Navy Acquisition from the Inside Out: Deputy Assistant Secretary and Former Industry CEO Maria Proestou on What Comes Next

What happens when a Navy acquisition leader who has spent her career on both sides of the government-industry divide shares her perspective on where acquisition is headed next? You listen.

OrangeSlices recently hosted an Engage session featuring Maria Proestou, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Acquisition Policy & Budget, for a wide-ranging conversation about the forces shaping Navy acquisition, what is changing, and what industry should be paying attention to now.

Maria brought an unusually broad perspective to the discussion.

Across a 30-year career spanning government and industry, she has helped shape complex warfighting investments, navigated the DoD planning and budgeting process, built and led a successful defense business, supported major acquisition and integration efforts, and worked extensively across the Navy acquisition enterprise. Today, she brings that experience to one of the most consequential intersections within the Department of the Navy: acquisition policy and budget.

Expertly moderated by Sharon Woods, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Accounts, Public Sector at Invisible Technologies, the conversation moved well beyond acquisition mechanics. Maria offered her perspective on Navy priorities, the continued push for speed and flexibility, the growing role of AI, automation, data and emerging technologies, and what effective government-industry engagement needs to look like as mission requirements evolve.

Perhaps most valuable for industry, Maria also discussed what it means to be a stronger mission partner. Not simply how companies pursue the next opportunity, but how they can better understand where the Navy is going, bring meaningful capabilities forward, and position themselves to deliver value over the next three to five years.

If the Navy is part of your growth strategy, put this one in the queue. Whether you lead growth, capture, strategy, technology or delivery, this 40-minute conversation offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from a senior Navy acquisition executive about what is changing, what matters, and what industry should be preparing for next. Listen to the full conversation.

Of note: Those who attended Engage live also had an additional 20 minutes with Maria after the recording ended for an audience Q&A. If you value the opportunity to take these conversations one step further and engage directly with leaders like Maria, keep an eye out for upcoming Engage sessions.

To connect with Maria, visit her on LinkedIn here.

To connect with Sharon, visit her on LinkedIn here.
To learn more about Invisible Technologies, visit their website here.