Maria A. Proestou, BA ’92

Joined Fall 2026

Ms. Proestou serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Acquisition Policy and Budget (DASN(AP&B)) for the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition (ASN(RD&A)). In this capacity, Ms. Proestou serves as the Assistant Secretary's focal point with the Department of the Navy’s military services, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Office of the Secretary of Defense on Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) issues that impact the entire acquisition community. She serves as the Department’s principal coordinator with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) on acquisition policy implementation and reform and strategic investment. She leads strategy development, cost estimating, data analysis, milestone and gate reviews, and reporting for the over 600 DON programs subject to acquisition oversight. As the Department’s acquisition data steward, she assesses program performance metrics and develops tools for improved Department decision-making. She oversees the ASN (RDA) organization’s short- and long-range business operations and planning including internal controls and public and congressional communications.

Prior to her selection as DASN (AP&B), Ms. Proestou served as Strategic Acquisition Advisor to ASN (RD&A) where she leveraged her industry experience to expand the traditional and non-traditional industrial base of the Naval Research, Development and Acquisition enterprise to increase capacity and harness technological innovation. She also served as the Executive Director of the Department of Navy (DON), Science and Technology (S&T) Board federal advisory committee that recommended strategies for the Department of the Navy to realize the asymmetric warfighting advantages presented by emerging and dual-use technologies.

An accomplished entrepreneur and defense industry chief executive, Ms. Proestou founded, and led for 20 years, DELTA Resources, Inc, a successful mid-tier C5ISRT-focused Engineering and Sustainment firm with over $300M in strategic contracts spanning the DON’s acquisition portfolio. Ms. Proestou sold her company to a private equity firm in 2019 and subsequently led the integration of her firm with four portfolio companies to form a defense engineering and sustainment strategic business, completed two company acquisitions, and led a $3B pipeline.

Ms. Proestou received her Bachelor of Arts degree from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs focusing on security studies. She attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tuft’s University receiving her Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy following completion of a dual thesis in national security and finance.