Speakers

Tim Storey, a longtime leader within the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), was selected as the next executive director following a nationwide search. Storey will assume the role July 15.

“Tim is clearly the best person to lead NCSL and continue to help states remain strong both at home and in Washington,” said NCSL President and Illinois state Senator Toi Hutchinson (D). “Tim, who has a track record of proven leadership, will lead an amazing team to support my fellow legislative colleagues and legislative staff as they focus on navigating complex policy issues.”

Storey will succeed longtime executive director William Pound, who announced his departure last year after leading NCSL for more than 42 years. After Pound announced his retirement in September 2018, the NCSL officers instituted an extensive search process to determine the organization’s needs and identify high-quality candidates.

Numerous meetings were held across the country so that NCSL’s stakeholders would have an opportunity to provide input regarding where the organization finds itself and what direction it needs to take. In addition, the officers appointed two advisory committees, one a bipartisan committee of three Democrats and three Republicans and one consisting of nonpartisan legislative staff, which met with candidates for the position. Finally, after months of searching and untold hours of meetings and deliberation, the officers unanimously selected Storey.

“Tim is not only committed to working with our legislators but with our more than 30,000 legislative staff across the nation,” said Jon Heining, the NCSL staff chair and general counsel for the Texas Legislative Council. “Throughout this process I knew we wanted a leader who not only has a vision but has what it takes to turn this vision into reality. We see those qualities in Tim.”

Storey is the director of State Services for NCSL. The State Services Division includes several core programs: fiscal research, the Center for Legislative Strengthening, institutional studies, leaders’ services, legislative and staff training, staff services and redistricting and elections. He has spent the past 30 years working for and studying legislatures—specializing in elections, redistricting, legislative organization and leadership.

Storey must still receive final approval by the NCSL Executive Committee during its June meeting in Madison, Wis. William Pound will remain executive director until Storey succeeds him on July 15.

Michael D. Thompson oversees Pew’s work to improve the performance of government at the federal, state, and local levels on a wide range of topics, from public sector retirement systems to sentencing reform to the efficiency of the civil legal system. Through research, technical assistance, partnerships and advocacy, Pew helps governments develop and adopt evidence-based policies proved to work on issues ranging from building a fiscally sound budget to protecting public safety and health.

Before joining Pew, Thompson served as director of the Council of State Governments Justice Center, where he designed national initiatives in school discipline, mental health, justice reinvestment, and re-entry, bringing together different systems—such as the criminal justice and behavioral health systems—to tackle shared challenges. Thompson also worked for the Office of the Court Monitor in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which was charged with ensuring compliance with federal court orders addressing the territory’s jail and prison system.

Thompson holds a bachelor’s degree in history and Spanish from Middlebury College.