About us

Paul T. Kelly

Vice President

Over a 20 year career, Paul T. Kelly is credited with numerous legislative and regulatory accomplishments on variety of issues, with an emphasis on healthcare, pharmacy, pharmaceutical and retail business policies.  An experienced spokesman before Congress and the media, he specializes in strategic advocacy planning, direct lobbying, congressional communications and political and grassroots organizing.  

For 10 years, Kelly spearheaded lobbying campaigns for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores where from 2007 through 2011 he served as Vice President, Federal Government Affairs.  His lobbying efforts during the health care reform debates led to vastly improved Medicaid reimbursement for pharmacies and to expanded recognition of medication therapy management services.  These provisions added billions to the industry’s bottom line.  He also served as the association’s sole witness during health reform hearings in the House of Representatives.  From 1999 to 2004, he served his first tenure with the drug store group, helping enact provisions in the Medicare Modernization Act that established medication therapy management as a covered benefit, created fair network access standards for pharmacies and ensured seniors access to a 90-day supply of drugs from retail drug stores, not just from mail order pharmacies.  

From 2004 to 2006, he was Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), an alliance of large retail chains including Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot and others.  Under his leadership, RILA secured passage of the Safe Ports Act (Public Law 109-347) while fending off amendments that would have crippled the efficient movement of cargo through retail supply chains.  He also led efforts on loss prevention, securing passage of legislation to create an organized retail crime task force within the FBI.  In addition, he headed up RILA’s state government affairs program, fighting state and local restrictions on large format retailers and the imposition of health benefit mandates on retailers.  His healthcare expertise was recognized when he testified before the House Education and Workforce Committee on ERISA and state health insurance mandates in 2006.

Kelly also severed as Senior Federal Lobbyist for the American Dietetic Association helping secure first-time coverage for medical nutrition therapy services by dietitians in Medicare.  Prior to that, he was Director of Government Relations for the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) where he helped pass legislation expanding recognition of chiropractic services in Medicare and military health programs.  During college, he worked as a legislative intern to both Senator John Glenn and Senator Howell Heflin.  During graduate school, he was an administrative staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives Postmaster’s office.  

Kelly is a member of the Board of Directors of the American League of Lobbyists, an organization dedicated to professional development and high ethical standards for advocates in public policy.  Since 2006, he has also served on the Board of Directors of the Congressional Award Foundation, a charity established by Congress to recognize volunteerism and achievement among America’s youth.  
He holds a Masters degree in American Government from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelors in Political Science from Lynchburg College.  He lives with his wife and two children in Falls Church, Virginia.