Kelly McGovern
Attorney
Chantilly,VA
Summary
Experienced leader and legal professional with over 20 years practicing law in areas including: Ethics and Compliance, Privacy, Risk Management, FOIA, Civil Litigation, and Criminal Law. Personable and diligent attorney with keen eye for detail, who takes a collaborative approach. Possesses the ability to quickly grasp complex legal concepts and makes them simple for others to understand. Ready to use problem-solving and analytical skills to provide sound legal advice and drive positive outcomes for organizations.
Overview
29
29
years of professional experience
Work History
Associate General Counsel (Ethics, Privacy, FOIA)
DTRA OGC, Department of Defense
05.2019 - Current
- Manages and continuously improves the Ethics, Privacy, and FOIA programs, ensuring compliance with statutory, regulatory, and professional standards.
- Serves as the trusted legal advisor for the Director, Senior Executives, and all Employees for issues pertaining to Ethics, Risk Management, Privacy, and FOIA.
- Recognized throughout the organization as the Ethics, Privacy, and FOIA subject matter expert. Known for my willingness to help and my tagline, "Call Kelly." Assists employees at all levels with spotting issues, analyzing problems, and reaching legal solutions.
- Builds and cultivates a strong culture of ethics through interactive initial and annual training, which increases awareness concerning the Code of Conduct, conflicts of interest, gifts, bribery, and other issues as needed. Conducts in-person and virtual classes, and created a series of videos to accommodate employees around the globe.
- Transformed the Privacy program by developing a 30 page handbook for employees, improved reporting procedures, and implemented best practices to ensure all statutory and regulatory requirements were met.
- Leads the Privacy, FOIA, and Ethics teams to manage the programs and develop policies with implementation guidance consistent with the organization's priorities.
- Works closely with the Inspector General (IG) to handle internal investigations of ethics violations, as well as Privacy breaches or complaints. Assists by drafting allegations, creating questions for investigators, and providing legal reviews of final reports to ensure they are legally sufficient.
- Collaborates with other offices in the Agency, to include HR, IG, Finance, and Security, to develop the risk management framework to ensure effectiveness of the organization's overall risk assessments and mitigation measures.
- Developed metrics measure employee awareness, engagement, and adherence to ethical standards. Worked with IT to develop a dashboard to track Privacy and FOIA cases.
- Excelled at multiple internal and external audits of the programs.
S.T.E.M. Director
St. Veronica School
10.2016 - 05.2019
- Helped over 200 students learn critical thinking skills, leveraged technology, and implemented innovative teaching methods to enhance student engagement.
- Designed and executed comprehensive science curriculum, resulting in a measurable increase in student performance and interest in STEM fields.
Deputy Staff Director & Legal Advisor
Department of Defense Office of General Counsel
06.2012 - 09.2016
- Led a 12-person interdisciplinary team to support multiple committees consisting of retired General Officers, Senior Judges and Academic Officials. Provided those Senior Officials with comprehensive legal advice concerning PTSD disability ratings, victims' rights, and judicial proceedings for sexual assault cases.
- Conducted extensive legal research, and demonstrated strong written and verbal communication skills by presenting reports and oral updates to the Senior Officials regarding rules and regulations, statutory construction, disability ratings, sexual assault victims' rights, retaliation, restitution, compensation, and best practices for judicial proceedings.
- Oversaw my team and helped organize 24 public conferences with 613 speakers, ensuring comprehensive information dissemination and stakeholder engagement to ensure the Senior Officials received information from all perspectives.
Legal Advisor, Legislative, Regulatory, and Policy
USARC
08.2011 - 06.2012
- Advised the General Counsel on regulatory, statutory, and administrative law issues, ensuring compliance with the latest laws and regulations.
- Conducted reviews of Congressional inquiries, identified the legal issues, and prepared responses in record time, reducing the large backlog.
Civil Litigation Attorney, SAUSA
Department of Justice
06.2010 - 07.2011
- Litigated civil cases filed in the District of Columbia against the Department of Defense and the Service Secretaries, achieving favorable outcomes in court and in settlement negotiations.
- Conducted thorough research of laws, regulations, and cases to draft motions and briefs involving: the Privacy Act, Ethics violations, FOIA, contract disputes, employment law, disability ratings, medical malpractice, environmental law, and challenges to agency decisions pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act.
- Managed workload with over 50 complex cases, prioritized tasks and met deadlines with no supervision.
Civil Litigation Attorney
U.S. Army Legal Services
06.2007 - 06.2010
- Litigated and provided legal support for cases filed in District Courts across the country and in the Court of Federal Claims (COFC).
- Drafted numerous briefs for Assistant U.S Attorneys and appeared as co-counsel in cases relating to ethics violations, employment law, veterans' benefits, contract law, FOIA, Privacy Act, and records correction boards.
- Collaborated with agencies and opposing counsel to narrow issues in dispute, successfully reaching resolutions outside of court, thereby greatly decreasing litigation costs.
Prosecutor
U.S. Army, XVIII Airborne Corps
11.2005 - 08.2006
- Led the prosecution team for a high-profile capital case, involving a supply officer charged with murder.
- Conducted over 50 witness interviews, gathering critical evidence for the prosecution's case, resulting in a comprehensive and robust prosecution strategy.
- Successfully managed cross-agency collaboration by coordinating with private sector companies, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and other federal agencies, ensuring seamless communication and cooperation.
Chief of Justice and Legal Advisor
U.S. Army, XVIII Airborne Corps
10.2004 - 10.2005
- Served as the legal advisor to the leaders of the largest logistical unit for the operations in Iraq, as well as the Chief of Justice responsible for overseeing 20 Prosecutors.
- Provided legal support a 20,000 troop unit with matters ranging from: statutory and regulatory requirements, ethics and compliance, administrative law, environmental law, and criminal law matters.
- Traveled throughout Iraq to assist military attorneys with over 200 investigations and trial preparations for numerous courts-martial, ensuring adherence to legal and regulatory standards.
Prosecutor & Legal Advisor
XVIII Airborne Corps, U.S. Army
01.2004 - 10.2004
- Served as the Legal Advisor to Senior Officials, who oversaw 5,000 personnel, ensuring compliance with ethics rules, criminal laws and administrative matters.
- Prosecuted numerous courts-martial and administrative separation boards, achieving favorable outcomes and maintaining high ethical standards.
- Developed and taught comprehensive training programs, increasing legal awareness and adherence to Ethics and the Rules of Law prior to the unit's deployment.
Military Police (MP) Officer
U.S. Army
Colorado Springs, Colorado and, Seoul, Korea
01.1996 - 08.2000
- Led 200 military and civilian personnel and oversaw 500 Korean Security Guards as a MP Company Commander, ensuring operational and personnel readiness. (Seoul, Korea 1998-2000)
- Supervised 30 Soldiers as a MP Platoon Leader, responsible for maintaining base security, conducting training exercises, and executing the Commander's intent to accomplish missions. (Ft. Carson, Co. 1996-1998)
Education
LL.M. -
The Judge Advocate General Legal Center And School
Charlottesville, Virginia 01.2006 - 01.2007
J.D. -
Campbell Univ. Norman Adrien Wiggins School of Law
Buies Creek, North Carolina 05.2000 - 01.2003
MBA -
Campbell University, School of Business
Buies Creek, North Carolina 05.2000 - 01.2003
B.A. - Political Science
Colorado College
Colorado Springs, Colorado 01.1991 - 01.1995
Skills
Ethics, Privacy, FOIA Program Management
Strong Written and Verbal Communication Skills
Problem-Solving & Decision Making
Training Development & Instruction
Legal compliance
Investigation skills
Legal research and review
Teamwork and collaboration
Work Preference
Work Type
Full TimeTimeline
Associate General Counsel (Ethics, Privacy, FOIA)
DTRA OGC, Department of Defense
05.2019 - Current
S.T.E.M. Director
St. Veronica School
10.2016 - 05.2019
Deputy Staff Director & Legal Advisor
Department of Defense Office of General Counsel
06.2012 - 09.2016
Legal Advisor, Legislative, Regulatory, and Policy
USARC
08.2011 - 06.2012
Civil Litigation Attorney, SAUSA
Department of Justice
06.2010 - 07.2011
Civil Litigation Attorney
U.S. Army Legal Services
06.2007 - 06.2010
LL.M. -
The Judge Advocate General Legal Center And School
01.2006 - 01.2007
Prosecutor
U.S. Army, XVIII Airborne Corps
11.2005 - 08.2006
Chief of Justice and Legal Advisor
U.S. Army, XVIII Airborne Corps
10.2004 - 10.2005
Prosecutor & Legal Advisor
XVIII Airborne Corps, U.S. Army
01.2004 - 10.2004
J.D. -
Campbell Univ. Norman Adrien Wiggins School of Law
05.2000 - 01.2003
MBA -
Campbell University, School of Business
05.2000 - 01.2003
Military Police (MP) Officer
U.S. Army
01.1996 - 08.2000
B.A. - Political Science
Colorado College
01.1991 - 01.1995
Bar Memberships
- STATE BAR OF NORTH CAROLINA, 2003
- SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES BAR, 2007
- U.S. COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS BAR, 2007