With an impressive tenure spanning over a decade in her industry, Ciara Lilly currently holds the position of Senior Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Diversified Maintenance. Within this pivotal role, Ciara masterminds and executes the organization’s nationwide strategy for diversity, equity, inclusion, and supplier diversity.
Under Ciara’s leadership, Diversified Maintenance has spent over $50 million with small and diverse businesses, established a Corporate Diversity and Inclusion training program, and created over $20 million in new business growth.
Ciara masterfully balances her corporate responsibilities with her entrepreneurial endeavors. She is an award-winning business and diversity strategist and a sought-after speaker on entrepreneurship, socioeconomic equity in communities of color, supplier diversity and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Ciara holds an Executive MBA from the Jack Welch Management Institute and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She has also completed certificate programs at renowned institutions such as Dartmouth University, Cornell University, the University of South Florida, and the University of Richmond, which have provided her with expertise in diversity and inclusion, supplier diversity, MBE executive management, and women’s entrepreneurship. Currently, Ciara is pursuing her Master of Divinity at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.
Ciara has received several awards throughout her career for her leadership and commitment to community building. She was recognized as one of the Top 15 Chief Diversity Officers by Diversity Global Magazine, one of the Top 50 Women Leaders in North Carolina by Women We Admire, named one of Business Equality Pride Magazine’s 40 Leaders Under 40, acknowledged as one of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce’s 30 under 30, and awarded the Recognition of Excellence and Emerging Entrepreneur Award by the Carolinas LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
Ciara is a licensed Minister under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Clifford Matthews, Senior Pastor of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC. She is also an active member of CNBC’s Workforce Executive Council, Chief, the Carolinas LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Birmingham Business Alliance’s Inclusive Procurement Council, and Charlotte Business INClusion’s Advisory Council.
I help companies develop a sustainable and impactful supplier diversity and/or diversity and inclusion program.
I help scalable diverse businesses achieve growth by leveraging supplier diversity as a business development strategy.
I help make the complex topics of supplier diversity, DEI and entrepreneurship more digestible and relatable for audiences.
Copyright 2023 Ciara Lilly, LLC.
