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NEWS | Sept. 13, 2022

Army Materiel Command names AMCOM attorney the 2022 Attorney of the Year

By Dr. Richelle A. Brown U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command

Army Aviation and Missile Command attorney Katherine MacKenzie was named Army Materiel Command’s 2022 Joyce I. Allen Attorney of the Year.

The Joyce I. Allen Attorney Award recognizes the AMC attorney who best exemplifies the highest professional standards in the quality of legal advice provided to clients in AMC and the Army. The award is given annually to a civilian or military attorney or patent advisor for outstanding accomplishments in the services of the legal profession and the community. 

“The award was quite a surprise,” MacKenzie said. “The great things that are happening in this office come from the people that I work with every day more so than me – it’s really a credit to them.”

MacKenzie is chief of the Acquisitions Law and Operations Division, overseeing legal operations for the Army’s aviation and missile systems acquisition mission. Her division provides legal advice and support for the acquisition planning, research and development, production, logistics support and sustainment of the Army’s missile, rotary-wing and fixed-wing systems, and various organizations at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.

According to the citation, MacKenzie’s exceptional efforts have positively impacted programs as diverse as Future Vertical Lift, Hypersonics, Short Range Air Defense, and COVID-19 response contracts. 

In addition, she was hand-picked by AMC command counsel to serve as the first civilian attorney assigned to support the Army’s modernization effort and stand-up of U.S. Army Futures Command. In this role, she provided legal counsel and advice to the AFC task force on various legal issues, including administrative law, ethics, labor and personnel, fiscal and acquisition, and contract law.

Nathanael Causey, chief legal counsel, AMC Legal Center - Redstone Arsenal, nominated MacKenzie for the award.

“Katie has had sustained, outstanding accomplishments for the past six years that will leave a lasting legacy of excellence,” Causey said. “She performed with distinction on every endeavor, drove innovative changes, and vastly improved our legal operations at AMCOM. I am thrilled that she received this recognition.”  

MacKenzie began her career with the federal government in 2009 at Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command. She relocated to Huntsville in 2013, where she joined Army Contracting Command at its early inception and eventually moved to AMCOM in 2019. 

“I feel extremely fortunate to have had some wonderful opportunities during my time with the Army,” MacKenzie said.

She is very proud of being a part of the growth of the legal offices at both ACC and AFC, and she enjoys working with, mentoring, and providing guidance to the attorneys at AMCOM.

She offers this advice and a quote from Richard Branson to get people out of their comfort zone,

"Work hard, listen and be open to possibilities. Richard Branson said, ‘If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity, but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!' Have faith in yourself that you can get it done.” 

The Joyce I. Allen Attorney of the Year Award is named after an attorney in the then, U.S. Army Aviation Systems Command legal office located in St. Louis, Missouri. Allen had a long and distinguished career of contributions to her clients and the AMC legal community.