Legionnaire named to federal task force
Dan Dellinger, former chairman of The American Legion’s Economic Commission, has been appointed to the Obama administration’s Interagency Task Force on Federal Contracting Opportunities for Small Businesses. According to the White House, the task force works to “coordinate executive departments’ and agencies’ efforts towards ensuring that all small businesses have a fair chance to participate in federal contracting opportunities.”
Dellinger, who owned a construction management and general contracting company for more than 20 years, currently serves as chairman of the Legion’s National Security Commission. His military background and extensive experience with small businesses make him a perfect addition to the task force, according to a colleague of his.
“He’s a veteran and business owner, so he understands the challenges that both groups go through,” said Joe Sharpe, director of The American Legion’s Economic Division. “He is in a unique position to speak for the veterans community, he understands the issues, and it is great for him to be on this task force and ensure that veterans receive a fair amount of government contracts.”
Sharpe says Dellinger will focus on getting federal contractors to work more effectively with service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs), helping them receive the amount of contracting dollars they are entitled to according to federal law.
“Right now, there’s a law that says that three percent of federal dollars will go to service-disabled veteran small business owners, and that mandate has never been reached,” said Mark Walker, deputy director of the Legion’s Economic Division. “Having Dellinger on the agency task force will help the White House understand these issues and ensure that these agencies will uphold their mandates to fulfill these promises to veteran servicemen and women.”
Dellinger was raised in Vienna, Va., and is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War as a company commander and was promoted to captain while serving in the Army Reserve. A member of The American Legion for 29 years, Dellinger is a former Vienna town councilman and currently serves as judge advocate for American Legion Post 180. He lives in Vienna with his wife, Margaret. The couple has two children: Scott, who lives in Alexandria, Va., and Anne, who resides in New York City.