Top White House Staffer Joins NACS Government Relations Team

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pace McMullan, most recently deputy assistant to the President/deputy director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs for the Senate, has joined the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) as vice president of government relations.

McMullan has more than a decade of experience in legislative affairs on Capitol Hill. In the White House, he was a member of the senior leadership team in the Office of Legislative Affairs, working directly with members of Congress, particularly the Senate, to support the administration’s legislative agenda. McMullan also served as executive director of the U.S. Senate Steering Committee, legislative director for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and legislative director for Martha McSally both during her time as a member of the House of Representatives and later as a senator. McMullan earned a B.A. in political science and history from Tulane University.

“Bringing Pace on board significantly elevates what is already one of the strongest lobbying teams in Washington. I am excited by the possibilities he brings to enhance our industry’s voice. This is tremendous news for our members and the communities that they serve,” said NACS President & CEO Frank Gleeson.

“I’m excited to join NACS and work to advance the convenience industry’s policy agenda. These small businesses are the backbones of local communities throughout the country, and the NACS government relations team has built a great reputation advocating for them. I look forward to working with everyone at NACS and all of their members,” said McMullan.

The many accolades for McMullan include:

“During my time in the Senate, I saw firsthand Pace’s ability to get big things done. The skill and effort he brought from the Senate to the White House were invaluable in helping us pass our historic legislative agenda in record time.” – Vice President JD Vance

“I had the pleasure of working closely with Pace when I was a member of the Senate, as a nominee and now as a member of the President’s Cabinet. The guy knows his stuff and is well respected in Congress and the administration. It will be tough losing him as he makes the move out of government, but he’s going to do a great job representing the members who make up the National Association of Convenience Stores.” – United States Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin

“Pace McMullan is the model for who you want in your foxhole. As a senior member of my staff before heading to the White House, Pace was a steady hand and a trusted advisor. I know he’s become that for many others in the Senate in his role at the White House Office of Legislative Affairs over the last 18 months. While it’s a tough loss for the White House, this is a massive win for the National Association of Convenience Stores and the ongoing effort to fight for Main Street America against the big banks and credit card monopolies.” – Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS)

“As the Senate lead for the President’s Office of Legislative Affairs, Pace played a critical role developing and passing numerous pieces of legislation—most notably the Working Families Tax Cuts Act—to help enact the President’s agenda in Congress. This new role will continue to allow him to work alongside the administration to help address affordability issues and put him in the catbird seat of monitoring, developing and enacting policies to do so, including much needed passage of legislation endorsed by the President to decrease credit card swipe fees.” – James Blair, Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff

“From the transition to his departure, Pace was intimately involved in every single aspect of the legislative affairs operation, helping the administration navigate through a staggering array of complex contingencies to the most successful Republican Congress in generations. His invaluable experience, wisdom, relationships and connections will be a unique value-add to his new role. The members of the National Association of Convenience Stores have added an extraordinary advocate for their interests in Washington.”– James Braid, White House Director of Legislative Affairs

For 65 years, NACS has been recognized as the premiere association for convenience and fuel retailers. NACS has retail member companies that cumulatively represent more than 400,000 stores in 50-plus countries, including 45,000 stores in the United States. The U.S. convenience store industry, with nearly 152,000 stores nationwide selling fuel, food and merchandise, conducts 160 million transactions daily and had sales of $818 billion in 2025. For more information, visit convenience.org. Follow NACS on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.