Kathryn Wood

Kathryn Wood serves as a Contract Specialist at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), where she plays a critical role in procuring advanced avionics, flight control systems, and diagnostic instrumentation essential to naval aviation readiness. Responsible for managing the full lifecycle of complex technical acquisitions, she ensures compliance with federal procurement regulations while aligning contract strategies with NAWCAD’s mission to develop and sustain next-generation aircraft systems. Her portfolio primarily includes research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) contracts for mission-critical aerospace components, requiring deep technical understanding and agile contracting practices to support rapid prototyping and field deployment. Kathryn maintains longstanding relationships with leading defense contractors including Lockheed Martin Corporation, BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., PCI Aviation LLC, Critical Communications, Controls and Instruments, LLC, and Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC. These partnerships are characterized by sustained collaboration on high-precision hardware and integrated systems, often involving technical specifications requiring rigorous certification and quality assurance protocols. Her approach emphasizes performance-based contracting, clear statement of work development, and risk-mitigated acquisition pathways tailored to the unique demands of naval aviation technology. Kathryn’s contracting portfolio reflects a strong preference for full and open competition, with 100% of her awards issued without set-asides, indicating a focus on technical capability and mission necessity over socioeconomic classifications. While small business participation is not formally prioritized in her current portfolio, she maintains strict adherence to fair and transparent procurement practices, ensuring all vendors—regardless of size—are evaluated on technical merit and past performance. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 336413 (Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing), with significant activity in 334519 (Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing) and related categories for industrial instrumentation and diagnostic systems. She specializes in acquiring precision-engineered components for flight systems, sensor integration, and avionics support infrastructure, demonstrating deep expertise in aerospace electronics and systems integration for high-performance naval platforms.