Cheryl D. Smith

Cheryl D. Smith serves as a Contract Specialist within the FA8823 Sustainment MCPNT SSC/PKL under the Department of the Air Force, where she plays a pivotal role in securing critical aerospace and space-based sustainment capabilities. Her responsibilities encompass the full lifecycle management of acquisitions for guided missile systems, satellite communications infrastructure, and global positioning system components. She ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning procurements with the agency’s strategic priorities of operational readiness and technological modernization. Her portfolio primarily consists of research and development contracts focused on advanced engineering solutions for national defense systems. Cheryl collaborates with a diverse range of contractors specializing in aerospace engineering, systems integration, and defense R&D. While no single vendor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages with firms possessing deep technical expertise in space systems sustainment, electromagnetic compatibility, and command and control architecture modernization. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, risk mitigation, and technical validation, fostering long-term partnerships with vendors capable of supporting complex, mission-critical aerospace platforms. Her procurement strategy reflects a balanced commitment to socioeconomic goals, with approximately half of her acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This demonstrates a deliberate focus on enabling small businesses with the technical capacity to deliver high-fidelity engineering services in defense-critical domains. She actively supports the participation of small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, and other eligible entities, reinforcing the Air Force’s mandate to broaden the industrial base. Cheryl’s primary procurement focus is centered on NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—reflecting her specialization in advanced engineering services for aerospace sustainment. She procures technical services including systems analysis, prototype development, signal processing, and embedded software integration, ensuring that legacy and next-generation space and missile systems remain viable, secure, and interoperable in contested environments.