Ryan M. Smith is a results-oriented leader with 10 years of experience in contracting, procurement, and grants management. At the core of his professional philosophy is a strong commitment to helping people by solving complex problems—a principle that has guided his career from leading Airmen in the U.S. Air Force to supporting state officials in navigating complex regulatory environments.
A disabled U.S. Air Force veteran, Ryan has a proven track record of leading teams through demanding operational challenges. His leadership philosophy emphasizes presence, engagement, and collaboration. While leading a six-person team managing a $14 million portfolio, he successfully navigated a significant staffing shortage by working alongside his team to resolve daily challenges while fostering camaraderie through team-building efforts. This hands-on, supportive leadership approach sustained productivity and morale and resulted in multiple team awards.
Ryan also demonstrated a strong process-improvement mindset when he led an initiative at Al Dhafra Air Base to modernize acquisition tracking. By developing an automated routing function within SharePoint, he provided mission partners with 24/7 visibility into contract status and significantly expedited approval timelines.
Transitioning to the civilian sector, Ryan currently serves as an Acquisition Support Specialist with Monterey, Inc., supporting the state of North Carolina. In this role, he guides 13 divisions through complex procurement and grant processes within a department managing an $18.3 billion annual budget. His attention to compliance and process improvement led to the identification and correction of more than 1,000 critical discrepancies in grantee sub-awards totaling $662 million, directly strengthening oversight and service delivery for North Carolinians. Ryan is committed to continuous professional development and is on track to complete both his Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and a Master of Business Administration from American Military University within the next year. He looks forward to leveraging these credentials to continue growing and contributing in increasingly complex roles.