NCSL Staff Directory

As a policy analyst in NCSL’s Fiscal Affairs Program, Leo Garcia researches fiscal policy and economic development. Previously, Garcia worked as a legislative aide in the Texas House of Representatives. He earned his bachelor’s in international relations and his master’s degree in international political economy.

As a senior program coordinator, Jessica Hoffman supports the Health Program’s invitational meetings outreach and logistics. Previously, Hoffman worked as a public school educator. She is dedicated to providing NCSL’s members with high-quality experience and service. 

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.

As NCSL’s senior federal affairs counsel, Susan Parnas Frederick advocates for states before Congress and the administration on criminal and civil justice, cybersecurity, elections and immigration enforcement issues. Parnas Frederick has over 20 years of experience at NCSL and previously served as a local government attorney and prosecutor in Herndon, Va. She received her bachelor’s from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and her law degree from the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C.

Jackson Brainerd is a program principal in NCSL’s Fiscal Affairs Program overseeing state tax, economic development and gambling policy. He also staffs NCSL’s Task Force on State and Local Taxation and its Budgets and Revenue Standing Committee. Before joining NCSL in 2014, Brainerd earned a bachelor’s in political science from Colorado College and served in Gov. John Hickenlooper’s Office of Correspondence. His written work and research on state fiscal policy has been cited by Bloomberg, Politico, Reuters, NPR and The Wall St. Journal, among other publications.

Mark Quiner is an experienced group facilitator with over 40 years of experience. He currently serves as director of NCSL’s Center for Ethics in Government, whose mission is to restore trust and confidence in representative government by promoting responsible behavior in legislatures and educating the public on the importance of the legislative process. Previously, Quiner was the acting director of the Wyoming Legislative Service Office, where he served for 26 years. Following law school at the University of Wyoming, he worked for Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Stuart Brown, then served as the state’s assistant attorney general. Quiner is the father of one grown son and two grandsons.

As an associate director in NCSL’s Health Program, Kelly Hughes oversees staff and projects related to health access, costs and coverage issues. Hughes brings nearly two decades of professional experience in federal and state government, nonprofit, research and health care settings. A graduate of the CDC’s Public Health Prevention Service fellowship, she earned her master’s degree in public health from Emory University and her bachelor’s from Virginia Tech. 

Laura Carper supports NCSL’s Criminal and Civil Justice Program. Previously, Carper worked in administrative support roles for Xerox and RE/MAX Alliance. She earned a bachelor’s in technical journalism from Colorado State University. 

As an associate director in the Education Program, Ashley Wallace leads NCSL’s work on afterschool, summer learning, student mental health, social and emotional learning, and other whole child education policy topics. Before joining NCSL in 2008, Wallace was a legislative director for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and later worked in federal relations for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Save the Children. She has degrees in international studies and diplomacy and foreign affairs from Miami University.

Khanh Nguyen leads NCSL’s maternal and child health project. Nguyen has 10 years of experience managing projects in health care settings, providing technical assistance on health policy to municipalities, and conducting public health research and evaluation. She earned master’s degrees in public health and social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and studied sociology and global health at Emory University.

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 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. 

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 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 policy specialist in NCSL’s Education Program, Autumn Rivera focuses on policy issues related to afterschool, summer learning, LGBTQ+ students, whole child learning and school climate. Rivera comes to NCSL with experience working in after-school and summer learning programs. She earned a bachelor’s degree in justice systems at Truman State University and a master’s degree in applied human rights from the University of York.

As a policy specialist, Carrington Skinner supports the Center for Results-Driven Governing’s work of helping states use data and evidence to inform decision making. Skinner comes to NCSL with experience as an assistant attorney general at the North Carolina Department of Justice and as a session counsel at the Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research. Skinner earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As a policy analyst 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. 

Kevin Davenport is a Health Program policy associate focusing on commercial health care policy, rural health facilities and prescription drug costs. Previously, Davenport studied and worked with taxation, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance, as well as consumer and data privacy. Davenport holds a bachelor’s in political science with a minor in emergency management and a law degree with specialization in business transactional law.