2025 DLA Hall of Fame inductee: Linda Barnett

Editor's Note: This is one of five stories featuring 2025 DLA Hall of Fame inductees. An induction ceremony will be held 2 p.m. May 21 at the McNamara Headquarters Complex auditorium on Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The ceremony is open to all DLA employees; invitations are not needed.

An acquisition leader known for improving the integration of bulk petroleum management and increasing efficiency throughout Defense Logistics Agency Energy is a 2025 DLA Hall of Fame member.

Linda Barnett's 38-year career began as a GS-03 summer intern while in high school, before working her way to become deputy director of customer operations for DLA Energy. In her final role at DLA Energy, she oversaw a team of 20 military personnel and 100 civilian employees, generating 100 million barrels in sales of bulk petroleum products valued at $14 billion in fiscal year 2015.

As DLA Energy's Ocean Tanker Inventory and Distribution Management branch chief in 2001, Barnett persuaded inventory managers and contracting specialists to examine bulk petroleum management practices and policies to improve performance for ocean tanker lift scheduling.

"Ms. Barnett consistently gathered the appropriate functional specialists for a given issue to ensure that a balance was struck between maintaining inventories, ensuring compliance with contract terms and meeting the particular ocean tanker shipment requirement in question," according to her nomination. "She restructured positions to remove the barrier between the functions of ordering product and scheduling tankers, further moving the group toward a team approach to the business."

Barnett was also known for her pursuit of continuous process and policy improvement. Faced with a problem of oil tanker movement rates not reflecting the true cost to the government, she worked to remove technical barriers preventing timely capture of data. She and a team of contracting specialists developed formulas and a contract clause needed to produce accurate cost rates in the solicitation process.

"As a result of her efforts, suppliers are evaluated more fairly than before, and the government was ensured of the lowest cost solution to its bulk petroleum requirements," the nomination noted.

Between 2004-2005, the bulk petroleum tanks at Diego Garcia underwent extensive renovation. Initially, estimates assumed tanks for a unique product would need reduction to levels requiring resupply by an ocean tanker more frequently. Renovation would also potentially create more empty space on the tanker, resulting in increased distribution costs by at least $2 million annually.

"Ms. Barnett did not reach this conclusion. She called upon her knowledge gained during her time working with bulk petroleum facilities and the personnel involved to work out an alternative solution, the nomination stated. "By teaming with regional facilities personnel and proposing a rescheduling of the repair projects, Ms. Barnett enabled efficient resupply to occur while meeting all required facility work."

Throughout her career, as Barnett changed roles she increased responsibilities in facilities, contracting and international agreements. For her performance as a division chief, she was recognized as the 2005 Tier III DLA Leader of the Year. The nominee noted Barnett demanded high performance from her employees and peers, but even more of herself.

"Her own performance set the standard and brings parallel results to the scheduling of ocean tankers in terms of both cost and delivery schedules," according to the nomination. "By working both hard and efficiently, she set an example for her employees and peers to emulate."