NCSL Staff Directory

As the Director of Meetings, Marisa Sterling-Abram directs the overall planning and strategy for the NCSL Legislative Summit in addition to leading a team of six that manages the logistics for over 80 meetings a year. She comes to NCSL with over 14 years of experience organizing and executing conferences and meetings for several associations in the Washington DC area, ranging in size from 400 to 10,000 attendees. She holds a master’s degree in tourism with an emphasis in event and meeting management from the George Washington University as well as a certified meeting professional certificate.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

As software product coordinator in the information technology department, Steve Holz-Russell supports NCSL staff in the use of applications that help them do their work. Previously, Holz-Russell managed the district-wide student computer program for Denver Public Schools. He is passionate about providing excellent customer service to NCSL staff so they can effectively serve the needs of state legislatures.

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.