February Keynote Program
Panelist Bio's
Richard A. Huebner
President
Houston Minority Supplier Development Council
Richard A. Huebner is President of the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council,
one of 39 affiliates of the National Minority Supplier Development Council.
In 1985, Huebner responded to a blind ad in the Wall Street Journal that provided a perfect
match for his proven skills in association management and his passion for economic
development. Today he leads 233 major corporations and more than 1,100 Minority Business
Enterprises in a common mission to increase and expand business opportunities and business
growth for minorities.
Under his direction, the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council has been recognized
five times nationally as Council of the Year and in 2007 was selected as Houston’s Greatest
Non-Profit Business Organization.
Huebner serves on advisory boards of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Port of
Houston Authority, Reliant Energy, Texas Southern University, Prairie View A&M University,
Anti-Defamation League, Houston Community College, Unity National Bank, ACCION Texas,
the National Black MBE Association Houston Chapter and the NASA-Johnson Space Center
Joint Leadership Team. He is active in Grand Lakes Presbyterian Church, Chair-Elect of
Leadership Houston, a graduate of the Center for Houston’s Future and a Senior Fellow of the
American Leadership Forum.
He has received numerous awards and recognitions, and was named to Best of the Decade in
Supplier & Workforce Diversity by Minority Business News.
Marian Nimon, M.B.A., C. P.M.
Associate Director, HUB and Federal Small Business Program
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Marian Nimon, M.B.A., C. P.M. is employed with The University of Texas M. D. Anderson
Cancer Center in Supply Chain Services as the Associate Director, HUB and Federal Small
Business Program. Marian has a recent M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix and received
her Bachelors Degree from Cleveland State University. Marian has over 25 years of experience
in supply chain management.
Marian has been married to Dr. Harry Nimon, Jr. for 34 years. They have four children, Gloria,
Jessica, Paul, and Veronica, and are a very close family and value education and family time.
The Nimon’s lived in numerous states including Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Arizona, Maryland,
Virginia, and Georgia. Marian loves creative, interesting and challenging tasks. Marian enjoys
sharing her time with others and is also devoted fan of music and entertainment.
Marian’s association with the NAPM-Houston chapter began in 1995. Previously, she was a
member of the NAPM-Dayton, Ohio affiliate. Marian is also a graduate of Leadership Houston,
Class 18. She is an active member of the Women's Business Enterprise Alliance and the
Houston Minority Supplier Development Council Association. Most recently she was elected to
the Board of the Women's Business Enterprise Alliance. Marian received her M.B.A. in 2004
while serving as President of NAPM-Houston, working full time, and raising a family.
Marian’s professional achievements have resulted in numerous awards & recognitions. Some of
the recognitions include:
- ISM’s Charles M. McDonald national award for supplier diversity excellence 2007
- NAPM’s James O. Cox Award outstanding member 2007
- ‘Mentor of the Year’ award by the Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance.
- The Small Business Administration’s ‘Women in Business Advocate of the Year’
- The Department of Commerce’s ‘Minority Business Advocate of the Year’
- Her program received the prestigious national award the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award of Excellence 2006 for Research and Development
- Professional Services Advocate of the Year by The Houston Minority Supplier Development Council
- Advocate of the Year from The Houston Minority Supplier Development Council
- Helping Hand Award from the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council
- Coordinator of the Year by The Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance
Jewel E. Smith
Manager of Supplier Diversity
CenterPoint Energy Inc.
Jewel Smith, manager of supplier diversity for CenterPoint Energy Inc., is responsible for
providing strategic guidance towards enhancing the company’s supplier diversity initiatives
as well as directing the integration of supplier diversity into the company’s overall corporate
strategy and culture. Jewel is responsible for designing and implementing processes and
procedures to grow minority and women-owned business relationships and opportunities at
CenterPoint Energy.
Jewel is very active and serves on numerous committees involving supplier diversity related
issues through such councils and organizations as The Houston Minority Business Council,
Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance, The Association of Electric Companies of Texas, The
Edison Electric Institute, The National Minority Supplier Development Council, and The
National Association of Regulatory Commissioners’ Utility Marketplace Access Partnership
Initiative. Through the Houston Minority Business Council, Jewel has been recognized as the
Corporate Advocate of the Year for 2006, 2002, and 2001, Professional Services Advocate of
the Year for 2000, 2002, and 2004 and Helping Hands Award Winner for 2007 and 2000. She
was also selected by Minority Business News Magazine as one of the "The Best Of Decade"
in the category of Supplier Diversity Directors/Managers. In 2006, Jewel was selected as one
of the 100 Women Impacting Supplier Diversity in the U.S. by Women’s Enterprise Magazine.
In 2007, Jewel was selected for the inaugural edition of Who’s Who in Black Houston.
Jewel is a graduate of Texas Southern University and holds a BA degree in Math and an M.ED.
in Math Secondary Education. Jewel has 25 years of utility experience, which includes the
areas of power consulting, customer service management, and supplier diversity. She is an
alumnus of Leadership Houston, Leadership 20/20, and Discovery Leadership. She serves
on the boards of the Houston YWCA and The Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance. She
is an Associate Member of the Humble Kingwood Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.,
and a member of Kingwood First Baptist Church. Jewel and her husband James, have two
wonderful daughters, J’Mill and Jennerette.
Fritz Valsaint
Supplier Diversity Coordinator
UPS Procurement Services
Fritz Valsaint serves as a Supplier Diversity Coordinator for UPS, the world’s largest package
distribution company and a global leader in supply chain services. Prior to his current position,
Fritz served as a Commodity Manager for UPS procuring various commodities totaling
approximately $100 million annually.
A native of the Bahamas, Fritz holds a Bachelor Degree in Architecture from the University
of Notre Dame and an MBA from Mercer University. Fritz began his UPS career in 1992 in
Atlanta in the Plant Engineering department. His advancement continued in positions of
increasing responsibility in various functions such as the former UPS Truck Leasing, where
he was the Facility Supervisor responsible for 44 buildings in 14 states, and in Industrial
Engineering as a Project Engineer.
Fritz serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Georgia Minority
Supplier Development Council and as Chair of the National Minority Supplier Development
Council’s Air Transportation Group.
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