Mary Lee Watts

Mary Lee Watts joined ACLA in December 2023 as Vice President, Government Affairs and Policy. She previously served as Director, Federal Affairs at the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), where she directed ASM’s policy development, outreach and engagement with Congress and federal agencies on annual appropriations and across a broad portfolio of issues affecting the microbial sciences, infectious disease diagnostics and public health. Before joining ASM in 2019, Ms. Watts held policy and advocacy positions with the American Association for Cancer Research, American Society for Nutrition, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Mary Lee holds a Master of Public Health degree in Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology from Vanderbilt University. She was recognized with a 2023 Top Lobbyist award by the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics (NILE).