Karen Hodge

Karen Hodge serves as a key procurement lead within Federal Prison Industries / Unicor, overseeing the acquisition of goods and services that support the agency’s mission of providing vocational training and meaningful employment to incarcerated individuals. She manages a diverse portfolio of contracts centered on manufacturing, agricultural, and environmental services, ensuring alignment with federal procurement regulations and Unicor’s mandate to supply high-quality products to government agencies at reduced cost. Her work directly enables the rehabilitation and workforce development of inmates through industrial production, with a strong emphasis on compliance, sustainability, and operational efficiency. Hodge maintains consistent partnerships with a select group of veteran- and disability-focused contractors, including Veterans Range Solutions, LLC, Veterans Environmental Group, LLC, and Blind Industries and Services of Maryland. These relationships reflect a strategic preference for vendors with mission-aligned values, particularly those that support veteran employment, disability inclusion, and environmental stewardship. Her contracting patterns emphasize long-term, performance-based agreements that prioritize reliability, quality control, and workforce development outcomes over transactional procurement. A hallmark of Hodge’s procurement strategy is her overwhelming commitment to small business set-asides, with over 81% of awards designated under FAR 19.5 for small business participation. She actively prioritizes socioeconomic programs that advance economic opportunity, consistently awarding contracts to small businesses, including those certified as 8(a), HUBZone, and service-disabled veteran-owned. This pattern underscores a deliberate effort to channel federal procurement dollars into underserved communities and mission-driven enterprises. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 311119 (Other Animal Food Manufacturing), reflecting Unicor’s large-scale production of pet and livestock feed using inmate labor. She also manages acquisitions in plastics manufacturing, agricultural services, and soil preparation, demonstrating technical expertise in industrial agriculture and material production. Her domain knowledge spans supply chain logistics for regulated manufacturing environments, with a strong emphasis on quality assurance and compliance with federal food and safety standards.