Cathy Contreras is the Acquisition Executive for DLA Aviation, a major subordinate command of Defense Logistics Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. She assumed her position in December of 2016.

DLA Aviation is the aviation demand and supply chain manager for Defense Logistics Agency with more than 4,000 civilian and military personnel in 18 locations across the United States. DLA Aviation supports more than 1,800 major weapon systems and is the U.S. military's integrated material manager for more than 1.2 million national stock number items, industrial retail supply and depot-level reparable acquisitions.

Positioned alongside its military customers, DLA Aviation manages industrial support activities at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tinker AFB, Oklahoma; Hill AFB, Utah; Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina; Naval Air Station North Island, California; and NAS Jacksonville, Florida.

DLA Aviation manages depot-level reparable procurement operations at Robins, Tinker and Hill Air Force Bases; Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia; and at Redstone Army Arsenal, Alabama.

DLA Aviation also operates an industrial plant equipment maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

As DLA Aviation’s senior acquisition executive, Ms. Contreras shares full managerial responsibility for all aviation supply chain acquisition operations. She is engaged in the full range of logistics and acquisition planning, life-cycle management, and mission management of worldwide aviation items.

Ms. Contreras has experience serving in a wide variety of positions within DoD and DLA. Her previous assignments include leading the Information Technology and Telecommunications Divisions of Defense Contracting Command at the Pentagon, serving as Chief of Procurement Policy and Systems for DLA, leading the Supplier Relationship Management function for DLA Aviation, and serving as Director of Strategic Acquisition Programs, also for DLA.

Ms. Contreras, a Hagerstown Maryland native, graduated from James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration. She graduated from Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Maryland, with a master’s in business administration; and earned a master’s in National Resource Strategy from National Defense University, Washington,  District of Columbia.