Kellye Walker, chief legal officer and executive vice president of Eastman Chemical Co./courtesy photo

Seasoned in-house leader Kellye Walker is leaving her post as chief legal officer at Huntington Ingalls Industries, the largest military shipbuilder in the country, to take over as the top lawyer for Eastman Chemical Co.

Walker begins her new job on April 13 at Eastman, a specialty chemical and materials company based in Kingsport, Tennessee. The firm has about 14,500 employees in more than 100 countries and its products are used in a wide array of industries, from construction and electronics to health and transportation. 

Walker will be joining Eastman at a challenging time for the company, which has manufacturing sites throughout China, including the city of Wuhan, ground zero for the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. Coronavirus-related disruptions coupled with collapsing oil prices, a factor that also has hurt other chemical companies, caused Eastman's stock to plummet this week.

According to its website, Eastman has established a coronavirus team that is working on a plan to "help guide our actions in responding to a potential global outbreak, including measures to reduce spread of the illness and maintaining business continuity, including [information technology], procurement, manufacturing and supply chain functions." 

Walker succeeds interim chief legal officer Clark Jordan, who took over Eastman's legal department in August 2019, after David Golden retired from the position. In 2018, Golden had a base salary of $576,000 and took home more than $2.9 million in total compensation, according to Eastman's most recent proxy statement. 

As Eastman announced Walker's appointment on Monday, Huntington named Chad Boudreaux as its next top lawyer. He currently serves as Huntington's corporate vice president for litigation and chief compliance and privacy officer. He will succeed Walker after she officially departs the Newport News, Virginia-based company on March 31.

Huntington CEO Mike Peters said in a statement that Walker, who spent more than five years with the firm, "has been a great asset to the company, an integral member of my senior executive team and has demonstrated very strong leadership." 

Walker's soon-to-be boss, Eastman CEO Mark Costa, stated that she "brings tremendous experience after serving for over 18 years as chief legal officer of other companies in various industries." 

He added, "She is a proven senior adviser and people leader with an impressive track record of success, and we look forward to welcoming her to Eastman." 

Walker declined an interview request on Monday. A spokeswoman for Huntington said Walker wanted to start her new job before she commented on her latest career move. Walker also has served as a top lawyer and executive for BJ's Wholesale Club Inc., Diageo North America and American Water Works Co. 

In 2007, while she was general counsel for Diageo, a global alcoholic beverages company, she was a stakeholder in a law firm diversity initiative effort called the Stakeholder 100 Project, which is reminiscent of other similar initiatives that happened before and after the effort with, unfortunately, minimal or unclear results.

"This challenge of advancing minority professionals is not lost on corporate counsel," Walker said at the time.