Dan Covelli
Dan “Stuckey” Covelli is a senior executive leader with over 30 years of defense industry, military aviation, and acquisition experience. A proven results-driven strategist, he is recognized for building highly effective teams, driving organizational transformation, and delivering innovative solutions across complex environments.
Dan founded Covelli & Associates to provide executive consulting services to the defense industry, leveraging his extensive expertise in program management, aviation systems, weapon systems, training solutions, and executive leadership. Covelli & Associates focuses on accelerating business growth, improving operational performance, and navigating the acquisition, legislative, and regulatory environments critical to success in today’s defense sector.
Prior to establishing Covelli & Associates, Dan served as the Director of Maritime Training Solutions at KBR where he supported organizational restructuring and future operational unit leadership in the Mission Engineering Division with the primary focus on Navy and Marine Corps modeling, simulation, and training.
Proceeding KBR, he served as Senior Program Manager for Lockheed Martin’s Naval Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (N-MRO) program, where he successfully led $1.2B in programmatic, technical, and acquisition activities, delivering operational capability while enhancing future growth opportunities.
Covelli joined Lockheed Martin after retiring from the U.S. Navy as a Captain after 29 years of service. He commanded the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division and Naval Support Activity Orlando, leading the Navy’s largest training system acquisition organization with over 4,400 personnel and a $1.8B annual budget. His leadership significantly improved organizational efficiency, training delivery, and readiness across U.S. and Allied forces.
Earlier in his career, Dan was a U.S. Navy carrier aviator and test pilot, flying EA-6B Prowlers and F/A-18 Hornets, conducting 119 combat missions, and logging over 2,800 flight hours in 19 different aircraft. He led major acquisition programs for training systems, aircraft, and weapons systems, including Sailor 2025 Ready Relevant Learning, the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned carrier-based aircraft, the EA-18G Growler’s and the F/A-18 Hornet’s weapon systems, undergraduate flight training systems, and the EA-6B aircraft.
Dan holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the State University of New York Maritime College, a Master of Science in Aviation Systems from the University of Tennessee, and an Executive MBA in Financial Management from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. He maintains a Program Management Professional certification and a Top Secret/SCI clearance.
A recognized leader in the defense community, Dan serves on several boards, including the Central Florida Navy League, National Defense Industrial Association, National Center for Simulation, and the Metro Orlando Defense Task Force. His professional affiliations include the Tailhook Association, Association of Naval Aviation, Women in Defense, and the Prowler / Growler Association.