Melissa A. Selby

Melissa A. Selby serves as a key procurement professional within the Naval Air Warfare Center Air Division, supporting the development, testing, and sustainment of advanced naval aviation systems. She manages complex acquisitions for mission-critical avionics, electronic warfare subsystems, and airborne sensor integration, ensuring alignment with the Navy’s strategic priorities in air superiority and fleet readiness. Her portfolio encompasses engineering services, systems integration, and technical support for next-generation aircraft platforms, with a focus on delivering capability enhancements while maintaining legacy system interoperability. Selby operates within the Department of the Navy’s acquisition framework, balancing innovation with sustainment needs across the lifecycle of naval air systems. She maintains consistent working relationships with leading defense contractors including SABRE SYSTEMS, LLC, THE BOEING COMPANY, SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, SYSTEMS PLANNING AND ANALYSIS, INC., and ONTIC ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING, INC. These partnerships reflect a preference for established industry leaders with proven expertise in aerospace systems, mission software, and specialized manufacturing. Selby’s contracting approach emphasizes technical rigor and performance-based outcomes, often leveraging Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) and Other Transaction Authority (OTA) mechanisms to accelerate capability fielding. Her procurement patterns show a strong emphasis on open competition, with 75% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions, while maintaining a meaningful 25% commitment to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. This balance reflects a strategic intent to foster innovation from smaller firms without compromising access to large-scale technical capabilities. She actively engages with small businesses capable of supporting niche avionics and maintenance tasks. Selby’s primary NAICS focus is 334511 for aeronautical system and instrument manufacturing, underscoring her specialization in radar, navigation, guidance, and communications hardware. She also procures 488190 services for air transportation support, including maintenance, logistics, and technical analysis. Her domain expertise lies in integrating secure, high-performance subsystems into manned and unmanned naval aircraft platforms.