Catherine E. Staggs

Catherine Staggs serves as a primary procurement lead at NASA Johnson Space Center, where she manages complex acquisitions critical to advancing human spaceflight systems and life sciences research. She plays a pivotal role in executing contracts that support crewed mission operations, spacecraft systems development, and microgravity physiology studies. Her portfolio encompasses high-stakes technical procurements involving aerospace engineering, mission-critical software, and specialized laboratory services, ensuring alignment with NASA’s strategic goals for exploration beyond low Earth orbit. Staggs operates within a rigorous federal acquisition framework, prioritizing technical merit, mission readiness, and regulatory compliance across all contracting actions. Her key contractor relationships include Sierra Space Corp, Aspera Biomedicines, Inc., and Single Crystal Diamond Inc., reflecting a focus on cutting-edge aerospace innovation, biomedical research, and advanced materials. She also engages Wright & Dalbin Architects Inc. for facility modernization supporting human spaceflight infrastructure. Staggs maintains consistent, long-term partnerships with these vendors, often recompeting or modifying existing contracts to evolve capabilities in response to mission requirements. Her procurement approach emphasizes technical collaboration and performance-based outcomes over transactional vendor relationships. Staggs does not utilize any socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of her acquisitions conducted under full and open competition. This reflects a mission-driven preference for selecting the most technically qualified offerors regardless of business size or certification status, prioritizing capability and risk mitigation over socioeconomic targets. Her contracting patterns demonstrate a deliberate focus on mission-critical performance over programmatic diversity metrics. Her primary NAICS focus areas—Aircraft Manufacturing, Office Administrative Services, Computer Systems Design Services, and Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation—reveal a diverse but highly specialized procurement profile. She procures spacecraft subsystems, mission operations software, laboratory automation systems, and specialized air transport for scientific payloads, underscoring her expertise in integrating aerospace, IT, and life sciences domains to enable human space exploration.