Cynthia Booker-Neilson

Cynthia Booker-Neilson serves as a Contracting Officer within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate (FA8650), where she leads the acquisition of advanced aerospace technologies critical to U.S. air and space dominance. She manages complex research and development contracts focused on next-generation propulsion systems, hypersonic flight technologies, and high-performance functional materials, ensuring alignment with national defense priorities and technical innovation timelines. Her portfolio encompasses full lifecycle procurement activities—from market research and solicitation development to contract award and performance oversight—primarily supporting fundamental and applied R&D initiatives for the Department of the Air Force. Booker-Neilson maintains consistent working relationships with industry leaders including UES INC, General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit Aerosystems Inc, and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC. These partnerships are characterized by long-term collaboration on technically demanding projects requiring specialized expertise in propulsion systems, adaptive flight controls, and advanced composite materials. Her contracting approach emphasizes technical rigor, performance-based outcomes, and risk mitigation, fostering trust with vendors capable of delivering mission-critical solutions under stringent aerospace standards. Her procurement activity is exclusively classified under No Set-Aside categories, reflecting the highly specialized nature of the technologies acquired and the limited pool of qualified industry partners capable of meeting the technical and security requirements of AFRL’s propulsion mission. While small business set-asides are not utilized, her office maintains compliance with all federal socioeconomic requirements and actively engages qualified small businesses as subcontractors where technically feasible. Her primary procurement focus is on NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)—with deep expertise in aerospace propulsion, hypersonics, and advanced materials development. She procures services ranging from computational fluid dynamics modeling and propulsion system prototyping to materials characterization and flight-test support, ensuring the Air Force maintains technological superiority in next-generation air and space platforms.