2025 DLA Supply Chain Alliance

Danielle Kurze
Executive Director, Small Business Programs, DLA



Ms. Kurze serves as the Executive Director, Small Business Programs at the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). She leads the development and implementation of DLA-wide policies and initiatives to promote small business participation in contracting, focusing on Small Disadvantaged, HUBZone, Women-Owned, and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned businesses. She oversees socioeconomic program management and sets major goals to ensure effective small business engagement across the agency’s procurement activities. From August 2019 to February 2024, Ms. Kurze was Director of Supplier Operations in the Supplier Operations Commodities Directorate at DLA Aviation, overseeing ~650 personnel across functions including acquisition support, technical services, and contract management. She directed support for over 1,800 weapon systems, managing more than 1.7 million national stock numbers, with an annual obligation of ~$3B and ~20,000 contracts per month. She also served as Chief of the Contracting Office, advising senior leadership on acquisition law, strategy, timelines, and risk. Since joining DLA Aviation in 2010, she has held multiple leadership roles. As Deputy Director of Strategic Acquisition and Programs, she advanced customer support strategies using corporate contracts, joint contracting, prime vendor arrangements, and supplier alliances to improve parts support and readiness. Before DLA, Ms. Kurze worked for the Virginia Department of Transportation, managing public-private partnership contracts and pioneering design-build procurement methods. She also contributed to the Strategic Highway Research Program, supporting national research on innovative contracting. Ms. Kurze holds a Bachelor of Science from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Business Administration from Bellevue University.

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