Deborah Williams
Senior Director, Supplier Diversity
Premier, Inc.

Deborah Williams joined the Premier healthcare alliance as the Senior Director of Supplier Diversity in early 2008 based in Charlotte, N.C. Upon joining Premier, Inc. Ms. Williams is responsible for the Premier Supplier Diversity Committee and under her leadership she has launched and enhanced the program to include the Sourcing, Education and Enrichment for Diverse and Small Suppliers (SEEDS), a program aimed at increasing the number of qualified small, diverse and regional enterprises on the Premier contract portfolio. In 2018, her responsibilities were expanded to include Premier’s Sustainability (EPP) program.

Recognized as an excellent communicator and facilitator, Ms. Williams has had the distinct pleasure of having shared her more than 35 years of dynamic perspective in business development, strategic contract negotiations and supplier contract management in the healthcare industry. She came to Premier from Mills-Peninsula Health Services, a Sutter Health affiliate, in Burlingame, California, where she was the Director of Contracting and Value Analysis. Before that, she was a Medical Surgical Service Line Director for Broadlane Inc., assigned to the Kaiser Permanente account.

Ms. Williams honed her leadership, strategic sourcing and management skills during a 20-year career at the Detroit Medical Center. She began her career as a contract administrator for the Detroit Medical Center and was promoted to marketing support manager where she was a strategic sourcing manager, responsible for the Detroit Medical Center’s Affiliate program, comprised of 6 hospitals and led the supplier diversity program for 16 acute care hospitals – 10 owned, leased or managed by the DMC and six affiliate hospitals.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Ms. Williams’ educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in business, a master’s degree in management from Walsh College and master’s degree in business administration from Strayer University.