# Women of DLA Distribution’s Past

/ Published March 20, 2023
NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa., 
To recognize the 25th anniversary of DLA Distribution and celebrate Women’s History Month, Defense Logistics Agency is recognizing two women who have made significant contributions to DLA Distribution - making history and revolutionizing the future.

The two influential women who made major contributions to DLA Distribution are Retired Army Brig. Gen. Barbara Doornink and Patricia “Pat” Kuntz.

Retired Army Brig. Gen. Barbara Doornink was the first female Commanding General at DLA Distribution Headquarters. She was Commanding General from 1998-2000.

During Doornink’s time at DLA Distribution, she embarked on a depot transformation which improved velocity and visibility of the Department of Defense’s distribution process. The depot transformation was conceptualized and implemented under the Central Depot Concept, lowering overall costs of distribution. Additionally, it aligned materiel at two Strategic Distribution Platforms to cut the Logistics Response Time to each theater.

When asked on what it was like to work at DLA Distribution as a woman, Doornink responded that it was an “interesting environment.”

“I became Commanding General of DLA Distribution late in my career, but it was an interesting environment,” she said. “DLA had several senior women in critical roles at that time. Women in distribution had for some time been critical to the agency changes and that was reflective of my time there.”

One of the challenges that Doornink went through during her career was that there were not many women role models to look up to in her early career.

“I entered the Army in 1973, when women were first allowed to be part of the Army and not the Women’s Auxiliary Corps,” she said. “This meant I was in a series of “firsts” with their own unique set of challenges. Serving as a role model, as a first lieutenant, for the first class of women at West Point was unique in many ways as being the first woman to command an Airborne Brigade at Fort Bragg.”

“Because of the times and often being a “first”, I approached each assignment as an opportunity to be the best officer I could be, not being the best female officer. This approach allowed me to get on with the job and not worry about how there were not many women role models or mentors.”

Doornink believes that it is important for DLA Distribution to recognize Women’s History Month because it is a time to reflect and recognize the important contributions that women have made throughout history.

“Women’s History Month is an opportunity to learn and acknowledge the contributions of women to different spaces in society,” she said. “DLA Distribution has a remarkable number of women to recognize and frankly, DLA Distribution would not be the organization it is today without their significant contributions.”

Patricia “Pat” Kuntz distinguished herself throughout her 28 years of federal service. She rose quickly through the ranks and became the senior transportation officer. Because of her astute technical knowledge, gained through years of hands-on transportation and distribution experience in the production environment, she became a subject-matter expert in DLA Distribution and was frequently tapped for guidance from other agencies.

Kuntz became a crusader of new initiatives, reaching directly out to the customer to assess their capabilities and realize their needs, as well as their limitations. Her ability to build consensus with leadership to establish new and more efficient ways of doing business, made the initiatives she tackled a success; some of which today are now industry standards. Kuntz pushed beyond incremental changes to inspire spiral improvements for on-time delivery, reliability of distribution systems, and readiness for the military through countless programs under her charge.

When asked on what it was like to work at DLA Distribution early in her career as a woman, Kuntz said it was a great opportunity.

“Working at DLA Distribution was a great opportunity, especially working for two female generals. This really enhanced my career because they were able to share the challenges they went through to get to their position. With this being a male dominated field, it really told me that if I worked hard enough, I could reach my goals as well.”

A challenge that Kuntz went through during her career was how to handle being the only woman in the room with other service representatives.

“There were never any challenges regarding my gender within DLA, but when we went to meetings with the services, I had to stand up for not just myself, but also for my organization. I remember I went to a conference, and I was the only woman there among the other service representatives. It was a real challenge for them to buy into the transportation initiative I was working on at the time, but I managed to prove myself and get them onboard.”

Kuntz believes that it is crucial for DLA Distribution to recognize Women’s History Month because it is important to recognize the roles that women have in DLA Distribution.

“The number of women that are in higher graded positions today compared to what they were when I came through the ranks has increased significantly,” she said. “This shows that there is more confidence in a woman’ capability, which is great.”