HII Names Courtney Corporate VP of Legislative Affairs

HII announced that Peter Courtney has been promoted to corporate vice president of legislative affairs and Betsy Bina Benedict will join HII to serve as the director of legislative affairs. Courtney succeeds Carolyn Apostolou who retired in December after 10 years with the company.

Courtney will be located in HII’s Arlington office and report directly to Stewart Holmes, HII’s executive vice president of government and customer relations (GCR). Benedict will report to Courtney.

In Courtney’s new role, he will be responsible for the development of lobbying strategy and implementation of lobbying activity, with a general focus on U.S. Senate members, staff and committees of jurisdiction. He also will be responsible for ensuring compliance with all Federal Election Commission and all other legal and regulatory disclosure requirements regarding lobbying activity. Other duties include the shaping of legislative proposals and special authorities.

“We are pleased to have Peter and his extensive congressional and federal budget experience continue to play a critical role in building and maintaining positive relationships with the legislative branch,” Holmes said. “We are equally pleased to have Betsy join the team who has nearly 25 years serving as a professional staff member for the U.S. Congress. I look forward to Peter and Betsy leading our legislative relationships that will enable HII to provide long-term stability to the divisions and the communities they serve.”

Prior to joining HII, Courtney served 24 years in the U.S. Navy, and his last position in uniform was the deputy director of the Appropriations Matters Office (FMBE) in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management & Comptroller). He was responsible for developing and executing the Navy’s legislative strategy in support of the department’s annual budget submission and acting as a liaison between Congress and the department of the Navy. In addition to numerous tours in the Pentagon in requirements and financial management, he also completed multiple overseas deployments as an F-14 radar intercept officer and served as an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN).

Courtney is a 1990 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science. He also holds master’s degrees in national security affairs from the Naval War College and in business administration from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Benedict has served in a variety of policy and legislative positions within the U.S. Congress, including 13 years with the House Appropriations Committee. Her last position was as clerk for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. Benedict is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and holds master’s degrees in national security studies from the Army War College and in government from the Johns Hopkins University