Hometown: Reno, Nev.
Role: Legislative attorney, Nevada Legislature
NCSL involvement: Staff vice chair for the Health and Human Services Standing Committee
Years of legislative service: Nine
Best advice he’s ever received: “Don’t worry about things you can’t control.”
Why did you choose to work at the legislature?
I believe in the importance of the process of democracy and having well-informed legislators, so nonpartisan staff is a good role for me. I also enjoy the challenge of getting to work on important issues in many different areas of the law.
What skill or talent are you most proud of?
I enjoy being able to explain legislation to different stakeholders and help those stakeholders arrive at compromises.
Who or what inspires you?
Seeing legislators and stakeholders who are on different sides of an issue work together in good faith and compromise to arrive at solutions.
What’s one thing you love about your state?
I like the dry, sunny climate and being close to the mountains and Lake Tahoe in northern Nevada.
What are you currently reading/listening to/watching?
Best book I’ve read recently is “Hell of a Book,” by Jason Mott. Poignant and quite funny.
What do you see as some of the priorities of your NCSL standing committee?
Dealing with COVID, its impacts and its after-effects. Also, coming up with better ways to address behavioral health issues.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
For its “Staff Snapshots” series, State Legislatures News is asking legislative staff about their role in the legislature. To suggest a staffer for this series, please use the email icon above to contact Holly South.