Executive Committee

President Pro Tempore (R)
Utah

Wayne A. Harper is a member of the Utah State Senate representing District 6 since Jan. 1, 2013. Harper served in the Utah House of Representatives from Jan. 1, 1997, until Dec. 31, 2012, in the District 43 seat.

Harper earned his Bachelor of Arts in history and Master of Science from Brigham Young University. He is married to KaLee, and together they have 11 children. Harper is a certified archivist, certified real estate consultant and certified real estate developer. He works as a business and economic development consultant, and for Taylorsville City. In his professional career, Harper has been affiliated with the Conference of Inter-Mountain Archivists, the International Economic Development Council and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Representative (D)
Illinois

Marcus C. Evans Jr., serves as the state representative of the 33rd District of Illinois, which includes the South Side of Chicago and South Suburban Cook County. Evans is known to be a strong, collaborative and consensus-building leader. Under the leadership of Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, he currently serves as both assistant majority leader and chairman of the Labor and Commerce Committee. Over his years of service, Evans has passed many impactful legislative measures in a variety of categories including energy reliability, labor rights and policy, transportation, health care funding and availability, and housing stabilization and development. In addition, he serves as a member of the Revenue and Finance Committee and the Appropriations Human Services Committee. Evans strongly believes in the proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars; thus, he also serves on the bi-cameral Legislative Audit Commission (LAC).

Before being appointed and subsequently elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, Evans worked for the Chicago City Council as assistant to Alderperson Michelle A. Harris of the 8th Ward. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in business administration from Chicago State University. He is the proud father of one son, Marcus, III. Outside of public service, Evans works as a licensed real estate appraiser and an Illinois High School Association-licensed basketball official.

Senate Majority Whip
Montana

Senator Barry Usher is a member of the Montana State Senate representing District 20 since January 2, 2023.

Usher is a seasoned business owner, former law enforcement officer, and U.S. Coast Guard veteran. His legislative career began in 2017 in the Montana House, where he served three terms before being elected to the Montana Senate. Over his legislative tenure, he has been a dedicated member and leader within the Judiciary, Human Services, and Local Government Committees, eventually led the Judiciary Committee during the 2021 session.

An advocate for criminal justice reform, Usher has been recognized with the Medal of Merit Award from the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association for his contributions to the field of law enforcement and public safety.

As an active member of NCSL, Usher has attended nearly 60 meetings and has served on the Executive Committee, co-chaired the Law and Public Safety Standing Committee, and contributed to the Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Privacy.

Speaker Pro Tempore (D)
Rhode Island

Rep. Brian Patrick Kennedy was first elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives during the election of November 1988 and is a member of the Democratic majority party in the Rhode Island General Assembly. Kennedy is the speaker pro tempore and presides in the absence of the speaker and serves in the House leadership. Kennedy served as the chairman of the House Committee on Corporations for 20 years, where he worked on legislation dealing with all aspects of insurance, banking and financial services, telecommunications, public utilities and energy matters, affordable housing, health care and consumer protection. Kennedy is also the dean of the Rhode Island House.

Kennedy is a long-time member of NCSL and has served in multiple positions as a chair, co-chair and vice-chair, Executive Committee member and NCSL Foundation member. Kennedy is a past president of the National Conference of Insurance Legislators and serves as a legislative member of the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commission. Kennedy is a graduate of Chariho Regional High School in Wood River Junction, R.I., and received a bachelor of arts degree from Providence College with a double major in history and general social studies in 1983. Kennedy continued his studies at Anna Maria College and graduated in 1986-87 with a Master of Business Administration degree. He is a certified residential real estate appraiser and real estate broker, and owns Kennedy Realty Appraisal in Hopkinton, R.I.

Transportation Committee Staff Administrator
Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

John Snyder is the Transportation Committee staff administrator for the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (LRC), where he oversees research, bill drafting and committee operations for the House and Senate Transportation Committees of the Kentucky General Assembly. From 1997 to 2004, he served as an analyst for those committees. He joined the LRC in 1989, serving as an analyst and later project manager for LRC's Program Review and Investigations Committee. He holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in political science from the University of Louisville.

Snyder has held several positions with NCSL and currently serves as a member of the NCSL Executive Committee and the Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee. He is a proud and active member of the Research, Editorial, Legal, and Committee Staff (RELACS) Professional Staff Association of NCSL. He is the recipient of the 2014 NCSL Legislative Staff Achievement award for his work with the NCSL Standing Committees and the 2023 RELACS Special Commendation Award and is a member of the 2013 class of NCSL’s Legislative Staff Management Institute. Snyder resides in Frankfort with his wife, Martha, and has two adult children, William and Natalie. He is the past exalted ruler of the Frankfort Elks Lodge No. 530 and currently serves on the board of directors of the Frankfort Plant Board, the municipal electric, water and telecom utility for Kentucky's capital city.

Lonnie Edgar, Deputy Director
Mississippi Joint Legislative PEER Committee

Lonnie Edgar serves as deputy director for the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER). He has been with the PEER Committee since 2005. During his tenure at PEER, he has been involved in the evaluation and improvement of various Mississippi state agencies and programs with the goal to make state government more efficient, effective, and accountable to the taxpayers of Mississippi. Lonnie holds a bachelor’s degree in polymer science and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Edgar has been actively involved with NCSL’s standing committees since 2009. He currently serves as a member of the NCSL Executive Committee, the Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee, the Task Force on Innovations in State Health Systems, and the National Legislative Program Evaluation Society (NLPES) professional staff association. He also is the recipient of the 2019 NCSL Legislative Staff Achievement award for his work with the NCSL standing committees and a graduate of the 2014 class of NCSL’s Legislative Staff Management Institute.

Outside of his nearly 20 years of legislative service, you can find Edgar motivating others through his roles as a fitness coach with Orangetheory Fitness or as a pacer for Fleet Feet Jackson.

Deputy Director and Assistant Secretary of the Senate
Arkansas General Assembly

Sabrina NeKay Evelyn Lewellen is the deputy director and assistant secretary of the Arkansas Senate. From 2008 to 2013, she served as the Constituency Services/Research & Special Projects manager for the Senate.  She joined the staff in 2003.  Sabrina holds a Bachelor of Science in agriculture/food science and a minor in environmental science from Florida A&M University (1999, magna cum laude) and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Vanderbilt Law School (2002).  She is active with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) where she currently serves on the Executive Committee and the Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee. She is a member of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries (ASLCS). In past years, she served as vice chairman and chairman of the Research and Committee Staff Section (RACSS). In 2015, she received the RACCS Staff Achievement Award for her leadership contributions. Lewellen is a member of the 2009 class of NCSL’s Legislative Staff Management Institute.

Lewellen believes in investing in her community. She is a member of the board of directors of the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI), and a past president and current member of the Junior League of Little Rock (JLLR). She also served as the 2019-2020 president of POLL (Presidents of Large Leagues), which is an affinity group of AJLI. In 2020, Lewellen received JLLR’s Elizabeth “Betsey” Mowery Award for her exemplary and extraordinary service to the Junior League of Little Rock.