HONORING CATHERINE LAVELLE KESSMEIER

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Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 82 (Thursday, May 14, 2026) [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. ____________________

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