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New Executive Orders on Equity
On January 7, 2022, Governor Jay Inslee signed the Executive Order for Equity in Public Contracting (Executive Order 22-01) instructing agencies to adopt more inclusive practices in contracting and procurement. Additionally, the Governor rescinded Directive 98-01 and signed Executive Order 22-02 to replace it on January 17, 2022. These executive orders are both intended to help small minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses participate in contracting opportunities with the state of Washington, breaking down barriers that have kept too many on the sidelines for too long.
"Today, as we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I am taking action to change how we achieve equity within the law in our state. Achieving equal opportunity has always been foundational to our country’s history and each of us bears the responsibility to stand up and keep this unalienable right for all Washingtonians. Everyone deserves a fair chance to live to the fullest — everyone,” - Governor Jay Inslee
You can view the Governor's press conference regarding these Executive Orders on YouTube.
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Alliance Northwest 2022
OMWBE is sponsoring 200 seats for Alliance Northwest 2022.
This virtual business-to-business connection event is taking place on March 10, 2022 and registration is open. Half price discounts are available for OMWBE certified businesses. Register using promo code OMWBE50.
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SCORE is offering a free webinar on February 3, 2022 to answer tax questions for small businesses. Join them for a LIVE Q&A session with certified CPA and small business tax expert Micah Fraim. A whole hour dedicated to answering your tax-related questions and concerns, offering tax advice you can implement throughout the year.
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 Nikoel Stevens joins OMWBE as our Supplier Diversity Contract Compliance Lead. She comes to us from Employment Security Department where she spent four years as a Procurement & Supply Specialist and six years before that as a technology buyer in the private sector. She is passionate about promoting inclusion, continuous improvement, and helping state workers successfully navigate seemingly endless change.
Nikoel is thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to OMWBE’s mission of promoting equity and increasing opportunities for diverse businesses. She moved to a mini farm in Centralia, WA for a quieter life nearly 8 years ago, but she’ll always be a Seattleite at heart. She loves tending to her many houseplants, gardening around her property, and spending time with her goats when she’s not busy studying for her next degree.
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 Candice Leonard joins OMWBE to serve as our new IT Project Manager focusing on successful rollout of the Business Diversity Management System, Access Equity. She comes with a wealth of knowledge from her years working in state government. Prior to joining us, Candice also focused on developing her small business which recently received an appreciation certificate from the Governors Employers Award Program, specifically the Governors Committee on Disability Issues and Employment (GCDE).
Candice is passionate about community and public service, and excited to help disadvantaged business achieve their goals. She is familiar with OMWBE by having had her business certified as WBE and DBE for several years. Her hobbies are anything creative and with one aspect of her business being DIY, it allows her to stay creative and cultivate a happy heart and mind by doing lots of creative things each week.
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New Certifications
29 businesses obtained OMWBE certification in December! We share these monthly lists of newly certified firms with our contract and procurement contacts at State Agencies and Institutions of Higher Education.
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