Meet Our Thought Leaders: The Team Behind the Wisdom

Ralph G. Moore

Founder & President

Philosopher turned supply chain strategist with 45+ years in supplier inclusion and supplier development. Ralph brings unparalleled expertise in transforming procurement organizations through strategic thinking and proven methodologies.

Reginald K. Layton

Chief Technology Officer & Lead Consulting Partner

Practitioner turned expert in supplier inclusion best practices implementation, data-driven supplier engagement metrics, and ESG reporting. Reginald combines technical excellence with deep operational knowledge.

Deep Expertise

Combined decades of experience in supplier inclusion strategy and implementation across Fortune 500 companies.

Trusted Partners

Long-term relationships with clients built on results, integrity, and shared commitment to inclusive excellence.

Innovation Leaders

Pioneering digital tools and methodologies that set new standards in the supplier inclusion consulting field.

RGMA’s leaders have spent more than four decades shaping the supplier inclusion space—and they’re still changing the game today.

Ralph G. Moore, CPA

Founder & President, RGMA Solutions

Ralph G. Moore is a pioneering leader in supplier diversity and inclusion — with more than 47 years of experience shaping how organizations build high-performing, inclusive supply chains. A CPA by training and strategist by practice, he is the architect of the frameworks and methodologies that define the modern supplier diversity/inclusion discipline — and the founder of one of the most consequential advisory firms in the history of minority business development.

Today — RGMA — 1979 – Present

Ralph founded RGMA in 1979, establishing one of the first advisory firms dedicated exclusively to supplier diversity and supplier development — a practice that has grown into a globally recognized authority on inclusive supply chain strategy.

Under his leadership, RGMA has advised:

100+ corporations — including approximately half of the Billion Dollar Roundtable
25+ government agencies
40+ nonprofits and universities worldwide

RGMA has been retained by some of the world’s most recognized organizations, including Walmart, McDonalds, DuPont, The Walt Disney Company, Procter & Gamble, United, Burns & McDonnell, Colgate, Johnson & Johnson, and Major League Baseball.

Industry Leadership & Contributions

Beyond client engagements, Ralph has shaped the intellectual infrastructure of the entire supplier diversity field:

Creator of the RGMA Five Levels^® of Supplier Diversity Maturity Model (1994) — the global standard for benchmarking and advancing supplier diversity programs
Developer of the Ten Components of a World-Class Supplier Diversity Program — which directly informed the NMSDC Eight Best Practices
Served as the lead training resource for the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) for 24 years (1993–2016) — training multiple generations of supplier diversity practitioners across corporate America
Advised 1,000+ minority and women-owned businesses in development, growth, and certification readiness

National & International Impact

Ralph’s influence in supplier diversity extends well beyond U.S. borders:

Played a key role in USAID-sponsored missions introducing supplier diversity to South Africa in the mid-1990s
Developed the initial strategic plan for the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) in 1997
Created the award-winning supplier diversity program for Major League Baseball
Advised the University of Chicago on its Business Diversity Program (2008)

Education & Early Career

Ralph earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting (with Honors) from Southern Illinois University — where he was later inducted into the College of Business Hall of Fame — building a rigorous analytical foundation that would define his approach to supplier diversity strategy for decades to come.

He began his professional career at Arthur Andersen & Co., one of the world’s premier accounting and consulting firms, before serving as Vice President at a Minority Enterprise Small Business Investment Company (MESBIC). There, he worked alongside transformational figures in minority business development — including Congressman Parren Mitchell and Reginald F. Lewis.

Ralph’s commitment to economic inclusion began even earlier. In 1968, when he marched with Reverend Jesse Jackson in Chicago to protest racial discrimination — a formative experience that would anchor his life’s work in the pursuit of equity and opportunity.

Recognition & Awards

Ralph’s contributions to supplier diversity and minority business development have earned him some of the field’s highest honors:

Minority Business Hall of Fame — Inductee
NMSDC Leadership Award
NMSDC Harriet R. Michel Chairman’s Award
Notable Black Leaders and Executives — Crain’s Chicago Business

The Harriet R. Michel Chairman’s Award is among the NMSDC’s most distinguished honors — presented to leaders whose career-long contributions have fundamentally advanced the cause of minority business development across corporate America.

Board Service & Academic Contributions

Chicago History Museum (2011-present)
Trustee, City College of Chicago (1994-2010)
Trustee, University of Chicago Hospitals — (1997-2011)

“Expertise Matters.”

Reginald K. Layton

Chief Technology Officer, RGMA Digital Suite | Managing Partner, Strategetics

Reginald K. Layton is an internationally recognized leader in supplier diversity/supplier inclusion, supply chain sustainability, and business development — with a career spanning more than three decades of measurable impact for academia and non-profit organizations, and generating billions in revenue for Fortune 500 companies.

Today — RGMA & Strategetics

Following his retirement from Johnson Controls, Reginald serves as Managing Partner of Strategetics & Chief Technology Officer of RGMA Digital Suite — applying his decades of enterprise experience to help organizations build smarter, more inclusive, and more sustainable business strategies for the future.

Johnson Controls International — 25 Years of Industry-Defining Leadership (1997–2022)

In 1997, Reginald joined Johnson Controls International, where he spent 25 years building one of the most celebrated supplier diversity/supplier inclusion programs in corporate history. He ultimately served as Vice President of Supplier Diversity & Supply Chain Sustainability, overseeing all diverse purchasing activities and supply chain sustainability initiatives company wide.

Under his leadership, Johnson Controls spent more than $22 billion with diverse-owned firms since 2002 — a legacy that generated $6 billion in revenue through supplier inclusion initiatives alone.

Key milestones during his tenure include:

Orchestrated four, billion-dollar minority joint ventures including Bridgewater Interiors — the world’s largest minority-owned automotive interior manufacturing company
Facilitated 13 minority-controlled strategic and contractual alliances
Developed the strategy for multiple divestments of non-core operations to NMSDC/WBENC-certified diverse suppliers
Designed the NMSDC Centers of Excellence program (2010), a scalable supplier development approach, funded with a $250K grant from the Johnson Controls Foundation
Created the Layton Value Compass© — a proprietary framework for building and measuring corporate supplier inclusion and supply base sustainability strategies
Led Johnson Controls to 26 Regional Corporation of the Year wins across six NMSDC organizations
Named NMSDC Minority Supplier Development Leader of the Year — 2008 and 2013
Recipient of the 2021 Robert M. Stuart Award — the NMSDC’s highest lifetime recognition
Re-sourced contracts from non-prime suppliers to NMSDC and WBENC-certified diverse suppliers
Converted second-tier diverse firms to first-tier diverse suppliers
Converted public sector diverse firms to NMSDC and WBENC-certified diverse suppliers

Education & Early Career

Reginald earned both his Bachelor’s Degree in Management Science (1986) and his Master’s Degree in Economics (1989) from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio — building an early foundation in analytical thinking and economic strategy.

He began his professional career at Ameritrust Company, where he held several analytical roles supporting venture capital, banking services, and corporate banking groups. He later joined Bailey Controls Company, where he advanced through management positions including project management, sales, and human resources.

Recognition & Awards

Reginald’s contributions to minority business development have earned him some of the field’s highest honors:

NMSDC Minority Supplier Development Leader of the Year — 2008 & 2013
Minority Business Enterprise Advocate of the Year — 2003
NMSDC Robert M. Stuart Award — 2021

The Robert M. Stuart Award is named for the founding chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Minority Purchasing Council and is presented to a leader whose life’s work has advanced opportunities for Minority Business Enterprises across corporate America — recognizing their overwhelming support and generosity in elevating the entire NMSDC network.

Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council President’s Award — 2012
Wisconsin, Central Illinois and Iowa Minority Supplier Development Council Award of Excellence — 2012

The Chairman’s Award is the highest employee recognition award presented to Johnson Controls employees who embody and contribute to the values of the company.

Johnson Controls Chairman’s Award (Manufacturers Industrial Group Deal) — 2001
Johnson Controls Chairman’s Award (Billion Dollar Roundtable Project) — 2003
Johnson Controls Chairman’s Award (Glendale Campus Headquarters Project) — 2009

Creative Work & Media

In 2018, Reginald wrote, filmed, directed, and produced The History of Supplier Diversity for Minority Business Development — a full documentary reflecting his lifelong commitment to preserving and advancing the narrative of minority business in America.

In 2012, he wrote chapters 1, 6, and 10 of the Billion Dollar Roundtable’s book, “Supplier Diversity Best Practices – Building Excellence to Improve the Supply Chain Matrix”