsible for leading Messer’s Urban Workforce Development Initiative (UWDI) – a collaboration between a various community organizations & Messer Construction with the goal of moving minority/diverse individuals of the urban core from poverty to sustainability.  Stanley joined Messer Construction January 4th of 2021 after six years of being a Workforce Specialist for Easterseals, three of which he managed UWDI.

Stanley is responsible for planning and executing Messer’s workforce development strategy from start through completion involving case management, deadlines, milestones, process, and evaluation with multiple stakeholders across Messer’s footprint.  In particular, Stanley works with community-based organizations to hire individuals into a work hardening process that prepares them for the rigors of commercial construction. Upon graduation individuals are transitioned onto Messer job-sites with sub-contractors as apprentice auditioning for career opportunities in the trades.  Stanley’s leadership has led to more than 80% success rate among hires into the sustainable careers. Under Stanley’s direction UWDI has proven to be a valuable solution to hiring minorities at the craft force level. Since 2021, UWDI has expanded to Nashville, Louisville, Knoxville, and Indianapolis with line of site in multiple other regions.

Stanley has coached seven seasons of high school football in Cincinnati Public Schools as a coordinator and positon coach. He’s logged +500 volunteers’ hours in Hamilton County in 2023, serves on the Board of Directors for Allied Builders and Contractors Ohio Chapter (OVABC) as secretary and is on the finance committee of Design LAB (formerly known as Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati).

Stanley received a BA in Writing Studies with a minor in Grant Writing and Administration from Northern Kentucky University after being a full scholarship athlete at Campbellsville University where he received multiple honors including, All American, NAIA Player of Year and more!  Stanley played 2 seasons in the National Football League with the New Orleans Saints & Atlanta Falcons.  Stanley and his wife Brooke live in Newport KY.

Brinson Daniel Hobbs

Founder & CEO

Equipe, LLC

Founder & CEO of Equipe, LLC., Brinson Daniel Hobbs was formally the President and CEO of Reliable Products and Services. He started the company in 2008 and by the eight-year mark, he had grown the business from $200,000 to more than $5.7 million. After the entrance of Amazon in most of the markets that RPS provided services the time had come to shift products lines and establish a new company.   Equipe is just that company. Equipe is focused on providing core products that are in high demand by the construction industry. Most public construction projects have a diversity requirement that is required to secure the contract. Equipe will be there to help these companies meet these goals. As Equipe grows across the country, we are committed to providing opportunities to the inner city workers by providing them with an opportunity to learn new skills that will elevate them from minimum wage jobs to a  well-paying career.

Headquartered in Ohio, Equipe was established to provide companies a reliable source to purchase a variety of products from a certified diverse supplier.   Equipe offers several product lines including Industrial, Janitorial and Energy Management, as well as Commercial Printing and Branded Apparel. Aside from our physical offerings, we provide in-person consulting and an online platform for clients to fulfill their unique needs. MBE and EDGE certified in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Michigan through NMSDC, we pride ourselves in keeping your office running its best, at the lowest cost to you.

Jennifer O’Neal Harris

Director-Purchasing, Supplier Diversity & Value Analysis

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

In Jennifer’s current role at Cincinnati Children’s, she is responsible for supplier diversity and value analytics. Essentially, ensuring that diverse suppliers are part of the purchasing landscape and value proposition of our supply chain.

Jennifer’s professional expertise is primarily in operations, supplier diversity and SaaS specialties. Over the years, she has managed large-scale supplier networks, supported supplier diversity implementations, diverse supplier certification consulting, improved user experiences and developed transformative products that propelled business growth.

“I enjoy strategic innovations, solving difficult problems, and finding solutions that help companies and diverse suppliers succeed in achieving their corporate contracting / spend goals.”

James Watkins

President & CEO

Triversity Construction

James Watkins serves as Triversity’s President and Chief Executive Officer with more than 30 years’ experience leading all business phases of construction management, general contracting, and its craft force division.

Watkins is responsible for leading the company’s day-to-day business operations and executing the company’s annual business plan giving him oversight of profit and loss company wide. He is an expert in corporate commercial construction and leading major construction organizations with a thorough knowledge of all aspects of the business. Additionally, Jim is responsible for executing and delivering on the company’s strategic vision
and goals.

Known for his interpersonal communication skills, Watkins develops and maintains effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders including owners, architects, subcontractors, and civic leaders.

He has a broad background in multiple market sectors including healthcare, aviation, commercial office, mixed use office / residential, retail, and higher education. Watkins has a B.S. in construction management and engineering technology and an A.A.S. in architectural engineering from Purdue University as well as an A.A.S. in construction management from Triton College.

Currently, Watkins serves as a board member for Cincinnati USA Chamber of Commerce, ACI (Allied Construction Industries), Spirit of Construction, Truist Community Advisory Board and Cincinnati Housing Advisory Board. Watkins played a major role in several corporate construction management training programs and was an active member of the ACE Mentor program. He has been named “Who’s Who in Detroit” and is a past NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) board member. He is also a graduate of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Cincinnati, class 37 and an active Vistage member. He is married to Toshia Watkins.

They live in Liberty Township, Ohio and have 3 sons, and one granddaughter. Jim enjoys the arts of Cincinnati, home remodeling and is an avid classic and modern muscle car enthusiast.

Dave Krier

Senior Vice President, Operations

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Dave Krier is senior vice president of operations at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, a nationally recognized leader in pediatric healthcare, research and education that is consistently ranked as one of America’s best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, and one of the top recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health.

In his role, Dave oversees the execution and improvement of the operational functions within the care delivery system, known as Operational Excellence. In addition, he manages several critical support services, including Supply Chain, Access Services, Food Services, Language Access Services, and School Services.

Dave is a leader for the patient and family experience, overseeing Family Relations and Guest Services, as well the development and execution of organization-wide initiatives, including a clinical concierge program for patients with complex needs, operational standardization and centralization efforts, and support programs for destination patients.

Dave received his undergraduate degree from the University of Norte Dame and his Master of Health Administration from The Ohio State University.

Prior to joining Cincinnati Children’s, Dave was employed at The Cleveland Clinic, as well as The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

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