Elizabeth A. Vazquez is the President, CEO, and Co-Founder of WEConnect International, a corporate led non-profit that helps to empower women business owners to succeed in global markets. She is a serial social entrepreneur and world leader in global supplier diversity and inclusion.
Ms. Vazquez is the co-author of the book, “Buying for Impact: How to Buy from Women and Change Our World.” The book includes information on women business owners and ways to support and leverage their potential to create a more sustainable and inclusive global economy.
As the CEO of WEConnect International, Ms. Vazquez is responsible for mission delivery and impact. WEConnect International identifies, educates, registers, and certifies women’s business enterprises that are at least 51% owned, managed, and controlled by one or more women, and then connects them with member buyers. WEConnect International member buyers are committed to inclusive sourcing and represent over US$1 trillion in annual purchasing power. The WEConnect International eNetwork supports and promotes women-owned businesses based in approximately 100 countries.
Ms. Vazquez sits on several Boards of Directors, including the Global Banking Alliance for Women, the Cornerstone Capital Group, and the Eisenhower Fellowships Board of Trustees. She is an Advisor to the Clinton Global Initiative, a member of the International Council on Women’s Business Leadership, a member of the W20 and G20 SME Taskforce, and sits on the International Advisory Council for the Walmart Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative. She is a featured speaker at global events and has trained leaders in all regions of the world on a range of issues—supplier diversity and inclusion, women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment, and corporate and government sourcing policies and practices.
Ms. Vazquez was born in Mexico, has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Arizona State University, and the Barrett Honors College honored her as an Inspiring Alumni for making significant contributions in her career and community. She has a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University where she studied development economics and international negotiation as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow.
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