Arnold Sowa is the former Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer for MetLife. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing MetLife’s global procurement, travel, third-party risk management, and supply chain social responsibility programs. He currently is on the board of directors at the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council (CRMSDC).

He has won numerous awards for his support of supplier diversity initiatives including the NMSDC’s CPO of the Year Award in 2018 and ISM’s Supplier Diversity Advocate Award in 2016. As Chief Procurement Officer at MetLife, Arnold built a global organization of over 300 professionals in almost 50 countries who managed $5 billion in annual spend. He was also responsible for putting in place global third-party risk management and travel policies and programs and was behind the largest ever global implementation of Ariba OnDemand, which covered over 95% of MetLife’s spend.

Shelby M. Scales serves as the Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU). Ms. Scales has 21 years of experience in small business development and capacity building encouraging equity and diversity inclusion. Scales, an entrepreneurial advocate, is the former Director of the Office of Civil Rights with the North Carolina Department of Transportation where she administered civil rights programming for all modes of transportation. She also served as President & CEO of the Airport Minority Advisory Council, an organization established nearly 30 years ago to promote the full participation of minorities and women in the aviation and airport contracting environment.

Scales is part of a diverse family of business professionals, she engages with industry stakeholders such as the Airport Minority Advisory Council, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, American Contract Compliance Association, National Minority Supplier Development Council, North Carolina Minority and Women Business Coordinators’ Network. Scales daily goal is to assist diverse businesses in wealth creation benefitting underserved and underrepresented communities.

Scales earned a BA in Communications at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. She has completed the Women’s Executive Education Leadership Program sponsored by the National Institute of Minority Economic Development and the Tuck School of Business - Minority Executive Business program along with many other continuing educational industry courses. Scales community activities include Girls Scouts Troop Leader of Troop 13012 of Peaks to Piedmont and an active member of Be the Bridge.