Title: Cummins Purchasing hosts leadership development day for Central Indiana students
Release: June 2021
Location: Purchasing news and announcements, Cummins Connect Regional News
The Cummins Purchasing Organization is a Supply Chain function responsible for the selection and management of our global supply base. Purchasing leadership had a vision to invest in future Black leaders in response to racial injustice in the U.S. in 2020.
Stacy Webb-Cooper, Project Lead for Education and Programs for Global Supplier Diversity was the driving force behind a partnership between the Purchasing organization and the Center for Leadership Development, an organization that develops future minority leaders.
Earlier this year, the Purchasing Leadership Team (PLT) entered into a partnership with the Center for Leadership Development to help develop future minority leaders within our communities.
The mission of the Center for Leadership Development is to foster the advancement of Central Indiana minority youth as future professional, business and community leaders by providing experiences that encourage personal development and educational attainment.
PLT launched this partnership by hosting “Cummins Power Day: Preparing Leaders for Tomorrow” for Central Indiana high school students last month. This event introduced youth to Cummins and its diverse leadership, unique products, services and technologies and provided expertise and insight to Purchasing, Manufacturing and Supply Chain careers.
High school students from across Central Indiana heard from Cummins’ senior leaders in Purchasing and Diversity and Inclusion initiatives, participated in a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) mission project, virtually toured a Cummins manufacturing plant with plant leadership and wrote essays for a chance to win a scholarship from Cummins. PLT was thrilled with the engagement of the students and was able to award $9,000 in college scholarships.
Mike Kirsch, Purchasing Chief of Staff who helped with Power Day had this to say, “This was such a great opportunity for Cummins leaders to get to meet and know these really impressive young people who are going to be great future leaders. From their scholarship essays, their “Rube Goldberg video projects” and their questions and comment during Power Day, it was clear what a bright and creative group of future young leaders we were meeting with. It was also clear that this was an exciting revelation for them to learn that this global power and technology leader is headquartered right here in their backyard. I’m pretty confident many of these young people will be interested in future internships, and hopefully full-time employment with Cummins in the future.”
Cummins Power Day: Preparing Leaders for Tomorrow achieved successful participation and engagement from the students and was a unique opportunity for PLT to make a positive impact in the community. The group looks forward to continued partnerships and hosting similar development opportunities for students in the future.
