Loretta James Hemphill

Loretta James Hemphill serves as a key procurement professional at NASA Glenn Research Center, supporting the agency’s mission to advance cutting-edge aeronautics and space propulsion technologies. She manages acquisitions for scientific and technical services critical to next-generation propulsion systems, power technologies, and extreme-environment materials research. Her portfolio primarily encompasses research and development contracts, systems engineering support, and specialized consulting services that enable the development of fission surface power architectures and high-efficiency thermal-fluid systems. Hemphill plays a pivotal role in translating technical requirements from NASA’s engineering teams into compliant, competitively awarded contracts that align with federal acquisition regulations and strategic technology roadmaps. She maintains established relationships with specialized contractors including Troy Sierra JV LLC, Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC, and Electronic Fluorocarbons, LLC, all of which provide niche expertise in propulsion systems, advanced materials, and cryogenic fluid handling. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for long-term, performance-based partnerships with firms possessing deep technical capabilities in aerospace R&D, often leveraging firm-fixed-price and cost-reimbursement contract types to manage complex, high-risk technical deliverables. Hemphill demonstrates balanced commitment to socioeconomic goals, with approximately half of her acquisitions set aside for small businesses under FAR 19.5 and the other half awarded as full and open competitions. This dual approach ensures both broad market access and targeted support for small businesses capable of delivering specialized aerospace engineering services. Her contracting strategy reflects NASA’s broader emphasis on fostering innovation through diverse vendor participation. Her procurement focus centers on NAICS 541690 (Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services) and 541712 (Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences), reflecting her specialization in procuring advanced engineering analysis, systems integration, and experimental validation services. She consistently acquires technical services supporting propulsion system modeling, thermal management design, and aerospace instrumentation development, reinforcing NASA Glenn’s leadership in space exploration technologies.