Marisa Hughes

Marisa Hughes serves as a key procurement professional within the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), supporting the lifecycle acquisition and sustainment of naval aviation systems critical to U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operational readiness. She manages complex contracts spanning research and development, advanced avionics, and aerospace component manufacturing, ensuring alignment with NAVAIR’s mission to maintain air superiority through cutting-edge technology integration. Her work focuses on technical acquisitions that support carrier-based and expeditionary aircraft modernization, including weapons systems, sensor suites, and auxiliary equipment essential to naval aviation infrastructure. Hughes maintains consistent contracting relationships with leading defense prime contractors including Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and General Atomics, reflecting her focus on high-performance aerospace and defense systems. These partnerships are centered on the development and integration of next-generation platforms, such as unmanned aerial systems, advanced radar and targeting systems, and mission-critical avionics. Her procurement approach emphasizes technical rigor, performance-based contracting, and long-term sustainment planning, often coordinating across engineering, logistics, and test communities to ensure deliverables meet stringent military specifications. Her contracting portfolio shows no preference for socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic emphasis on technical capability and industrial base readiness over socioeconomic categorization, prioritizing mission-critical performance and system interoperability. While small business participation is not formally incentivized in her portfolio, vendors of all sizes compete on technical merit and delivery capability. Hughes specializes in acquisitions governed by NAICS codes 541715 (R&D in physical and engineering sciences), 334419 (other electronic component manufacturing), and 336413 (other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing). Her domain expertise lies in advanced electronics, flight control systems, propulsion components, and mission systems integration, supporting the modernization of naval air platforms through precision engineering and systems-level procurement.