Spotlight on Susan Bari: The Woman Who Transformed Supplier Diversity

Rose Odette
Nov 16
3 min read

INTRODUCTION - Supplier Diversity

Let’s talk about a woman who didn’t just open doors — she built the entire damn corridor. Susan Bari, the founding force behind WBENC, changed the game for women-owned businesses in the United States. She proved that when women are organized, certified, and recognized, the economy shifts. Today’s spark is all about honoring her legacy — and using her playbook to strengthen your own pride.

THE PROBLEM

For decades, women-owned businesses were “invisible” in corporate procurement. No tracking. No data. No access. No accountability. And when nobody measures you, nobody buys from you. Bari saw this gap — and refused to let the next generation inherit it.

Susan Bari Back Story

Susan Bari was born and raised in Washington, D.C., building her career at the crossroads of public policy, advocacy, and economic development. Before founding WBENC, she served as the President of the Women’s Business Enterprise Council (later WBEC–Metro DC), where she saw firsthand how women entrepreneurs were being shut out of supplier pipelines. Her roots in the nation’s capital shaped her understanding of how government, corporations, and policy intersect — and that insider vantage point is exactly what empowered her to architect a national certification system that gave women-owned businesses legitimacy, visibility, and a powerful seat at the economic table.

CORE CONCEPTS & STRATEGIES

1. Legitimacy is Leverage

WBENC didn’t just certify businesses — it validated them in the eyes of corporate America. Proof matters.

2. Build the Infrastructure, Not Just the Momentum

Movements fade. Systems last. Bari chose the latter.

3. Corporate Partnerships Multiply a Mission

She created alliances that turned supplier diversity from a talking point into a metric.

4. Advocacy with Backbone

She didn’t nudge corporations. She expected them to evolve.

5. Legacy Through Scale

The mark of a Lioness leader? The roar continues long after she leaves.

STEP-BY-STEP APPLICATION

1. Identify a gap in your world.

Where are women still underserved, overlooked, or underestimated in Supplier Diversity?

2. Create the structure that solves the gap.

A system. A program. A certification. A movement anchored in operations.

3. Make partnerships your power source.

Find corporations, leaders, or allies who need what your pride brings.

4. Hold the standard.

Certify excellence. Expect excellence. Enforce excellence.

5. Scale beyond yourself.

If it depends on you, it dies. If it’s built like WBENC, it thrives.

REFLECTION & KEY TAKEAWAYS

Women don’t need permission — they need infrastructure.
Systems amplify voices more than speeches ever will.
Legacy comes from structure, not personality.

Bari didn’t wait for an invitation. She issued one to the rest of us.

NEXT STEPS & EXERCISES

Journal Prompt:

Where in your leadership are you waiting for approval instead of building your own WBENC-style system?

Action Step:

Identify one area in your business where a standard or certification would elevate trust — and sketch out your first draft.

CASE STUDY

WBENC’s certification became the gold standard because Bari insisted on rigor, legitimacy, and corporate adoption. That ecosystem now moves billions of dollars into the hands of women annually. That is Lioness energy. That is structural influence. That is what legacy leadership looks like.

CONCLUSION

Susan Bari didn’t just create access — she created a future. Women in business today stand on the systems she built. Your roar can do the same for the next generation.