Professional News

UK's Marilyn Clark appointed to TSMSDC board of directors

Marilyn Clark
Marilyn Clark. Photo by Quisha Ray Photography.

LEXINGTON, Ky, (May 12, 2023) — The University of Kentucky’s Supplier Diversity Manager Marilyn Clark has been appointed to the TriState Minority Supplier Development Council (TSMSDC) board of directors. The board is responsible for advancing the organization’s mission to certify, develop, connect and advocate for minority business enterprises.

Clark will serve on the regional council that includes Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. 

“I am really delighted to be nominated and accepted to serve on the TriState Minority TSMSDC board of directors,” said Clark. “I think this is a critical period for minority businesses as we emerge from COVID. The program and services offered by TSMSDC are designed to level the playing field and give minority businesses a competitive advantage. I am glad to be engaged with regional and national thought leaders working together to advance minority business development here at home in Kentucky and across the country. It’s an honor to serve.”

TSMSDC is a regional council affiliated with the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). As a national organization, NMSDC advocates for minority businesses across the country and does so at the national level.

“Collaboration is one of the keys to building a successful supplier diversity program,” said Barry Swanson, UK’s chief procurement officer. “Marilyn has worked tirelessly to build collaborative relationships in the community. These relations are of great value to our supplier diversity efforts at UK. I am very happy her work is being recognized by her selection to serve on the board of the TriState Minority Supplier Diversity Council. The honor is well deserved and she will serve them well.”

In addition to serving TSMSDC, Clark was also recently a recipient of the 2022 Impact of the Year Award.

About TSMSDC

The TriState Minority Supplier Development Council is one of 23 regional affiliate councils of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, with a regional office located in Louisville, Kentucky. The council ensures the development of mutually beneficial relationships between ethnic minority businesses and major corporations by promoting and expanding business and procurement opportunities as they strive to be the product and service of choice.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.