Denver — Sabrina NeKay Lewellen, deputy director/assistant secretary of the Arkansas Senate, was elected to the position of staff vice chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) at the 2022 Legislative Summit in Denver. Lewellen will become staff chair in 2023-24. NCSL, a bipartisan organization, serves the nation’s 7,383 legislators and more than 30,000 legislative staff. She is the first African American woman to serve in this role at NCSL.
“NCSL is the premier organization for state legislatures across the country and an organization I am proud to have been involved with for several years,” Lewellen said. “The services and opportunities they offer have proven to be invaluable for legislative staff across the country. I have personally benefited through my experience working with staff sections, standing committees and the Executive Committee. I am grateful to serve as staff vice chair, and I look forward to continuing my contributions to the success of the organization.”
NCSL is the only national organization that provides training, professional growth opportunities and information sharing for legislative staff. The organization’s nine professional staff associations and various staff networks sponsor meetings, training opportunities and publications. Legislative staffers are also eligible to be members of the NCSL standing committees, which address state policy issues and state-federal issues.
Lewellen becomes one of seven officers (four legislators and three legislative staff members) on NCSL’s 63-member Executive Committee, which is elected yearly and includes both legislators and staff.
Lewellen has over 19 years of legislative service, including 14 years in senior management. Lewellen has been involved with NCSL since 2005, serving in several capacities with the Executive Committee, the Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee and the Research, Editorial, Legal and Committee Staff association (RELACS). She currently serves as staff chair of the Executive Committee’s Subcommittee on the Legislative Institution and as co-chair of the LSCC Information, Technology, Social Media, E-Learning and Outreach Subcommittee.
NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the states, commonwealths and territories. It provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of the states in the American federal system.