Press Release

Kelsey Mayo Joins American Retirement Association as Regulatory Affairs Chief

Issued by American Retirement Association [ARA]

Jan. 9, 2025

Kelsey Mayo, the American Retirement Association’s (ARA) long-time outside Director of Regulatory Affairs, will come inside, joining the education and advocacy organization’s C-suite as its Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer.

Mayo will leave her role as the Lead Employee Benefits Partner at Poyner Spruill, LLP, a law firm based in North Carolina and will begin with the ARA on March 1.

“Kelsey is both an outstanding ERISA attorney and a retirement policy leader,” ARA CEO Brian Graff said. “We are very fortunate to have her joining the ARA team.”

In her role, Mayo will advocate for sound retirement policy, particularly with regulatory agencies, while supporting the ARA’s Government Affairs team in its legislative efforts. She’ll also take on several teaching roles within the ARA’s education team.

Her immediate areas of focus are ongoing SECURE 2.0 guidance, particularly the Roth catch-up provision, automatic enrollment, and issues surrounding the classification of long-term part-time employees (LTPTE), as well as the Department of Labor’s Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFCP).

A graduate of North Carolina State University and Wake Forest University School of Law, Mayo has extensive experience in all aspects of employee benefit plans and executive compensation arrangements.

Before taking on the Director of Regulatory Affairs role, Mayo was a long-time volunteer on the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA) and the American Society of Enrolled Actuaries’ (formerly ACOPA) Government Affairs Committee.

She recently received the Thomas J. Finnegan III Educator of the Year Award at the 2024 ASPPA Annual Conference in October.

Her other accolades and awards include being recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (Employment Law – Management) 2023-2025; (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law) 2024-2025, Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite” (Young Guns) 2024-2025, and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation) 2020-2024.

“I’m most excited about going deeper and contributing more to ARA,” Mayo said. “Helping individuals save for a dignified and secure retirement after a lifetime of hard work has been my passion for so long, and now I’m excited to be focusing on my passion full-time.”

She described leaving Poyner Spruill as "very bittersweet."

“The hardest part of the decision was leaving my colleagues because they are some of the kindest and most intelligent people I’ve ever known. It’s actually easier and harder because I know that the firm and all of my clients are being left in very competent, capable, and good hands.”

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