The Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council has named Vanessa Lane to the role of the Executive Director of the Georgia Education Foundation (GEF). The GEF is the nonprofit educational arm of the GMSDC, Georgia’s leading supplier diversity and small business development organization. Lane assumed her new role on November 1^st.  

As Executive Director, Lane is responsible for a portfolio of capacity-building programs, skills development training, leadership development, mentoring programs and other initiatives designed to help fulfill the GEF’s mission – to provide educational opportunities to small businesses and entrepreneurs across the state of Georgia.

“The GEF plays such a vital role in the mission and vision of the Council, as it drives all of the critical programming focused on guiding businesses to long-term growth and sustainability,” said Stacey Key, President and CEO of the GMSDC and the Georgia Education Foundation. “Vanessa’s experience in this space and her deep relationships in the business community will be an invaluable asset to our organization.”

Lane brings more than 20 years of procurement and contracting experience to her new role, having begun her career as a buyer, contract negotiator and vendor liaison for Worldspan. She further developed her acumen in her various roles at Cox Enterprises, including leading Cox’s corporate Supplier Diversity program, where she facilitated billions of dollars in contract relationships and ensured compliance with company guidelines. 

Lane also represented Cox Enterprises on the GMSDC’s Board of Directors, where she served as Board Chair for several years and a Corporate Mentor for the Georgia Mentor Protégé Connection, GMSDC’s signature business mentoring program in partnership with the state of Georgia’s Department of Economic Development. She has also served on various leadership roles for other diverse business advocacy organizations. A native of Atlanta, Lane holds a Marketing degree from West Georgia University.