Vincent Williams

President and CEO, Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council

Vincent Williams is the 5th President and Chief Executive Officer for the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council. Created in Chicago, and at 52 years old, The ChicagoMSDC is the premier organization for the development of minority businesses and works succinctly with the National Minority Supplier Development Council. The organization is responsible for certifying, advocating, developing and connecting minority businesses with major buying organizations and operates within the Northwest Indiana MSDC, MBDA Business Center - Chicago, MBDA Business Center - St. Louis, Chicago MBDA Export Center, Discover Africa program and Illinois Tollway Technical Center. His prior position as Vice President of Economic Empowerment and the Director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center at the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago involved facilitating and coordinating the services of the Illinois SBDC and its initiatives of encouraging economic development while creating, identifying and cultivating strategic partnerships within the communities around Chicagoland. As the Director of the IL SBDC and a small business owner himself, he also provides subject matter expertise, resources, programs and one-on-one advising to aid small business owners and entrepreneurs seeking to start, scale/grow or retire their business. He was recently named by Black Enterprise Magazine in January 2020 as a “BE Modern Man.” He also was nominated to Diversity MBA Magazine’s 2018 Elite List of Top 100 Emerging Executive Leaders Under the age of 50, is a native South-Sider and comes from a family of entrepreneurs. He received a dual MBA in Finance and Management at The Morris Graduate School of Management in Chicago and holds a Non-Profit Executive Leadership Certification from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.