Meet the Judges

Johanna Bratslavsky

CHEP

Johanna Bratslavsky serves as the Global Supplier Diversity Manager at CHEP, a worldwide leader in pallet and container pooling services, supporting many of the world’s largest corporations. Based in Tampa, Florida, Johanna is responsible for leading the development and execution of a best-in-class supplier diversity strategy that aligns with CHEP’s global values and business objectives.

In her role, Johanna collaborates closely with procurement and cross-functional teams to design and implement initiatives that expand meaningful procurement opportunities for diverse suppliers. Her work is focused on increasing awareness of supplier diversity, fostering inclusive sourcing practices, and empowering entrepreneurs through strategic development programs.

With over 15 years of experience in business development, marketing, and consulting, Johanna brings a dynamic and holistic approach to business growth and supplier engagement. Her tenure with a National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) affiliate has had a lasting impact — supporting thousands of firms across Central and North Florida and delivering hundreds of seminars on business development.

Johanna also played a pivotal role as one of five members tasked with refining certification protocols for the NMSDC, which oversees affiliate councils across the United States and administers programs in Canada, the United Kingdom, China, South Africa, and Australia.

Committed to advancing supplier diversity, Johanna actively contributes to the growth of local and national organizations by serving on boards and committees, helping to drive the inclusion and success of diverse businesses across industries.

Meet the Judges

Buffy Butler 

NEXTAFF

Buffy Butler is the Managing Member for NEXTAFF of South Florida, a national Workforce Strategies franchise specializing in helping businesses acquire, employ, and support top talent. Her office provides school crossing guard services to governmental and private institutions, assisting clients to improve efficiency and focus on their core operations.  

A Florida Department of Transportation certified School Crossing Guard Trainer, Buffy is a recognized subject matter expert who contributes to local and statewide policy initiatives. She is SHRM-SCP certified and is an active member of the American Staffing Association, Florida Staffing Association, Society for Human Resource Management, and Palm Beach County Society for Human Resource Management. She is also a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Alumna and a Rotary Foundation Scholar, representing South Florida in a Group Study Exchange to South Africa.  

Meet the Judges

Willie Johnson 

VyStar Credit Union 

Willie Johnson serves as Vice President of Strategic Sourcing, Procurement and Economic Development for VyStar Credit Union. Willie enlisted in the United States Marine Corp in 1998 and brings more than 25 years of experience in the areas of workforce and workplace diversity; supply chain optimization; strategic procurement and responsible sourcing; and ESG (environmental, social and governance).

In previous roles, he assisted in creating and implementing a local developing business procurement program for a government agency as well as enhancing supplier diversity and procurement programs for several global CPG (consumer packaged goods) corporations.

At VyStar, he has led projects that have strengthened the diverse candidate pipeline with external partners such as the U.S. Army and National Guard and the League of Southern Credit Unions, and he helped establish VyStar as a destination employer with several historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Willie also continues to demonstrate and assist in the advancement of economic development and inclusive procurement practices. VyStar Credit Union’s motto to “Do Good” is continuously shown through his volunteerism and sitting on boards that develop and positively impact local communities such as the Women’s Business Development Council of Florida.

While at the National Minority Supplier Development Council affiliate in North and Central Florida, he wrote and trained certification staffers on certification protocol, which fosters the development and contractual commitment to diverse businesses while continuing to keep the bid process competitive. He was one of five members who further developed the certification practices that were implemented and administered in Canada, United Kingdom, China, South Africa, and Australia.

Meet the Judges

 Blanca Robinson, Retired

WBEC South and WBENC 

Blanca Robinson is the retired founder and owner of VIVA Consulting Group. She is a strong advocate of small businesses, a dynamic presenter, and experienced trainer in the areas of business strategy and leadership development. She has an extensive background in corporate America encompassing approximately 22 years, followed by 18 years in executive nonprofit management, after which she launched her consulting business.

Blanca is now fully retired from the business world but has embraced her lifelong passion for fitness. in 2023, she became certified as a fitness instructor and is currently certified to teach group fitness, indoor cycling, and aqua. She resides in Houma, Louisiana, with her husband, Jackie.

Meet the Judges

Karen Tobler

Target Corp. 

Karen Tobler is an advocate for inclusive sourcing and entrepreneurial engagement. With more than 20 years of experience, she currently serves as Director of Supplier Engagement at Target, where she leads an award-winning team focused on fostering a safe, ethical, and efficient supplier ecosystem across indirect categories and Owned Brands.

Karen excels at helping small and diverse businesses navigate opportunities, drawing on her deep expertise in coaching, business development, marketing, and project management. In addition to her corporate leadership, she is a trusted voice across nonprofit and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Her accolades include being named one of the Top 100 Women in Procurement in 2024. She is a mentor with the Tory Burch Foundation.

As an immigrant from Latin America, Karen brings deep cultural empathy and pride — she previously served as Tri‑Chair for Target’s Hispanic Latino Belonging Community (HLBC), where she amplified Latino voices and leadership across the organization. She also dedicates her time to serving on boards and advisory committees — including the Retail Industry Group — advancing supplier inclusion across the retail sector.

In her personal life, Karen enjoys cooking, gardening, art, and going for walks with her dog Indi (named after Indiana Jones). When shopping at Target, she can often be found pointing out small and diverse-owned businesses to her daughter and husband — and promptly placing those items in the cart.

Meet the 2024 Services Winner!

Dhomonique Murphy, InclusiSync Workforce Solutions (now SkillSprint Workforce Solutions), is a WBEC Florida WBE and was the winner of the $25,000 prize for service-based companies in the 2024 competition.

This could be YOU this year!