Catherine L. Kessmeier is the Principal Deputy General Counsel for the Department of the Navy (DON) and has also served as the Acting General Counsel for the DON during the vacancy in this position. Ms. Kessmeier is responsible for overseeing and coordinating all Office of the General Counsel legal practice areas and is the functional community leader of more than 1,100 attorneys and professional support staff in 140 offices worldwide.

Prior to her appointment as Principal Deputy General Counsel, she served as Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) (ASN (M&RA)) during the vacancy in the position, as well as the Principal Deputy ASN (M&RA) where she had responsibility for the overall supervision and oversight of the manpower and reserve component affairs of the DON. Her responsibilities encompassed the development of programs and policy related to military personnel (active, reserve and retired), their family members and the civilian workforce; and the oversight of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, the Sexual Assault Prevention Program Office, the Naval Education Office, the Office of Civilian Human Resources, the Military Manpower and Personnel Directorate, and the Office of Manpower Analytics and HR Systems.

Previously, Ms. Kessmeier served as Deputy General Counsel for the DON with responsibilities similar to those of the managing partner of a very large, international law firm representing clients with business lines worth over $179 billion. As Deputy General Counsel, she established and implemented policies for the recruitment, hiring, promotion, and professional development of approximately 1,100 attorneys worldwide. She also oversaw the Freedom of Information Act Program, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program, and the provision of legal advice to the Auditor General of the Navy and the DON’s Assistant for Administration.

From 2017 through 2019, Ms. Kessmeier served as the Assistant General Counsel (M&RA) for the Department of the Navy – the principal legal advisor for matters concerning military and civilian personnel policy, as well as coordinating the efforts of attorneys world-wide in administrative and federal court labor and employment litigation. From 2013 through 2017, she served as the Assistant General Counsel (Acquisition Integrity) and the DON’s Suspension and Debarment Official, where she oversaw the Department’s efforts to pursue criminal, civil, contractual, and administrative remedies in all significant investigations of acquisition fraud or corruption.

From 2009 until 2013, Ms. Kessmeier served as the Deputy Assistant General Counsel (M&RA). She managed and directed the provision of legal services for the Naval Sea Systems Command as the Mid-Atlantic Area Counsel and Counsel Naval Surface Warfare Center (Carderock Division) from 2005 to 2009.

Ms. Kessmeier joined the DON Office of the General Counsel in 1999 as an attorney with the Naval Sea Systems Command, where she later served as a subsection head for civilian personnel law and special projects. She also worked as an attorney for the Department of Commerce, Office of the General Counsel, providing legal support to the Secretariat, its operating units, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Ms. Kessmeier began her federal career as an attorney advisor to the Chair of the Federal Labor Relations Authority.

Ms. Kessmeier completed the Interdisciplinary Honors Program and graduated from Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Political Science and a Certificate in Religious Studies. She received her Juris Doctor from the Widener University School of Law, Wilmington, Delaware, where she was an Associate Articles Editor for the Widener Law Symposium Journal and an Executive Board Member of the Moot Court Honor Society.

Ms. Kessmeier is a recipient of the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive. She is also the recipient of several Department of the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Awards, Superior Civilian Service Awards, Meritorious Civilian Service Awards, and she received a Superior Accomplishment Award from the U.S. Federal Labor Relations Authority.

Last Updated: 22 January 2025