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About Lee McInnis

Lee McInnis, an Alabama native, comes from a proud tradition of military and union service—his father was a Korean War veteran and civil engineer, and his mother and relatives were lifelong union members.

Lee served six years in Army Intelligence and later spent 28 years in the Defense Intelligence Community, including multiple overseas deployments and culminating as Acting Director of Intelligence for NATO/USA Special Operations in Afghanistan. He was recognized with several honors, including the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Director’s Intelligence Award.

After retiring from federal service, Lee transitioned to academia, teaching communications and American government, and later earned a second master’s degree in history from Auburn University.

Growing Up

Lee McInnis is a native Alabamian and a disabled veteran of the United States Army. Born at Carraway Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, he was the youngest of two brothers. His father, Bill McInnis, served as an Infantry Company First Sergeant during the Korean War in one of the first racially integrated combat units in the US Army. After returning home, Bill worked for the Jefferson County Engineering Department, where he taught himself civil engineering and eventually supervised one of the largest water treatment plants in Alabama.

Military Career

Lee graduated from Homewood High School and Auburn University, where he earned his BA in communications. After college, Lee joined Army Intelligence and served for six years in both the Active and Reserve Components. Lee used the GI Bill to go back to graduate school at Auburn, where he earned a master’s degree in communications and international relations.

He then started his career in the Defense Intelligence Community. His career included seven years of overseas service, with assignments in the United Kingdom, Qatar, Bahrain, a deployment to Iraq, and two deployments to Afghanistan. His final position was as the Acting Director of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance with the Joint NATO/USA Special Operations Task Force in Kabul, Afghanistan. During that deployment, he received the Joint Staff Civilian Commendation Medal. Upon leaving federal service, Lee was honored with the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Director’s Intelligence Award for his 28 years of service.

Today

After Lee retired from federal service, Barb’s job took them to Augusta, Georgia, where Lee taught communications and American government courses at a local college. After Barb retired from federal service, they moved to Opelika, and Lee enrolled again in Auburn’s graduate school, where he earned a master’s degree in history and a graduate certificate in public history.

The Issues

Support Healthcare

We must immediately repeal the sections of the Trump budget that will peel away $1 trillion in federal healthcare support. This will particularly be devastating in the 3rd District where healthcare deserts already exist.

Education for All

Every child in the United States has the right to a quality, free education in a safe environment. The quality of that education should not depend on where the child lives or their parents’ income.

Fair Taxes

The working and middle classes have been asked to carry the weight of the federal government for too long. Ordinary people pay more than their share in taxes and suffer the cuts in services, while the ultra-rich benefit from our regressive tax codes. This is especially devastating in our rural communities.