NCSL Staff Directory

As a tribal working group specialist, Tansey Moore provides staff lead support to the Nuclear Energy Tribal Working Group by planning and facilitating meetings to address nuclear energy issues as it relates to tribal nations. Moore has more than 20 years of experience working with tribal nations on a variety of issues such as environmental impacts and tribal-state relations. Moore is dedicated to bridging communication between tribes, federal agencies and states.

Taylor Huhn works in the NCSL Leaders’ Center. Huhn comes to NCSL with several years of experience as a congressional staffer and federal lobbyist. He attended the University of Kansas, where he earned a bachelor’s in political science. 

As director of facilities, Tim Lucero heads the Building Operations and Central Services departments. He came to NCSL with more than eight years’ experience working with UBS Telecommunications and Mobil Oil Corp. At UBS, he received training and certifications that allowed him to install and repair digital and analog telephone systems. At Mobil Oil, he worked in the oil and gas and mining/coal divisions. While at Mobil, he coordinated the central services operations and worked with a team from Northern Telecommunication to design, install and manage a new phone system for its 375 staff members. He eventually became the last person employed with the mining/coal division and was directly responsible for liquidating all of its property before his departure.

In his role as a policy associate, Tom Klein supports the Environment, Energy and Transporation Program at NCSL. Prior to joining NCSL, Klein worked as an Associate Wildlife Biologist, working on wildlife management and conservation projects with agencies/organizations like the United States Department of Agriculture, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Ecology Institute. Klein earned a Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Science and Environmental Policy & Communication and is currently pursuing a Master's of Public Policy and Administration.

As associate director, Uyen Vong supports the NCSL Public Affairs team, including oversight of media relations, social media and other digital platforms. Prior to joining NCSL, Vong worked in state and local government and most recently served as the community affairs specialist for the governor of Hawaii. Vong is dedicated to elevating the voice of the people by strengthening the legislative institution in the nation’s capitols. 

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 director of Elections and Redistricting, Wendy Underhill leads a team of policy analysts focusing on all things related to voting, election administration and politics for NCSL. Underhill has been with the organization for 11 years, broadening her portfolio from an initial focus on elections to include campaign finance, redistricting, the census, ballot measures and election outcomes. She is sought after for her expertise by major media outlets, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. 

As a program principal in the Center for Legislative Strengthening, Will Clark works on issues related to legislative information technology and legislative oversight. Clark comes to NCSL with 10 years of experience working in state government, including two years with the Colorado General Assembly. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Oregon and a master's in public policy from Oregon State University.

As a senior policy specialist in the Employment, Labor and Retirement Program, Zaakary Barnes researches state policies on collective bargaining, unemployment insurance and occupational licensing. Barnes comes to NCSL with experience working on state and federal labor issues, having previously served as a labor policy legislative assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives. He studied political science at Iowa State University before earning a master’s degree in communication at Drake University.