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Follow on Google News | Lynda Ireland, One of Nation's Leading Minority Business Development Advocates, Has DiedLynda Ireland was former President & CEO of award-winning New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council. Rev. Hilton O. Smith, Senior VP at Turner Construction and The Council’s former Chairman, officiated her funeral on April 2.
By: Lynda Ireland The funeral was officiated by Ireland’s colleague Rev. Hilton O. Smith, senior vice president of community affairs at Turner Construction and former chairman of the New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council. Under Smith’s leadership, Turner has awarded over 56,000 contracts with a value in excess of $20 billion to minority- and women-owned business enterprises. Ireland’s career in minority business development spanned over 30 years. She personally understood the needs of minority businesses and corporations because Ireland had careers as an entrepreneur and a business executive. Before heading The Council, an affiliate of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, she was the owner of Panache, Inc., a company that consulted on the construction industry. She served as the contractual affirmative action officer for the Village of Hempstead in Long Island. In addition, she was the first woman president of the Association of Minority Enterprises of New York, Inc. (AMENY). For over 16 years at The Council, Ireland successfully created business partnerships between Council-certified African American, Asian and Hispanic businesses and The Council’s corporate members comprised of major Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and public institutions in New York and New Jersey. Under Ireland’s administration, The Council had successfully achieved a Memo of Understanding with the State of New Jersey, the State of New York and the City of New York. Ireland’s MOU agreements permitted The Council’s certified minority businesses the ability to fast track in bidding for state and city government contracts. “The growth of minority businesses has far reaching impacts,” Ireland had explained. “Partnerships between minority businesses and corporations help to empower communities by providing employment, training, and role models.” Ireland served on diversity boards for several Fortune 500 companies and institutions, such as: PSEG's Supplier Diversity Board, News Corporation’ Her accomplishments in supplier diversity earned Ireland many awards and honors, including: two prestigious National Minority Supplier Development Council’s Council of the Year Awards, New York Regional Minority Enterprise Development Week’s Minority Advocate of the Year Award, the Westchester African-American Chamber of Commerce Madame C.J. Walker Award, The Network Journal’s Top 25 Influential Black Women in Business Award, Minority Business News USA’s First Ladies of Supplier Diversity Award, Harlem African American Day Parade Honoree, Black Star News Excellence Award, DiversityPlus Magazine Women of Power Impacting Diversity, Morris County New Jersey Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce Community Economic Development’ Ireland was predeceased by her parents, Carwee and Margaret (McNair) Johnson, her loving son Marc and her brother Kenneth Johnson; she is survived by her daughter, Maya Creamer and husband George; three brothers: Larry Johnson, Carwee Johnson Jr., Freddie Johnson and wife Carol; two sisters, Margo and Tammy Johnson; four grandchildren: End
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