Renaldo (Ray) Jensen retired in late 2005 as Director of Ford Supplier Diversity Development (SDD) after 27 years with the corporation. Since 1987, he led the company’s supplier diversity program, which in 2004 purchased $3.7 billion in goods and services from 309 minority suppliers. Jensen grew supplier diversity at Ford to make it the program other Fortune 500 company benchmark.

Ray, who holds a PhD in Engineering, was the first African American faculty member at the Air Force Institute of Technology. In 1978, he was recruited by Ford Motor Company to head up their Aerodynamics Design Center. Ultimately, Jensen accepted the position as Director of Supplier Diversity at Ford, which made him responsible for providing support and resources to minority suppliers.

Jensen has won every award given to individuals by the Minority Supplier Development Council. Jensen wants his legacy to be that he showed people that they can be effective while being creditable and honest.