Cheryl Shastid

Cheryl Shastid serves as a key procurement professional at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, supporting the agency’s mission to advance aeronautical innovation through flight testing and experimental aircraft modification. She manages complex acquisitions for high-risk, high-reward aerospace technologies, with a focus on engineering services, advanced sensor systems, and propulsion components critical to flight validation programs. Her work directly enables the integration of cutting-edge flight control architectures, hypersonic instrumentation, and autonomous systems into modified aircraft platforms, ensuring alignment with NASA’s strategic goals in aviation safety and next-generation aerospace capabilities. Shastid maintains strong, long-term relationships with leading aerospace contractors, including PRIORITY 1 AVIATION INC and ROLLS-ROYCE CORPORATION, partnering with firms capable of delivering specialized engineering support and high-performance engine systems. Her procurement approach emphasizes technical rigor and mission-critical performance, often requiring custom solutions for unique flight test configurations. She collaborates closely with engineering and systems integration teams to ensure contractual deliverables meet stringent flight safety and certification standards, fostering vendor partnerships built on technical credibility and proven capability in experimental aerospace environments. Her contracting portfolio reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 83.3% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions, indicating a focus on technical merit and capability over socioeconomic classifications. While small business participation is present at 16.7%, it is primarily through Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, suggesting a balanced approach that prioritizes mission need while still encouraging small business engagement where feasible. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services), reflecting heavy investment in flight test support, systems integration, and technical analysis. She also procures specialized equipment under NAICS 334511 (aeronautical instrumentation) and 336412 (aircraft engine manufacturing), demonstrating deep expertise in avionics, propulsion, and flight-critical systems. Shastid’s work is grounded in the technical demands of experimental flight research, requiring precise alignment between contract requirements and the unique challenges of flight validation.