As an active-duty Air Force Acquisitions Officer, Haley gained experience in a wide variety of aspects of the complex, multi-faceted acquisitions process. She’s similarly experienced in weapons systems – including nuclear weapons, weather systems, operations, aircraft integration and testing, and – her bread and butter, systems engineering.

From a young age, Haley was regaled with scores of military stories told by her two grandfathers – both former seamen – and her Navy Brat dad, so it seems almost divinely fated that this science-obsessed little girl would one day discover her life’s mission at the intersection of science and service: more specifically, at the Air Force Academy, where she could enroll in a competitive engineering program and continue swimming at a collegiate level. As she says, the stars just sort of aligned over the Academy, and when she learned about their Systems Engineering program, she was all in.

What drew her to Systems Engineering was its holistic approach to executing projects.

Without it, she says, friction can occur when engineers and program managers, each focused on their respective role, have difficulty communicating with each other... which inevitably leads to mutual frustration and mistakes. Systems Engineering, on the other hand, says Haley, addresses the project as an integrated whole: giving each discipline the best chance to succeed, resulting in a smoothly functioning unified system.

In 2013, Haley’s first active-duty tour took her to Kirtland AF Base in New Mexico, home to the AF Nuclear Weapons Center. There, Haley was the Lead Nuclear Test Engineer for the Red Team responsible for testing nuclear system vulnerabilities and defining requirements for the next generation of nuclear deterrence.

In 2016, she moved to Texas, where she served as a Program Integrator for the 645th Aeronautical Systems Squadron, as part of “Big Safari”. Her office focused on system integration, aircraft upgrades, and operational testing for a small fleet of ISR/SOF aircraft. Haley managed the costs, schedule, and performance of contracts valued at $450M annually; reviewed proposals; oversaw logistics and maintenance of intelligence, surveillance, and recon aircraft; led product fielding and sustainment; and directed mission software development and integration. During this time, she also toured at the US Special Operations Command in Tampa, Florida as part of a “ghost deployment”: a highly selective internship program for AF Acquisitions Officers. At that time, Haley, the youngest Officer ever selected for the team, was a Program Manager for the testing and development of the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS), also affectionately known as the “Ironman Suit”.

Haley joined the 2nd Combat Weather Systems Squadron as a Flight Commander in 2020, where she was responsible for operational testing of AF weather weapons systems. Then, as the acting Director of Operations, she led equipment evaluations, modernization, sustainment, and strategic vision for environmental intelligence tactics development.

Haley separated from active duty in 2023 and is now an Acquisitions Officer in the reserves. Without missing a beat, she founded her own business and began advising small businesses on USG acquisitions. Becoming a consultant wasn’t a new idea for Haley; while she was still on active duty, discovered a passion for helping small businesses understand and participate in the DoD acquisitions process. She was surprised to see that some of even the most experienced Defense Prime Contractors struggle and fail to understand the federal government’s behavior and decisions. Haley had some friends who’d gone into consulting, so she sought their counsel, and these conversations cemented her decision: even outside of the military, her expertise could be an asset to both the US and the commercial market.

Today, Haley’s passion for equipping warfighters with superior equipment and services remains as strong as ever. She’s fulfilled by her continued service to the future of our country’s defense systems – making them more innovative, secure, and technologically relevant by helping entrepreneurs and startups connect with the DoD. In her consulting work, she helps her clients understand the complexities of government contracting, such as how federal money flows, who’s who in the DoD, and how to successfully interact with the federal customer.

For more, read my Q & A with Haley below!

If you would like to learn more and discuss the possibility of working with Haley, you can schedule an informational call with Jim. To do so, please email our scheduler, Teal, at teal@focusingforwardconsult.com or call us at (571) 309-5884

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Q & A

In your opinion, what is the most difficult problem that government contractors face?

One of (there are many) the most difficult problems government contractors, specifically small businesses, face is the amount of time that it takes to successfully get into a long-term contract with the DoD.

It's very important that businesses do their research and evaluate if selling to the federal government is really in their best long-term interest as a company. If the only reason companies want to work with the government is because they see lots of dollar signs, then my recommendation is always to step back and do some internal evaluations first. Working with the federal government is a marathon, not a sprint.

What is one important lesson that your career (so far) has taught you?

You don’t ever know what is going on in someone’s life or how they got to their present situation. Everyone’s journey is different, and everyone’s priorities are different. Just because something isn’t important to you doesn’t mean that it isn’t incredibly important to someone else.

That lesson taught me to be as open-minded as possible and to really listen to what people are saying (and not saying). Sometimes you can help people, and sometimes you can’t, but it doesn’t do anyone any good to make assumptions or judgements ahead of time.

What do you like to do outside of work?

Outside of work, I’m a new mom to the happiest 5-month-old daughter. Making the transition from business owner to both mother and business owner has been incredible. There has been so much support and encouragement along the way from both colleagues and clients.

Other than being a wife and mom, I love to cook and work in the garden. I also enjoy doing yoga, swimming, and reading anything from nonfiction (like American history or science books) to fictional murder mysteries.

What are you reading these days?