About CSG
Founded in 1933, The Council of State Governments is the nation’s only nonpartisan organization serving all three branches of state elected and appointed officials. The mission of CSG is to champion excellence in state government.
CSG National Leaders
CSG National
Chair
Mike Gipson
Assemblymember
California
CSG National President
Josh Green
Governor
Hawaiʻi
CSG National
Chair-Elect
Cameron Sexton
Speaker of the House
Tennessee
CSG National
Vice Chair
Carmelo Ríos
Senate President Pro Tempore
Puerto Rico
CSG Immediate Past National Chair
Elgie Sims
Senator
Illinois
CSG Executive Director/CEO
David Adkins
2026 CSG National Committee Appointments
The work of CSG is guided by state leaders, and the priorities of CSG are shaped directly by the states we serve. National committee appointments are one way state leaders help shape those priorities while contributing their expertise to national conversations on issues affecting the states.
CSG National Office
The CSG national office, located in Lexington, Kentucky, houses national projects, publications and special initiatives that foster collaboration and community between elected and appointed officials from across the country and the six U.S. territories.
The CSG national office is home to the CSG National Center for Interstate Compacts and the CSG Henry Toll Fellowship national leadership development program.
CSG Regional Offices
The regional offices — CSG East, CSG Midwest, CSG South and CSG West — allow state officials to connect on shared issues that are geographically based including federal lands, water rights, agriculture, border relations and more. CSG regional offices also host conferences, in-state visits and leadership development programs that allow officials to regionally network.
CSG Justice Center
The CSG Justice Center brings together state and local officials and subject matter experts to discuss challenges and best practices in policy areas directly related to issues of public safety and justice in order to strengthen communities.
Affiliated Organizations
Through affiliation with CSG, 10 national organizations of state officials share ideas and combine efforts to accomplish mutual goals. Affiliated organizations contribute specialized expertise, information and resources to the overall mission of CSG.
- American Probation and Parole Association
- Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies
- Cannabis Regulators Association
- Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission
- National Association of State Personnel Executives
- National Association of State Technology Directors
- National Emergency Management Association
- National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
- State International Development Organizations
- Women In Government
Articles of Organization
The Council of State Governments, the multi-branch organization of the states and U.S. territories, champions excellence in state government, bringing state leaders from across the nation and through its regions together to put the best ideas and solutions into practice.
To this end, CSG: maintains four regions; builds leadership skills to improve decision-making; advocates multistate problem-solving and partnerships; fosters collaboration and understanding among and between the branches of government; interprets changing national and international conditions to better prepare states for the future; advances the exchange of ideas and information among state governments and their subnational counterparts in other countries; and promotes the sovereignty of the states and advocates their interests in the American federal system.
Statement of Principles on Federalism
The diversity of policy experimentation and accountable governance made possible by the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has enabled our nation to thrive despite the changing needs of a global economy. Given the importance of federalism to our future, it is essential that The Council of State Governments dedicate itself to preserving the role of the states as the “laboratories of democracy” and work both to limit unnecessary federal intrusions into areas of state responsibility and to foster effective cooperation in areas of shared jurisdiction.
Forward! A Strategic Plan for
The Council of State Governments
Read the organization’s three-year strategic plan here.