New York, June 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall has been elected Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). She was elected to a new two-year term during the board’s spring meeting in New York on May 17.

Lewis-Hall is currently Chief Patient Officer and Executive Vice President of Pfizer, Inc.

“It’s an honor to be elected Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Minority Supplier Development Council. I’ve long admired NMSDC’s work to certify, develop, connect, and advocate for minority businesses, and I look forward to continuing its mission supporting industries and corporations to embrace diversity,” said Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall.

During her 35-year career in medicine, Lewis-Hall has been on the frontlines of health care as a clinician, a researcher, and a leader in the biopharmaceuticals and life sciences industries. The common thread throughout has been her passion to advocate for health equity and improved outcomes for all patients.

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall as our board chair,” Adrienne Trimble, President and CEO of NMSDC, said. “She brings extensive experience developing programs and initiatives to address barriers in communities of color. I’m sure she will bring that same passion to advance the inclusion of entrepreneurs of color in the corporate supply chain. I look forward to her leadership in steering the NMSDC Board of Directors in supporting the mission and strategic direction of our organization.”

Before joining Pfizer in 2009, Lewis-Hall held senior leadership positions with Vertex, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pharmacia, and Eli Lilly and Company. Prior to joining the biopharmaceuticals and life sciences industries, she served as Vice Chairperson and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University College of Medicine and was an advisor to the National Institute of Mental Health. Lewis-Hall graduated from Johns Hopkins University and earned her medical doctorate at Howard University College of Medicine.

Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall appears regularly on health-related television programs in major global markets, including The Doctors and Dr. Phil. She also shares health and medical information through GetHealthyStayHealthy.com. She currently serves on numerous boards including SpringWorks Therapeutics, Dell Medical School, Harvard Medical School, FasterCures, the Foundation for the NIH, and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

NMSDC advances business opportunities for certified minority business enterprises and connects them to corporate members. To meet the growing need for supplier diversity, NMSDC matches its more than 12,000 certified minority-owned businesses to our network of more than 1,750 corporate members who wish to purchase their products, services and solutions. NMSDC, a unique and specialized player in the field of minority business enterprise, is proud of its unwavering commitment to advance Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Native American suppliers in a globalized corporate supply chain.

Byron Johnson
National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.
212-944-2430 x141
Byron.Johnson@nmsdc.org