Inducted: 2015

BBA in Management, 1988

Rebecca Vest is Senior Vice President, Procurement and Strategic Sourcing Partnerships at Bridgestone Americas. In this role, she is responsible to lead the integrated procurement organization at Bridgestone across the enterprise, having responsibility for the purchase of all Direct Materials (including materials supply planning) and Indirect purchases (Services, Capital Equipment, Supplies, etc) to support Bridgestone Americas Tire Business, Firestone Industrial Products(FSIP), Firestone Building Products (FSBP) and Bridgestone’s Retail Store Operations (BSRO). In addition, she is also responsible to lead Firestone Natural Rubber(FSNR) including Firestone Liberia (FSLB)and the company’s outsourced tire strategy. Vest was named President of the Global Procurement Working Group in 2019, working across the globe to support targeted procurement initiatives.

Prior to joining Bridgestone in 2018, Vest served as Vice President, Corporate Development and Social Responsibility for Nissan North America, Inc., where she oversaw Philanthropy, Diversity, Environment, Internal audit, OEM partnerships, 4R Battery Business and other special projects and functions. She also served as Vice President of Purchasing for Nissan, including all oversight of purchasing activities for parts, materials, vendor tooling, logistics, services, machinery and equipment, media, aftersales and accessories for Nissan's operations throughout the North American region. She served as the North American regional purchasing head for the Renault-Nissan Purchasing Organization (RNPO) and on the Nissan Foundation Board of Directors.

Prior to Nissan, Vest worked for more than 22 years at Toyota, where she held positions of increasing responsibility in purchasing including Parts, Materials, Facilities, Strategy and Parts Commodity Engineering. Additionally, she spent 2 years at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan responsible for cost planning.

Vest earned her bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Kentucky. In 2017, she was awarded Nashville Business Journal’s Women of Influence Award in the corporate executive category. In 2015, she named to the Automotive News Top 100 Leading Women list and the University of Kentucky Gatton School of Business Alumni Hall of Fame. She is prior Board member of the Licking Valley Girl Scout Council, Kentucky Minority Supplier Development Council, PENCIL Board of Directors and supports other community organizations. She and her husband have two sons and reside in Brentwood, TN.