NCSL Staff Directory

Charlie Severance-Medaris supports NCSL’s public health work as a project manager for the Health Program. He has previous experience in health policy through work at many Colorado nonprofits. Severance-Medaris is an expert in state policies relating to suicide prevention, drug misuse and overdose prevention and infectious disease prevention. 

As a project manager in NCSL’s Health Program, Colleen Becker focuses on prescription drug access and affordability. Becker comes to NCSL with 20 years of experience performing multiple roles in health advocacy and direct patient care. She earned a master’s degree in public policy and a bachelor’s in sociology from the University of Denver.

As a policy specialist, Dalton Oberfoell supports the Environment, Energy and Transportation team through energy policy research. His research primarily focuses on energy security, tribal energy, fossil fuels, emissions and carbon capture. Prior to joining NCSL, Oberfoell studied at Loras College and will be obtaining his masters of public policy from the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies.

As a senior fellow in NCSL’s Education Program, Daniel Thatcher researches K-12 education finance systems. Thatcher is a trusted, bipartisan resource on education finance and has worked with legislators in all 50 states. He has been cited by researchers and numerous national and regional news organizations, including the Associated Press, BBC, Education Week, Fox News, NPR, The New York Times, Politico, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

As a director in the Center for Results-Driven Governing, Darci Cherry supports the work of state leaders as they use data and evidence to make policy and budget decisions. Previously, Cherry spent 20 years collecting, analyzing and interpreting data to design and evaluate public health programs. She is dedicated to ensuring that reliable data and research are easily accessible to inform the decision-making process.

Douglas Shinkle oversees NCSL’s Transportation Program. Shinkle has 16 years of experience at NCSL, as well as several years’ experience working for state legislatures. He has testified before a U.S. Senate committee and numerous state legislative committees on transportation and traffic safety topics. He is passionate about transportation policy and serving NCSL’s constituents. 

As a policy specialist with the Center for Legislative Strengthening, Emily Ronco researches, tracks and analyzes issues around legislator compensation, demographics and term limits. She also serves as the South Carolina state liaison. Prior to joining NCSL in 2019, Ronco worked for education nonprofits, including a small college in Chicago and an international gap year program for recent high school graduates. She earned bachelor’s degrees in journalism and English from the University of Missouri. 

As a policy associate, Flora Fouladi works on public health issues with a focus on children and youth with special health care needs, adolescent health and child nutrition. Prior to joining NCSL, Fouladi worked as a legislative assistant for the Minnesota House of Representatives. She earned her bachelor's degree in political science from Macalester College.

As a policy associate with the Employment, Labor and Retirement Program, Glenn Jacoby focuses on disability employment policy and workplace harassment and discrimination. Previously, she worked as a youth vote coordinator for New Era Colorado during the 2020 election cycle. She attended the University of Georgia where she earned a B.A. in history and is currently a student in the Master of Public Administration program at the University of Colorado Denver. 

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. 

Financial Services, Technology and Communications Program, Heather Morton leads a team of policy analysts focusing on broadband and telecommunications, internet and technology, consumer and financial services, civil liability and alcohol production and sales issues. Morton has more than 20 years of experience in legislative research and analysis. She earned her bachelor’s at the University of Colorado Boulder and her law degree at the University of Denver.