NCSL Staff Directory

Lexi Wilson is a Program Coordinator for the Health Program at NCSL. She has nearly 10 years of experience in event coordination and community engagement in the greater Denver area. She is dedicated to bringing communities together by creating and coordinating enriching events, that run smoothly and successfully. She is eager to bring her skills to NCSL to support their mission, and members.

Luke Belant serves as project manager on the elections and redistricting team, overseeing a team researching a variety of election-related subjects. Belant comes to NCSL with more than 14 years of experience administering and supporting elections in roles ranging from county government staffer to senior state official. He is passionate about and dedicated to ensuring the availability of accurate information regarding election processes.

As a senior policy specialist with the Center for Legislative Strengthening, Mari Henderson focuses on committees, continuity of government issues, including COVID-19-related rules and procedural change, and legislative rules, protocols and procedures. Henderson comes to NCSL with experience in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Denver, as a Fulbright Fellow in Bulgaria, and with the U.S. House of Representatives and C-SPAN. She earned a bachelor’s in global affairs from George Mason University and a master’s degree in international relations and public diplomacy from the University of Denver.

As a project manager with the Employment, Labor and Retirement Program, Marilyn Villalobos focuses on disability employment policy. She also serves as the New Mexico state liaison. Previously, Villalobos worked for the Colorado Department of Higher Education. She has a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and psychology, and a master's degree in education policy and practice from the University of Colorado-Boulder. 

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 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.

Molly Widoff supports the Health Program as a policy analyst focused on overdose, suicide, injury prevention and infectious diseases. She comes to NCSL with experience in policy research and programming around mental health and substance use. Widoff recently earned a degree in public health from Tulane University.

Patrick Lyons is a policy specialist focused on prekindergarten to third grade education policy. Patrick facilitates the State Policy and Research in Early Education workgroup and focuses on issues such as school readiness, the early childhood workforce, prekindergarten access and quality, and early literacy and math. Prior to joining NCSL, Patrick was a consultant with Public Sector Consultants in Lansing, Mich., where he worked on a broad range of policy topics but specialized in work for the Michigan Department of Education and Office of Great Start. He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University and his master’s degree in public policy from the University of Virginia Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Patrick grew up in metro Detroit and Traverse City.

In her role, Samantha Scotti focuses on state policy issues relating to health care access, costs and coverage. She has over six years of experience working with state legislators, legislative staff and other partners on a variety of health topics, developing tools, publications and collaborative meetings. Prior to joining NCSL, she worked as legislative staff at the Colorado General Assembly and has a dual degree in political science and international studies from Colorado State University. 

Sarah Brown is the director of the Criminal and Civil Justice Program (CCJ) at NCSL. As the director, she oversees all of NCSL’s criminal and civil justice work, with specific expertise in juvenile justice. Brown has been with NCSL for 20 years working on informing state legislatures on criminal and civil justice issues across the nation. Prior to joining NCSL, Brown worked for five years as a legislative assistant to a United States Senator in Washington, D.C. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado and earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver College of Law. Brown has been admitted to practice law in Colorado.

Sarah Chavez is a dedicated program coordinator with NCSL's Energy team. With more than a decade of experience in hospitality, event planning and administration support, she has honed her skills while working for esteemed law firms and nonprofit organizations in Denver and New York City. Chavez is deeply committed to NCSL's mission, finding fulfillment in contributing to an organization dedicated to enhancing the legislative institution through education and research.

As a policy specialist in the Health Program, Sarah Jaromin focuses on access, cost and coverage issues with a particular emphasis on health technology, health care costs and health care facilities. She has considerable experience in health policy, having previously worked with the policy division of the New York State Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, where she concentrated on Medicaid policy and addressing behavioral health workforce shortages. Jaromin earned her master’s degree in social work from the State University of New York at Albany after completing a bachelor’s in sociology at Brandeis University.