NCSL Staff Directory

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 senior policy specialist 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.

Bio coming soon. 

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. 

Edward Green focuses on the registration of NCSL meetings and webinars. He comes to NCSL with more than 10 years of experience working in accounting and registration at other nonprofit associations. He enjoys working for an organization committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

As a legislative specialist, Emily Katz works on federal education, health and human services policies that are of interest to states. Katz comes to NCSL with experience in policy research on school climate, school health, social-emotional learning and the educator workforce. She earned a master’s degree in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a bachelor's degree in sociology and policy management from Dickinson College.

As a project manager in NCSL’s Fiscal Affairs Program, Emily Maher focuses on state budgets, intergovernmental relations and economic development policy. She also staffs NCSL’s Labor and Economic Development Committee. Prior to joining NCSL, Maher served as a nonpartisan policy analyst for the city of Philadelphia where she worked on retirement and economic development policy. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science and international service from American University, where she is also currently pursuing a master’s in public administration and policy.

Emily Peterson joins the NCSL Foundation as a development specialist, supporting efforts to promote NCSL’s work from the Denver office. She comes to NCSL with experience in higher education development and holds a master’s degree in public affairs with a concentration in nonprofit management. She recently had an article published on human research management in the nonprofit sector. 

Emily Ronco researches and tracks legislation on K-12 issues. Prior to joining NCSL, she worked for an international gap year program for 18-21-year-old students at a small college in Chicago. She earned bachelor’s degrees in journalism and English from the University of Missouri. 

As a policy analyst, Emily Sampson supports environmental health and resilience matters within the Environment, Energy and Transportation Program. She also served as a legislative assistant and then committee clerk with the Hawaii state Senate for two sessions. Sampson earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Erica MacKellar works primarily on issues around state fiscal conditions and the state budget process for NCSL. She also staffs the National Association of Legislative Fiscal Offices (NALFO), a NCSL professional staff association. She joined NCSL's Fiscal Affairs Program in 2011, and holds a bachelor's degree in government from Bowdoin College and a master's of public policy from the University of Denver.