Ingrid M. Robinson, MBA, is the CEO and President of the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council (HMSDC). HMSDC is a business development organization designed to actively involve its members, both minority business enterprises and major corporations in efforts to increase and expand business opportunities and business growth for Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) while driving excellence in supplier diversity and supplier development. Currently, HMSDC’s membership is comprised of more than 150 major corporations and more than 920 minority-owned businesses. HMSDC MBEs have a total economic impact of $23.2 billion dollars on the economy with over $16.8 billion dollars in annual revenue that results in the creation and/or preservation of more than 82,000 jobs. HMSDC’s certified MBEs account for nearly 2% of Houston’s gross domestic product.
Robinson is the former president of a consulting firm providing strategy development, process improvement and implementation, performance audits, organizational design, and community outreach. Before she began her consulting practice, Robinson served as the director of state and local government affairs for Halliburton. She is viewed as a leader in the field, having served as an expert guest speaker internationally on the topic of supplier diversity and local content development in London, England, Mexico, Egypt and China.
Robinson has now come full circle to lead the organization she once served as assistant director in the mid-1990s when the council was known as the Houston Minority Business Council (HMBC). While at the HMBC, she played an integral part in helping HMBC receive its first Council of the Year Award in 1999 from the National Minority Supplier Development Council. She returned to the organization as it received its 7th National Council of the Year award in 2016. Robinson also served in various city and state governmental positions including terms in the City of Houston’s Mayor’s Office for Affirmative Action, the office of then Texas State Senator, now County Commissioner, Precinct 1, Rodney Ellis, and the offices of Texas State Representative Garnet Coleman and former Texas State Representative now U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar.
Robinson serves on the Port Houston Commission’s Business Equity Advisory Council, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Texas Advisory Committee, Houston Sports Authority Community Advisory Committee, BEAM-W Executive Committee (Business Ecosystem Alliance for Minority and Women), World Chambers of Commerce Advisory Board, and the Advisory Committee for Minority Business News Texas. She is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. She is a former board member of the Houston Area Urban League, the Louisiana Minority Business Council and Diversity Information Resources.
Robinson received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Houston and completed the Community Minority Business Advancement Program at the University of Texas – McCombs School of Business. She graduated in May of 2010 with an Executive MBA from Rice University. She has two children John-Anthony and Sydni.
Original Appointment: January 2024