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Leadership Excellence for Nonpartisan Staff (LENS)

Leadership Excellence for Nonpartisan Staff (LENS)

Strengthening the legislative institution by developing the next generation of principled leaders

CSG West, in partnership with the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University, hosts the Leadership Excellence for Nonpartisan Staff (LENS) program. The LENS program brings together rising leaders in various nonpartisan staff offices in Western state legislatures for an eight-week, collaborative leadership development curriculum designed to bolster the strength of legislative institutions and build a pipeline for principled governance in state offices for the next generation.  

For more information on the LENS program, please contact Will Keyse at wkeyse@csg.org.

What is LENS?

LENS participants can expect to delve into the following areas of leadership: 

  • Building self-awareness on leadership and communication styles through personality assessment(s) 
  • Strategies to help navigate the nonpartisan responsibility and protect the legislative institution 
  • Navigating conflict and difficult situations through communication and influence 
  • Managing up, managing down, and working collaboratively with peers  
  • Building a culture of excellence for optimal performance 

During the program, participants can expect to spend up to 3 hours per week on virtual sessions, group collaboration, individual homework, and mentorship.  The LENS curriculum will include ten online classes, one individual project, one group project, and working with an in-state mentor appointed by the legislative agency director to provide coaching and accountability on goal-setting progress.  

After the following year’s legislative session, each LENS cohort will gather at the CSG West Annual Meeting to engage in additional leadership development and relationship building.   

Who Attends?

Participation in the program is dependent on appointments from each state’s agency directors.

Roster

2024 Alumni

Alaska 

Kate Higgins, Legislative Analyst
Danea Burns, Statewide Information Officer, Manager of Information and Teleconference
Sofia Tenney, House Records

California 

Jess Gosney, Deputy Legislative Counsel
Sara Cortez, Principal Fiscal and Policy Analyst
Martin Lee, Assembly Rules Committee

Colorado 

Anna Gerstle, School Finance & Fiscal Analyst
Nicole Myers, Managing Senior Attorney and Assistant Team Leader
Brita Darling, Senior Attorney

Hawaii 

Andrea (Andy) Langhurst, Head Coordinator, Public Access Room
Jessica Caniglia, Senior Librarian

Idaho 

Olivia Johnson, Senior Editor
Layce Silvey, Legislative Librarian

New Mexico 

Erin Bond, Researcher I
Michelle Luna, Proofreader II

Nevada 

Patrick Ashton, Principal Policy Analyst
Jann Stinnesback, Principal Policy Analyst
Jennifer Otto, Audit Manager

Oregon 

Ben Hatch, Media Services Team Leader
Sean Murphy, Senior Committee Assistant
Stacy Nalley, Capitol Outreach Coordinator

Utah 

Ryan Thelin, Audit Supervisor
Lacey Moore, Finance Officer
Adam Sweet, Deputy Director

Washington 

Ailey Kato, Senate Committee Coordinator

Wyoming 

Kelly Lower, Research Analyst
Hank Hoversland, Fiscal Analyst
Clarissa Nord, Legislative Editor

2023 Alumni

Alaska 

Christian Gruening, Engrossing Clerk 
Derek Lail, Technical Support Specialist  
Katie Lewis, Payroll Officer

California 

Sharon Everett, Principal Deputy Legislative Counsel 
Ann Hollingshead, Principal Fiscal and Policy Analyst

Colorado 

Jamie Grant, Lead Systems Administrator 
Conrad Imel, Senior Attorney 
Julia Jackson, Principal Research Analyst

Hawaii 

Johnny Brannon, Senior Attorney 
Matt Coke, Senior Attorney

Idaho 

Erin Phipps, Revenue Analyst 

Montana 

Toni Henneman, Research Analyst 
Megan Moore, Research Analyst 
Casey Pallister, Research Analyst

New Mexico 

Amy Chavez-Romero, Asst. Director for Legislative Affairs 
Veronica Grace, Human Resources Supervisor 
Joanne Vandestreek, Senior Legislative Librarian

Nevada 

Cesar Malgarejo, Principal Policy Analyst 
Diane Thornton, Chief Principal Policy Analyst

Oregon 

Sam Koopman, Senior Committee Assistant 
Carlos Valenzuela, Language Access Coordinator 
Adam Villareal, Senior Accountant

Utah 

Sean Faherty, Finance Manager 
Jesse Martinson, Audit Manager 
Thomas Vaughn, Managing Associate General Counsel

Washington 

Susan Jones, Senior Coordinator/Counsel 
Megan Mulvihill, Senior Research Analyst

Wyoming 

Pierre Chesnais, Associate Research Analyst 
Brian Fuller, Senior Staff Attorney 
Elizabeth Martineau, Senior Fiscal Analyst

Program Sponsorship

For information on sponsor opportunities, please contact Edgar Ruiz, CSG West Director.