Pace McMullan, most recently deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs for the Senate, has joined the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) as VP of government relations. McMullan brings more than a decade of experience in legislative affairs on Capitol Hill to the role.
“Bringing Pace on board significantly elevates what is already one of the strongest lobbying teams in Washington,” said Frank Gleeson, NACS president and CEO. “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.”
In the White House, McMullan was a member of the senior leadership team in the Office of Legislative Affairs, working with members of Congress – particularly the Senate – to support the administration’s legislative agenda. He 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 during her time in both the House and Senate.
“I’m excited to join NACS and work to advance the convenience industry’s policy agenda,” McMullan said. “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.”
Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin added, “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.”
James Blair, former White House deputy chief of staff, highlighted McMullan’s role in passing the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and noted that his new role will 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.”
About NACS
For 65 years, NACS has been the association for convenience and fuel retailers. NACS retail members 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, conducts 160 million transactions daily and had sales of $818 billion in 2025.