Kellye A. Fisher

Kellye A. Fisher 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. Her work directly supports the agency’s mission to accelerate innovation through fundamental and applied research, ensuring rapid integration of cutting-edge capabilities into operational platforms. Fisher specializes in full and open competitive procurements under FAR Part 35 and other R&D-specific authorities, frequently overseeing multi-year, performance-based contracts with technical deliverables tied to prototyping, testing, and systems integration. She maintains strategic relationships with leading aerospace and defense contractors including UES INC, General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit AeroSystems Inc., and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC. These partnerships are centered on high-technical-risk, mission-critical R&D efforts requiring deep domain expertise in propulsion systems, adaptive flight controls, and advanced composites. Fisher’s contracting approach emphasizes technical rigor, risk mitigation, and performance outcomes, fostering long-term collaborations with vendors capable of delivering novel solutions under stringent government specifications. Fisher’s procurement portfolio is entirely composed of full and open competitions, with no set-asides designated for 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or other socioeconomic categories. This reflects the highly specialized nature of the work she manages, where technical capability and proven performance in advanced aerospace domains take precedence over socioeconomic preferences. While small business participation is not formally incentivized in her portfolio, she ensures fair competition through transparent solicitation practices and robust technical evaluation criteria. Her primary procurement focus is NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—where she acquires engineering services, materials science research, computational modeling, and prototype development for propulsion and hypersonics applications. Her expertise lies in contracting for high-fidelity testing, materials characterization, and integrated system demonstrations essential to next-generation air and space platforms.