Remembering Murray J. Schooner

By Robert Brodsky

The small business contracting community lost one of its long-time leaders last Friday, as Murray J. Schooner, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, passed away at the age of 74. His son, Steve, is co-director of the government procurement law program at The George Washington University, and a well-known figure in the acquisition community.

Sometimes referred to as the 'godfather' for supplier diversity in government contracting, Murray Schooner was the former director of procurement and socioeconomic business development for Unisys Corporation for 27 years, a job he retired from in 2006. Since 1979, Schooner has been a tireless advocate for small and disadvantaged business contracting programs, particularly women-owned and veteran-owned small businesses.

His resume included a stint as national co-chairman of TRIAD, the small business advisory panel to industry and the federal government; chairman of the Metropolitan Washington Minority Purchasing Council; vice president of the Maryland DC Minority Purchasing Council; member of the Defense Department Mentor Protégé Round Table; member of NASA's Prime Contractor Round Table and a fellow at the National Contract Management Association. Most recently, Schooner served as vice president of FEDMINE.US, a database-driven Website that aggregates federal contracting data.

Schooner was a graduate of Boston University and served 21 years as an Army infantry officer, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He served in combat in Vietnam earning the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and the Combat Infantry mans Badge. He later earned his masters degree in procurement and contracting from George Washington University

An excellent tribute to Schooner appears in the February 2010 edition of Vetrepreneur magazine.