United Airlines Director of Supplier Diversity, Ruby McCleary, is committed to ensuring that diverse suppliers have the opportunity to compete for United’s business opportunities. She relishes developing supplier competitiveness, and works both internally and externally to create an environment that promotes diversity that benefits all stakeholders and drives United’s brand. It was her responsibility to integrate supplier diversity programs after the United and Continental airlines merger, and the unified program is a best-in-class. Mergers sometimes create situations where the diversity supplier base potentially can be eroded as supply chains are consolidated through corporate synergy processes. However, McCleary ensured the new United’s supplier diversity program remained vibrant by ensuring their processes continued to focus on getting diverse suppliers involved early in the process and by using strong analytical metrics.

McCleary has an MBA and is active in the community. She serves on several boards of directors including for NMSDC, WBENC, CMSDC and the Elliott Donnelley Youth Centers. In addition, she is the representative corporate partner with WBDC. Her goal is to ensure that United’s program is sustainable and continues to grow in the future, which means thinking outside the box. As United further expands its services internationally, McCleary works to identify diversity suppliers globally. She has extensive experience in contracts, proposal development and management, outsourcing agreements and developing corporate supply chain and diversity and inclusion strategies.

Favorite Quote: “If I can help someone along the way- then my life would not have been in vain” - Mahalia Jackson