NCSL Staff Directory

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 associate in the Health Program, Sarah Jaromin focuses on access, cost and coverage issues with a particular focus on scope of practice, rural health and health care workforce. Jaromin has experience working with the policy division of the NYS Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers with a particular focus on legislation related to Medicaid and behavioral health workforce shortages. She 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. 

In her role as a senior policy specialist in the Health Program, Shannon Kolman serves as a subject matter expert on public health topics. She has more than 25 years of experience working in the fields of public health and community health. Kolman enjoys researching public health-related policies and supporting legislative excellence by informing NCSL members and partners on policy issues and strategies.

Sunny Deye is an associate director in NCSL’s Education Program and serves as the liaison to her home state of Oregon. Deye leads the postsecondary education team in tracking and analyzing legislation in all 50 states, publishing state policy issue briefs and reports, creating professional development opportunities for state legislators and staff, and conducting NCSL’s annual Legislative Institute on Higher Education. Before joining NCSL in 2005, Deye served as legislative staff in the bill drafting office of the Colorado General Assembly. She holds a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Oregon and a master’s degree in politics and public policy from the University of Colorado Denver.

Suzanne Hultin is the director of NCSL's Employment, Labor & Retirement ProgramL. In this role, she oversees issues around employment, occupational licensing and workforce development. Prior to joining NCSL in 2013, she served as deputy chief of staff for two Colorado lieutenant governors, where she worked on issues ranging from early childhood education to higher education and workforce development. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science and journalism from the University of Washington and her master’s degree in public policy from the University of Denver.

As director of NCSL’s Health Program, Tahra Johnson oversees the public health and maternal and child health projects and research at NCSL. Johnson has been with NCSL for more than seven years and has several additional years of experience in public health policy at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and the Department of Homeland Security. She earned a master’s degree in public health at George Washington University and attended undergraduate at American University in Washington, D.C.  

As a project manager on the Health team, Tammy Jo Hill supports work related to behavioral health, public health and maternal and child health. Previously, Hill spent years supporting Colorado’s Medicaid program as a program manager and policy specialist for its fee-for-service state contractors. Hill has a master’s degree in political science from Colorado State University. 

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.

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 a policy associate in NCSL’s Children and Families Program, Walker Stevens focuses his research on policy topics related to child and family well-being, including child support and family law, economic security, food security, housing and homelessness. Walker received his Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in May 2022. His previous experience includes internships at the Oklahoma Legislature, NCSL, the Colorado Senate, the Colorado Governor’s Office of Legal Counsel, the Denver Juvenile Court and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.

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.