NCSL Staff Directory

As the director of Legislative Staff Services, Carrie Maulin leads the NCSL team dedicated to supporting legislative staff across the country. Maulin comes to NCSL after 10 years with the Idaho House of Representatives, where she was chief clerk, chief legislative officer and parliamentarian. Her current role gives her the opportunity to bring her legislative knowledge to a larger audience and support legislative institutions across the U.S. and territories.

As a policy associate, Cat Chrobak supports the NCSL Legislative Staff Services team in providing strategic, programmatic and administrative assistance to eight of NCSL’s professional staff associations. Prior to joining NCSL, Chrobak spent five years as a legislative assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives. She also earned a master’s degree from the U.S. Naval War College and is passionate about using her experience and education to support NCSL’s mission.

As a program principal in NCSL’s Legislative Staff Services Program, Holly South supports the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries, one of NCSL’s nine professional staff associations. She also administers the Legislative Staff Institutional Essentials program for newer legislative staff, serves as NCSL’s liaison to the Washington State Legislature, researches and writes on issues related to legislative staff and manages NCSL's Staff Snapshot series. Prior to joining NCSL, South spent several years as a librarian at the Legislative Reference Library of Texas. 

As director of the State-Tribal Institute, Irene Kawanabe supports the Quad Caucus, Women’s Legislative Network and the National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators. Prior to joining NCSL in 2007, Kawanabe served as the director of public interest at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and the associate director of the Colorado Lawyers Committee. She earned her undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary, her master’s degree from the University of Colorado at Denver and her law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law where she was a Chancellor’s Scholar. 

Josalyn Williams is a policy associate with the Center for Legislative Strengthening and provides research and expertise on legislator demographics, legislator compensation and term limits. Previously, Williams taught political science and completed research on American politics and political institutions at the University of Colorado Boulder. She received her Ph.D. in political science from CU.

A senior policy specialist in the Legislative Staff Services Program, Kae Warnock supports two of NCSL’s professional staff associations: the Research, Editorial, Legal and Committee Staff (RELACS) association and the National Association of Legislative Information Technology (NALIT). She also serves as NCSL’s liaison to the Maine Legislature. Warnock has served NCSL for over 34 years, researching, writing and speaking on legislative legal issues, bill drafting, code revision and the restoration of capitol buildings. She is dedicated to supporting the legislative institution by providing accurate information to legislators and legislative staff.

As a policy specialist with the Center for Legislative Strengthening, Mari Henderson focuses on committees, continuity of government issues, including COVID-19-related rules and procedural change, and legislative rules, protocols and procedures. Henderson comes to NCSL with experience in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Denver, as a Fulbright Fellow in Bulgaria, and with the U.S. House of Representatives and C-SPAN. She earned a bachelor’s in global affairs from George Mason University and a master’s degree in international relations and public diplomacy from the University of Denver.

As associate director of the Women's Legislative Network and the Quad Caucus, Martha Saenz leads strategic programs and events designed to serve targeted members. She has been with NCSL for more than a decade, specializing in research, engagement and development. Saenz is passionate about public policy and enjoys serving groups that bring unique strengths to legislatures and fulfill NCSL's mission. 

As a policy specialist with the Legislative Staff Services Program, Megan McClure supports the Leadership Staff Professional Association, the Legislative Research Librarians Association and the NCSL Young and New Professionals Group. Her research focuses on leadership office, caucus and legislative library operations; internship and page programs; and legislative civics education programs. Previously, McClure spent over 10 years in academic librarianship and publishing. She is co-host and lead producer of NCSL’s limited-series podcast “Building Democracy: The Story of Legislatures.” 

Natalie Wood directs NCSL’s Center for Legislative Strengthening, providing expertise and leading research on legislative institutional issues, including internal legislative operations, management and human resources policies, legislative workplace culture, and critical issues impacting representative democracy in the states. She's worked with state legislatures for over 20 years, with prior experience in legislative management and organization, ethics and lobbying policy, and professional development and training for NCSL's members. Wood holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Saint Mary’s College at Notre Dame and a master's degree in political science, politics and policy from the University of Colorado Denver.

Sarah Altshuler is a program coordinator supporting the State Services Division, as well as the Leaders and International programs. Previously, Altshuler was lead intern with U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s Denver office, where she oversaw and trained new interns, supported Colorado constituents and supported full-time staff with constituent advocacy work. She studied political science, philosophy, and communication at the University of Colorado-Boulder and graduated summa cum laude.