Speakers

Mr. Dwight Deneal serves as the Assistant Administrator for NASA’s Office of Small Business Programs at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. In this role, he provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and oversight for agency-wide programs and policies that ensure small businesses have equitable opportunities to support NASA’s
mission and contribute to the nation’s aerospace and technology innovation ecosystem.

Since joining NASA in February 2024, Mr. Deneal has brought more than a decade of leadership experience in federal acquisition and small business programs. Prior to NASA, he served as Director of the Defense Logistics Agency’s Office of Small Business Programs, where he oversaw all small business initiatives and related contracting activities across the agency.

Before his tenure at the Defense Logistics Agency, Mr. Deneal served as Director of the Small Business and Industry Liaison Programs for the U.S. Coast Guard within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In that capacity, he led the development and implementation of small business and socioeconomic acquisition policies, regulations, and guidelines, while directing acquisition planning and execution in support of federal small business programs.

Mr. Deneal’s federal service also includes leadership and acquisition support roles with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of the Navy.

In addition to his NASA responsibilities, Mr. Deneal serves as Chairman of the Federal Interagency Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Directors Council, a government-wide organization of federal small business leaders that collaborates on strategies, best practices, and policy discussions to strengthen small business participation across the federal government.

A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Mr. Deneal earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. He is also a graduate of the Executive Education Program at Harvard Kennedy School. In 2018, he received the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chief Procurement Officer Excellence in Industry Engagement Award in recognition of his leadership and contributions to federal acquisition and industry engagement. Mr. Deneal is married and has two children.