- Bart Lounsbury named LLNL general counsel, effective Aug. 23, the lab said
- Lounsbury joins LLNL from the University of California, where he has served since 2014
- Katherine Kettler, acting general counsel since February, became deputy general counsel Aug. 24
Bart Lounsbury has been named general counsel of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, effective Aug. 23. He is leading the Office of the General Counsel, providing legal advice and representation on matters affecting the laboratory.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Director Kim Budil said she is confident Lounsbury will be a tremendous asset to the laboratory and the LLNS Board of Governors.
Lounsbury and his team will provide the legal expertise needed to support the lab’s national security mission, protect and use intellectual property, and facilitate regulatory compliance and ethical conduct, LLNL said Tuesday. He succeeds Katherine Kettler, who has served as acting general counsel since February.
What Experience Does Lounsbury Bring From the University of California?
Lounsbury joins LLNL from the University of California Office of the General Counsel, where he has served since 2014. Since September 2021, he has been managing counsel for national laboratories and business transactions, supervising attorneys across corporate, finance, international transactions, procurement, tax, and nonprofit and charitable-giving matters.
From 2014 to 2021, he served as senior counsel for environmental health and safety, national laboratories and land use. In that capacity, Lounsbury managed and collaborated on matters involving Department of Energy prime contracts, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, academic and public-private partnerships, litigation, labor and employment, and public records.
He also supported UC’s mission-focused oversight of its affiliated national laboratories through the LLNS Board of Governors, the Triad Board of Directors and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Contract Assurance Council. In addition, Lounsbury led negotiations to establish a new 20-year ground lease for the UC Livermore Collaboration Center at LLNL.
He further supported UC in its successful bid and transition efforts for the National Nuclear Security Administration contract to manage Los Alamos National Laboratory.
A Look at Lounsbury’s Career Path and Kettler’s Next Chapter
Before joining UC, Lounsbury was an attorney at Rossmann and Moore from September 2011 to March 2014. He earlier served as a Foreign Service environment officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development from 2009 to 2011 and as an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council from 2007 to 2009.
Lounsbury holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, a master of urban planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a bachelor’s degree in French literature from Harvard College. He is a member of the California Bar.
Kettler has served as acting general counsel since February, providing leadership, support and expertise to the laboratory during the transition period. She assumed the role of deputy general counsel on Aug. 24, and is continuing to work alongside Lounsbury as he steps into the position.
