Katherine Krebel was elected as the 31st President of your ACC-St. Louis Chapter at the January 20, 2022, Annual Meeting. She has been working as an in-house attorney for Leonardo DRS, Inc. since 2010. Leonardo DRS, Inc., headquartered in Arlington VA, maintains a significant presence in Missouri through its DRS Sustainment Systems, Inc. subsidiary in St. Louis County and West Plains. DRS is a leading provider of defense products and technologies that are used across land, air, sea, space and cyber domains. In her role, Kate focuses on business compliance as it relates to international and domestic transactions, ethics and business conduct, corporate governance and federal government contracting. Kate provides support of customers, internal clients, teammates, and business partners across the corporation.
Kate is a named officer for all of Leonardo DRS, Inc. U.S. subsidiaries and as a DRS PAC Board member, as well as currently serving as President for the St. Louis Chapter of the ACC. She is a proud alum of Visitation Academy, and both the Chaifetz School of Business and the Saint Louis University School of Law. Kate and her husband Brian, a Research Scientist with Bayer, live with their three daughters in St. Louis.
1. If I was not a corporate lawyer I would be: Probably working in alternative dispute resolution – I like the idea of helping to solve problems resourcefully if possible.
2. My hobbies are: Hobbies are not really a thing for me at this point in my life, but I have been growing herbs since the beginning of the pandemic. I aspire to play an instrument at some point in my life.
3. When I want to relax I: Retail therapy! Even if just for household items, there is something cathartic about fulfilling a need.
4. My music playlist is dominated by: My kids – I rarely have control of the music, but when I do, I like to listen to Adele, The Lumineers, Luke Combs, Justin Bieber - - I’m all over the map.
5. My guilty food pleasure is: My favorite restaurant serves “globally inspired fare” – so I guess that is it, but they serve amazing mixed drinks and tasting boards so you can sample a variety - delicious, but not healthy.
6. My favorite family vacation was: The Pacific Coast Highway -- from Washington, Oregon, and touring California's coast along Highway 1 -- to Ft. Bragg.
7. My favorite type of book to read for pleasure is: Throughout the week I read national content, targeted firm and ACC content for my practice areas, as well as regional outlets to stay on top of current affairs. This is in addition to regular work product review and drafting. So, when it comes to reading for pleasure on the weekends, I really would rather tune in to a good true crime podcast.
8. I became involved with ACC because: It was a great way to get to know similarly situated lawyers, and we put on great social events!
9. I think the real value our members get from involvement with ACC is: In addition to the social aspects, ACC is the premier method for local in-house counsel to secure quality CLE, stay on top of current issues, give back to the community – ultimately the value is in its efficiency.
10. My goals for this year as ACC President are: Strengthen member and sponsor value as well as continue to define our path toward the new normal, whatever that turns out to be.
11. My advice to corporate lawyers new to the industry is: If you are smart, motivated and committed, there is no doubt you will be successful. Find ways to work smarter to also give yourself the work life balance you need to maintain those attributes across your career.
12. The best way to get more involved with the ACC St. Louis Chapter is: The ACC St. Louis has a variety of committees from Social, to Pro Bono as well as event planning Committees like the Corporate Counsel Institute and our signature Golf Spa Event. I was on the Law Student Relations Committee for years and loved staying connected with the local universities. Review the Committee list, find one that speaks to your interests and reach out to the Chair of the committee (or call me or any member of the executive committee and we will connect you to the right people)!
ARCHIVED SPOTLIGHTS
Brian Parsons - 2020 ACC St. Louis President
Sven Fickler - 2021 ACC St. Louis President
