NCSL Staff Directory

As a policy specialist Alison May focuses on early care and learning topics including home visiting and paid family leave. May has more than a decade of experience implementing and coordinating NCSL’s Early Childhood Fellows program. She is dedicated to supporting legislators and legislative staff as they consider policy options connected to child and family well-being. 

Cameron Rifkin is a policy associate covering topics related to housing and homelessness, economic mobility, child support and family law. Prior to joining NCSL in July 2021, he earned a master’s degree in social work and worked in diverse roles for various nonprofit organizations focused on housing, environmental justice, food security and juvenile justice. Rifkin is dedicated to systemic changes through policy and community empowerment.

As a program coordinator for NCSL’s Health Program, Clare Link-Oberstar supports her team with meeting coordination and logistics. Prior to joining NCSL, Link-Oberstar was a preschool teacher. She is dedicated to supporting her team in its work to connect NCSL’s members with research and field experts on health policy.

As a policy associate, Hannah Ditzenberger researches a variety of issues related to children, youth and families. Ditzenberger comes to NCSL with experience in local government, child maltreatment prevention and communications. She studied journalism at Colorado State University and is completing a master’s degree in applied sociology from the University of Northern Colorado.

Heather Hanna serves as an associate director in the Children and Families Program. She leads work focused on child and family well-being including economic security and mobility, housing and homelessness, food security and child support and family law. Before joining NCSL, she served as deputy director for the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance, the membership association for Colorado's Early Childhood Councils. Hanna earned her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Central Florida. 

As a senior policy specialist, Heather Wilson focuses on policies that support child and family well-being. Wilson comes to NCSL with nearly 15 years of experience leading social and economic policy initiatives, program design and multi-stakeholder movements at the national, state and local levels. She is excited to contribute to NCSL's growing body of interdisciplinary work impacting children and families.

Jenna Bannon serves as associate director in the Children and Families Program. She manages multiple grants in early childhood and child welfare and co-leads the interdisciplinary work on child and family policy. Bannon comes to NCSL with more than 25 years of experience in state legislative policy, working for a governor, state legislators, state agencies and nonprofits. She worked for NCSL from 1998-2000 and is excited to be back working at the national level to support the success of legislators and legislative staff. 

As a senior policy specialist focusing on early childhood policies, Jennifer (Jeni) Palmer’s expertise resides in child care and the early care and education workforce. Prior to joining NCSL, Palmer worked in political communications and in the Iowa House of Representatives. She earned a Master’s in Public Administration and is currently completing an Early Childhood Leadership Certificate, both from the University of Colorado Denver. 

As a senior policy specialist for NCSL’s Children and Families Program, Jill Yordy researches public policy related to child and family well-being. Yordy comes to NCSL with more than eight years of experience in public policy research, practice and advocacy. She is currently working toward a Ph.D. in public affairs from the University of Colorado Denver.

Wade Fickler directs NCSL’s Children and Families Program, which covers child welfare, child support, early care and education, economic security, family law, housing, homelessness and hunger. His previous experience includes policy and communications positions with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the Children’s Institute and the City Club of Portland. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine, Fickler helped foster civic engagement and voter participation in the fledgling post-Soviet democracy.

As a policy associate in NCSL’s Children and Families Program, Walker Stevens focuses his research on policy topics related to child and family well-being, including child support and family law, economic security, food security, housing and homelessness. Walker received his Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in May 2022. His previous experience includes internships at the Oklahoma Legislature, NCSL, the Colorado Senate, the Colorado Governor’s Office of Legal Counsel, the Denver Juvenile Court and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.