Michelle Prinston

Michelle Prinston serves as a key procurement lead within the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, responsible for managing complex acquisitions of specialized avionics, flight control systems, and diagnostic instrumentation critical to naval aviation readiness. She plays a central role in executing the agency’s mission to advance next-generation airpower through research, development, and sustainment of high-performance aircraft systems. Her portfolio primarily encompasses engineering services, test equipment, and auxiliary aviation components requiring rigorous technical validation and compliance with military specifications. Prinston’s acquisitions are strategically aligned with the division’s focus on maintaining operational superiority through cutting-edge aircraft support technologies. She maintains enduring partnerships with leading defense contractors including Lockheed Martin Corporation, BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., and PCI Aviation LLC, among others. These relationships are characterized by long-term collaboration on technical integration projects involving mission-critical avionics, embedded systems, and maintenance diagnostics. Prinston frequently engages with vendors possessing deep domain expertise in aerospace-grade electronics and flight system sustainment, ensuring procurement decisions align with rigorous performance, reliability, and interoperability standards required by naval aviation operations. Prinston demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with approximately two-thirds of her acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This pattern reflects a deliberate strategy to cultivate innovation and capacity within the small business industrial base, particularly among firms certified in specialized aerospace niches. Her contracting approach consistently prioritizes socioeconomic programs that enhance competition and diversify the supplier base without compromising technical integrity. Her primary procurement focus lies within NAICS 336413, encompassing the acquisition of other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment, including sensors, control actuators, and integrated diagnostic modules. A secondary focus on NAICS 332216 reflects targeted procurement of precision handtools and specialized maintenance instruments used in field-level aircraft servicing. Prinston’s expertise centers on technical domains requiring high-reliability components, ruggedized electronics, and compliance with military standards such as MIL-STD and DO-160.