Dr. Michienzi began her career with the Department of Defense (DoD) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division, where she initially worked as a formulation chemist, developing new explosive and propellant formulations for DoD weapons systems, for which she holds five patents.  She transitioned to program manager, establishing and leading the Navy’s gun propellant development program, and eventually became the acting Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Department Head.  She has also served as the munitions technical expert for the Technical Director, Program Executive Office, Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) for Surface Ship Weapons.  

She is currently in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Technology and Logistics (OUSD(AT&L)), where she has held several positions.  She served as a munitions expert and the Insensitive Munitions (IM) lead for the DoD for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Tactical Warfare Systems (DASD TWS) and is currently the Senior Industrial Analyst for Missiles and Munitions for DASD Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy (MIBP).  Dr. Michienzi is responsible for assessing the health of the industrial base for all components of all DoD munitions, identifying issues and potential mitigation plans for senior OSD leadership.  She also reviews acquisition strategies for new munitions and yearly DoD budget submissions to identify and work to solve any industrial base issues.

Dr. Michienzi received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) and her Doctorate in Analytical Chemistry, also from UMCP.