Cheryl R. Peterson

Cheryl R. Peterson serves as Contracts Manager for FA8823 Sustainment MCPNT SSC/PKL under the Department of the Air Force, where she leads the acquisition and contract management of critical aerospace and space-based sustainment programs. Her role centers on ensuring the operational readiness of guided missile systems, satellite communications networks, and global positioning infrastructure through the execution of complex, technically demanding contracts. She oversees the full lifecycle of procurements—from requirements definition and source selection to contract award and performance monitoring—specializing in research and development efforts that modernize legacy systems while maintaining mission-critical capabilities. Peterson collaborates with a diverse ecosystem of defense contractors and engineering firms specializing in aerospace systems sustainment, though no single vendor dominates her portfolio. Her procurement approach emphasizes technical proficiency, innovation, and mission alignment, fostering long-term partnerships with firms capable of delivering advanced engineering solutions for space and missile platforms. She maintains a results-driven, performance-based contracting model that prioritizes technical excellence and programmatic stability over volume-based vendor relationships. Her contracting activity is entirely non-set-aside, reflecting a mission imperative to source the most technically capable providers regardless of socioeconomic status. While small business participation is not formally incentivized through set-asides, her process remains open and transparent, allowing qualified small businesses to compete on equal footing based on technical merit and system-specific expertise. Peterson’s primary focus is NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—encompassing advanced systems engineering, signal processing, space vehicle sustainment, and command-and-control architecture modernization. She routinely procures services related to satellite payload integration, navigation system upgrades, and secure communications infrastructure, requiring deep domain expertise in aerospace engineering, electromagnetic systems, and defense-grade software development. Her work directly supports the Air Force’s strategic objective to maintain overmatch in contested space and missile domains.