Kathryn Wheelbarger is Vice President for Global Program Support at Lockheed Martin Government Affairs. In this role, she leads a team driving sales to international partners and allies through the Foreign Military Sales processes as well as a team focused on domestic policy issues, including acquisition policy, defense budget priorities, and defense industrial base and supply chain issues.  She previously served as Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs at the Department of Defense, where she was responsible for developing and advising the Secretary of Defense on defense policies related to the Middle East, Europe/NATO, Africa, the Western Hemisphere, and Russia and Eurasia.  For her service, she was awarded the Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Defense Department’s highest civilian award.  Immediately prior to joining Lockheed Martin, she was a fellow with The Washington Institute. In addition to this, Ms. Wheelbarger is a member of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Institute of Peace.

From 2009 to 2017, Ms. Wheelbarger held several senior roles on Capitol Hill, including Policy Director on the Senate Armed Services Committee for Chairman McCain, Deputy Staff Director on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for Chairman Mike Rogers, and Deputy Staff Director on the Energy and Commerce Committee for Ranking Member Joe Barton.  Earlier in her career, she served as Counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney and Associate General Counsel and Counselor to the Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. Kathryn began her career by clerking on the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals and litigating with two nationally recognized law firms.  Raised in California, Kathryn graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA with a BA in Political Science and Cum Laude from Harvard Law School.