NCSL Staff Directory

As a policy associate, Matt Wicks supports the Transportation team at NCSL in public safety and tax policies. Wicks comes to NCSL with experience in public service with nonprofits and state agencies. He is passionate about public service and is currently earning a graduate degree in public policy.

As the AMS administrator, Meg Andrews works with NCSL staff concerning all aspects of the member database. Prior to joining NCSL, Andrews worked in the nonprofit world and has more than 15 years of experience in database systems, nonprofit and government relations work, staff training and procedural implementation. Andrews is dedicated to the NCSL mission and believes in the positive impact of the organization.

Megan Bland supports the efforts of the Natural Resources and Infrastructure Committee. Prior to joining NCSL, Bland worked as a policy analyst for the Council Oak, a small women-owned public policy consulting firm. Bland earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and history from the College of William and Mary.

As the meetings manager, Megan MacKenzie plans and executes 15-plus in-person meetings a year. MacKenzie comes to NCSL with eight years of meeting planning and management experience. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon in business administration. 

As a senior policy specialist with the Legislative Staff Services Program, Megan McClure supports the Leadership Staff Professional Association, the National Legislative Program Evaluation Society and the NCSL Young and New Professionals Group. She coordinates peer review for legislative program evaluation and performance audit offices. Her research focuses on leadership offices, caucuses, program evaluation and performance audit office staffing and 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.” 

As an associate director, Meghan Keelean plans several NCSL meetings annually, including logistics for the NCSL Legislative Summit. Keelean has more than 15 years of experience in meetings management. She found her passion for meeting planning in her first job after college and earned her certified meeting professional designation in 2010.

In her role as senior program coordinator, Melanie Horton supports NCSL's Environment Program as well as several state and tribal working groups, which NCSL supports through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy. Horton has nearly 15 years of experience providing administrative and program support to mission-driven organizations in both the public and private sectors. She earned her bachelor’s degree in media studies from the University of Southern Maine in 2006 and her master’s degree in environmental leadership from Naropa University in 2011. 

Melissa Zenk supports NCSL’s meetings department as a meetings coordinator. Zenk comes to NCSL with prior experience in wedding coordination and multifamily property management. She earned a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University in event management.  

As director of NCSL’s Education Program, Michelle Exstrom oversees the organization’s work on state education policy. Exstrom has over 25 years of experience working with state legislators at NCSL and in Colorado’s Office of Legislative Legal Services. She has national expertise in policies to build effective K-12 education systems that improve outcomes for all students.

As human resources coordinator, Michelle Kelton assists with day-to-day operations in the HR department. Kelton has contributed to the NCSL HR team since 2015, developing her ever-expanding role as a human resources professional. Dedicated to the HR team, she enjoys working with others to make NCSL a great place to work.

Mick Bullock is NCSL’s public affairs director. Based in the Washington, D.C., office, Bullock has nearly 20 years of communications experience and is responsible for NCSL’s digital media, podcast, media relations and member outreach. Previously, Bullock worked as communications director for Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant. He is president-elect of the National Association of Government Communicators. Bullock received his bachelor’s in communications from the University of Southern Mississippi and his MSM from Belhaven College.

As a program principal in the Education Program, Molly Gold focuses on teacher, school leader, and school governance policy. Prior to joining NCSL, Gold worked as a high school English teacher and department chair and as an analyst with the Colorado Department of Education. She has a master's in public policy with a specialization in K-12 education policy from Vanderbilt University.