Kea Matory fills legislative policy director slot at NDIA

Kea Matory

ARLINGTON, VA -- The National Defense Industrial Association welcomes Kea Matory as director of legislative policy under the strategy and policy division.

In this role, Matory works with congressional offices, the Defense Department and the defense industry to advocate and educate for the development and support of policies for the safety and security of our nation.

“We are thrilled to have someone of Kea’s caliber on our team,” said Wes Hallman, NDIA’s senior vice president for strategy and policy. “Kea brings a depth of experience from her work on Capitol Hill that will help move NDIA’s goals forward.”

Matory joined NDIA after serving as the legislative affairs officer at headquarters of the Marine Corps’ Marine and Family Programs Division. In this role, she was division liaison to the office of the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, drafted congressional testimony, responded to inquiries from Congress, prepared witnesses for hearings and briefed allied nations on programs that affected Marines and their families. Matory created and hosted the division’s quarterly Veteran Service Organization (VSO) roundtable with participation from all military branches and leadership from multiple national VSOs, focusing on subjects impacting service members’ readiness.

In the civilian sector, Matory was director of a woman-owned, small-business government consulting firm; an attorney providing legal advice to service members; and at a national VSO, securing Veterans Affairs and Defense Department benefits for injured veterans and service members. 

Matory established a new volunteer program for Marines in the National Capital Area, serving as the Marine Corps representative for the Joint Services Volunteer Committee of Metro D.C. and trained commands on family readiness.

Before attending law school, Matory worked for ABC Network News on the news desk and as an associate producer.