Story by Public Affairs Office , Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport
NEWPORT, R.I. — Maria Gregory, a procurement analyst in the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s Contracts Department, has been named the director of Small Business Programs.
Gregory, a resident of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, will begin her new role on June 30. She succeeds Sarah Heard, who held the position since August 2020, while also acting as the head of the Technical Acquisition Office in the Contracts Department.
The mission of the Office of Small Business Programs’ (OSBP) is to maximize prime and subcontracting opportunities for small businesses through policy, advocacy, counseling, and training.
“I’m looking forward to meeting with the department contract managers, the technical department acquisition advocates, and our partners at the 401 Tech Bridge to discuss how we can collaborate,” Gregory said.
Besides establishing working relationships, Gregory will spend much of her time learning about the products and innovative solutions companies have in fields that are most important to Division Newport.
“I’ll be doing a lot of market research, learning about the capabilities of the small businesses and getting the word out about what our small business needs are at Division Newport,” Gregory said.
Gregory began her career at Division Newport as a contract specialist in September 2005 and held the contracting officer role prior to accepting a promotion at the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) in September 2013 as the division chief of Small Business East. In that role, she was responsible for the oversight of a team of procurement analysts.
In September 2014, Gregory returned to Division Newport as a procurement analyst in Policy Branch of the Contracts Department and later became co-coordinator of the Purchase Card Program. She and Jillian Gagne, administrative/technical specialist, earned the Department of the Navy (DON) Government Purchase Card Agency/Organization Program Coordinator Excellence Award in August 2023, which recognized their initiative and measurable improvements in program management.
Prior to her professional career, Gregory earned bachelor’s degrees in business economics and English literature from Providence College and a master’s degree in project management from Boston University.
NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher’s Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.
Join our team! NUWC Division Newport, one of the 20 largest employers in Rhode Island, employs a diverse, highly trained, educated, and skilled workforce. We are continuously looking for engineers, scientists, and other STEM professionals, as well as talented business, finance, logistics and other support experts who wish to be at the forefront of undersea research and development. Please connect with NUWC Division Newport Recruiting at this site, https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/Career-Opportunities, and follow us on LinkedIn @NUWC-Newport and on Facebook @NUWCNewport
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