Betty Jester

Betty Jester serves as a key procurement lead within the Department of the Navy, overseeing the acquisition of mission-critical instrumentation, semiconductor components, and engineered systems essential to naval readiness. She manages complex contracts for analytical laboratory equipment, fleet diagnostic tools, cyber-resilient sensor networks, and high-precision maintenance systems that directly support weapons platforms and environmental monitoring capabilities. Her work is central to the Navy’s strategic modernization goals, ensuring that cutting-edge technologies are rapidly integrated into operational environments with rigorous compliance and performance standards. She routinely handles sole-source and competitive procurements for technically demanding, low-volume systems requiring specialized engineering validation. Jester maintains long-standing partnerships with prime defense contractors including RTX Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Electric Boat Corporation, Huntington Ingalls Inc, and Bath Iron Works Corporation. These relationships are characterized by deep technical collaboration, iterative requirements development, and sustained performance oversight across multi-year acquisition cycles. Her contracting approach emphasizes vendor accountability, systems integration expertise, and adherence to defense-specific quality assurance protocols, particularly for platforms requiring naval certification and sustainment support. Her procurement portfolio reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 100% of awards issued without set-aside designations. This indicates a strategic focus on technical capability and mission urgency over socioeconomic categorization, prioritizing proven performance and industrial base readiness. While small business participation is not formally mandated in her portfolio, she ensures fair and open competition consistent with DoD acquisition policy. Her domain expertise centers on defense electronics, maritime sensor systems, and precision instrumentation procurement. She specializes in NAICS categories related to aerospace and defense manufacturing, laboratory equipment, and electronic component supply, with a focus on systems requiring ruggedized design, electromagnetic compatibility, and long-term lifecycle support for naval applications.