Florida A&M University (FAMU) Trustee Craig Reed has been honored with the Dave Barclay Affirmative Action in Industry Award at the recent 2021 Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) STEM Global Competitiveness Conference.
The award recognizes efforts to promote affirmative action and advancement within an organization in education, job promotion, small-business development, and community activities.
As chief procurement officer for Corteva in Indianapolis, Indiana, Reed has the responsibility to procure products and services that meet the demands of the global Corteva Agriscience business. He is the first chief procurement officer for Corteva and has been instrumental in implementing supplier diversity goals and strategies into the company’s corporate social responsibility plans.
He developed a global center of excellence focused on supplier diversity globally with strategic priorities aligned around sustainability, awareness, recruiting, and awarding business to diverse suppliers and small businesses, establishing teams in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and the Asia Pacific.
“I am honored and humbled by this award,” said Reed, who credits his alma mater for much of his career success. “FAMU changed my life in so many ways. I am the person I am today as a result of my time on the “Hill.” The faculty, administration and the pride and joy of being a member of and serving as, a drum major in the Marching “100” instilled in me the importance of “Excellence with Caring.’”
Reed is the immediate past board chair for the Institute for Supply Management and a member of the FAMU Board of Trustees since 2016. He was reappointed in 2020. Reed is the chair of the BOT’s Audit Committee and is responsible for policy making for the University with oversight on the budget.
“His leadership, service, and contributions to our Board of Trustees certainly make him a highly qualified candidate for this recognition. His experiences in the world of business and commitment to integrity have helped to create an environment of accountability and ethical behavior which speak to his personal values as a human being,” said FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., said in a letter endorsing Reed for the award.
Reed holds a bachelor’s in economics from FAMU and an MBA from Arizona State University. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the National Minority Supplier Development Council.
More than 20 years ago, BEYA named its Affirmative Action Award after David Barclay, who served as vice president of workforce diversity at Hughes Aircraft Co. Before that, he was vice president for human resources development. As a corporate advocate and chief officer for workforce diversity in 1990, he was responsible for maximizing Hughes’ commitment to a multicultural workforce.
The virtual conference was hosted by Career Communications Group’s U.S. Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine, the Council of Engineering Deans of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, host Lockheed Martin Corporation, and sponsor Aerotek.