Sonia Santana

Sonia Santana serves as a key procurement professional within the Naval Air Warfare Center, supporting the Department of the Navy’s mission to advance next-generation naval aviation systems through research, development, testing, and evaluation. She manages complex acquisitions centered on computer systems design services, ensuring that cutting-edge avionics, mission planning software, sensor integration platforms, and command-and-control architectures meet rigorous military standards. Her work directly enables the modernization of airborne and maritime warfare capabilities by translating technical requirements into strategically structured contracts that align with Navy innovation priorities. Santana maintains consistent working relationships with leading defense and aerospace contractors, including Lockheed Martin Corporation, Jacobs Technology Inc., Science Applications International Corporation, Kranze Technology Solutions Inc., and Teya Support Services LLC. These partnerships reflect a preference for established industry leaders with proven expertise in systems engineering and software-intensive defense solutions, while also fostering collaboration with specialized small businesses capable of delivering agile, mission-critical technical services. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and technical compliance in high-stakes R&D environments. A defining feature of Santana’s procurement strategy is her exclusive focus on Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) set-asides, reflecting a strong institutional commitment to socioeconomic equity and veteran-owned enterprise development. Every acquisition under her purview is structured to prioritize SDVOSB eligibility, ensuring that small businesses with military veteran leadership have equitable access to high-value technical contracts within the naval aviation ecosystem. Her primary technical focus lies in NAICS 541512 (Computer Systems Design Services), where she procures end-to-end software development, systems integration, simulation modeling, and real-time data processing solutions for airborne platforms. This specialization underscores her deep familiarity with defense-grade software architectures, embedded systems, and secure communication protocols essential to modern naval aviation operations.