CSCMP names Ann Drake as its 2012 Distinguished Service Award recipient

Ann M. Drake, the chairman and CEO of DSC Logistics Inc., has been named by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals as recipient of the group's 2012 Distinguished Service Award.

Drake will receive the award during CSCMP's Annual Global Conference in Atlanta in October.

"Ann Drake is a person who is continually making contributions to the supply chain discipline, giving of herself to the people in the industry," Rick Blasgen, CSCMP president and chief executive officer, said. "She is the epitome of what the Distinguished Service Award embodies—a leader, a mentor, a pioneer, and an extraordinary, energetic ambassador for the logistics and supply chain management professions."

Drake became CEO of the third-party logistics provider DSC Logistics in 1994. Since then, DSC has grown to be one of the nation's leading supply chain management companies, with a nationwide network of integrated logistics and supply chain management operations.

She is vice chairman of the Business Advisory Council (BAC) for the Northwestern University Transportation Center. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the A.M. Castle Company; the Board of Governors for Chicago's Metropolitan Planning Council; and the Board of Governors for The Committee of 200, a global organization of women business leaders. Earlier this year, she received the Alumni Merit Award from the Kellogg School of Management and in 2009, was named "Industry Leader of the Year" by the Illinois Institute of Technology. Recently, she agreed to serve as a strategy leader in transportation and logistics for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's World Business Chicago Economic Growth Plan.

In 2009, Drake was named a DC Velocity Rainmaker. In an interview with DC Velocity at that time, Drake talked about the growing importance of supply chain management in global business operations. "There are so many ways to improve supply chain responsiveness, so much opportunity to do it better and become integrated with everything a company does. It is global in scope. It is as important as it gets," she said.

Drake earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and her master of business administration degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

CSCMP presents the annual award—its highest honor—to an individual who has made significant contributions to the art and science of supply chain and logistics management. Drake will be the 47th professional to receive the award since it was inaugurated in 1965 as a tribute to John Drury Sheahan, a logistics consultant and partner in the consulting firm that bore his name.

A video interview with Drake discussing the challenges and opportunities facing women in the logistics industry as well as her own experience as a pioneer in the field can be viewed here.