[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 82 (Thursday, May 14, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E447-E448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING CATHERINE LAVELLE KESSMEIER

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONALD S. BEYER, JR.

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 14, 2026

  Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Catherine 
Lavelle Kessmeier for her 30 years of outstanding federal service, 
including over 25 years as a civilian attorney for the Department of 
the Navy (DON) Office of the General Counsel (OGC).
  Since she began her distinguished career with DON OGC in 1999, Ms. 
Kessmeier has held several attorney positions. Notably, she became a 
member of the Senior Executive Service in January 2013. In August 2021, 
she was selected to serve as the Principal Deputy General Counsel 
(PDGC), the most senior career attorney position within the DON. During 
her tenure as the PDGC, she twice served as the Acting General Counsel 
of the Navy--a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed position--
from August 2021 to February 2022, and from January 2025 to July 2025.
  Ms. Kessmeier distinguished herself as an exceptional and resilient 
attorney, including leading the DON's legal response to the 
unprecedented environmental crisis associated with the Red Hill fuel 
release and advising Department of Defense and DON senior leaders on 
numerous international, fiscal, and contracting law matters associated 
with the trilateral defense partnership between Australia,

[[Page E448]]

the United Kingdom, and the United States. With unrelenting dedication 
and unwavering commitment to advancing the DON mission, she provided 
proactive, accurate, and innovative legal advice on complex, 
politically sensitive, and highly visible issues that intersected with 
the complete spectrum of DON OGC practice areas. Additionally, Ms. 
Kessmeier established an unrivaled standard of leadership while 
overseeing and coordinating the provision of quality, effective, and 
consistent legal advice and counsel by hundreds of DON OGC attorneys, 
bolstering Navy and Marine Corps readiness throughout the global 
enterprise.
  Over the course of her exemplary career, Ms. Kessmeier received 
various awards for her extraordinary contributions to the DON and the 
Nation. These include the DON Meritorious, Superior, and Distinguished 
Civilian Service Awards, the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious 
Executive, and other performance-related recognition.
  For these reasons, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in 
recognizing Ms. Catherine Lavelle Kessmeier as she retires from decades 
of federal service.

                          ____________________