NCSL Staff Directory

As associate program director of Marketing, Caren Henderson is responsible for the strategic direction and execution of marketing efforts for NCSL. Henderson comes to NCSL with more than 25 years of experience in marketing and communications with a special focus on health and public health. With a strong commitment to public service, she spent the majority of her career working for not-for-profit organizations and is especially proud of her work helping launch Colorado’s health insurance exchange as part of the Affordable Care Act.

Carole Wellmann supports marketing and member outreach in coordinating and executing integrated marketing plans to promote NCSL meetings, events, services and policy deliverables. Wellmann comes to NCSL with technical experience in executing strategic marketing and communication plans. She is dedicated to resolving complex problems in a creative manner.

Edward Green focuses on the registration of NCSL meetings and webinars. He comes to NCSL with more than 10 years of experience working in accounting and registration at other nonprofit associations. He enjoys working for an organization committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

As the director of meetings, Kristin Shassetz leads the meetings and event operations for NCSL. Shassetz has more than 21 years of experience in planning, managing and executing meetings and marketing strategies. She is dedicated to innovating and strengthening NCSL by connecting state legislators and their staff through the conference's in-person and online events.

As the Meeting Manager, Megan MacKenzie plans and executes 15-plus in-person meetings a year. MacKenzie comes to NCSL with eight years of meeting planning and management experience. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon in business administration. 

As the senior meetings manager, Meghan Keelean plans several NCSL meetings annually, including logistics for the NCSL Legislative Summit. Keelean has more than 15 years of experience in meetings management. She found her passion for meeting planning in her first job after college and earned her certified meeting professional designation in 2010.

Taylor Dybdahl is the meetings specialist for NCSL, helping to plan and provide on-site assistance for meetings of all sizes. Previously, she was a program coordinator in NCSL’s State Services Division, and before that she worked at the Colorado General Assembly for three legislative sessions. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and nonprofit organization.