Marta McLellan Ross

Marta McLellan Ross is NPR's Vice President of Government & External Affairs. In this role, she leads the Policy and Representation team, which promotes robust public funding to strengthen and support the public radio network and advocates for legislation that safeguards public radio journalists and freedom of the press. She leverages her public service expertise to explain the impact of our work to Members of Congress, particularly the vital work of public radio stations across the country in service to local communities.

McLellan Ross brings a distinguished history of work in public service and more than a decade of legislative experience to the role. In her most recent role as Director of Legislative Affairs at the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), McLellan Ross represented complex logistics and acquisition policy matters to Members of Congress and their staff during a period in which DLA was executing essential procurements for the nation's response to COVID-19. Prior to joining DLA, she was the Acting Director of Congressional Affairs at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). She served at USAGM for three years, developing bipartisan Congressional support for U.S. international media, advising on legislative strategy, and directing responses to Congressional oversight. She served as a senior policy advisor to two U.S. Senators. In addition to her legislative experience, McLellan Ross has an extensive background in East Asian security policy, and spent many years working as an analyst and policy advisor in that field including as a Council on Foreign Relations Hitachi Fellow. She is a 2001 Harry S. Truman Scholar, awarded for her commitment to a career in public service.

McLellan Ross is proud to contribute to NPR's public media mission. Growing up in a military family, studying in Alabama and Massachusetts, and now working in our nation's Capital, she has always been drawn to NPR's coverage of the nuances of the American story, and believes that NPR's role is even more important now in fostering national dialogue and bipartisan support for the public radio system.