Sydney Blodgett is a Program Manager at The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. She has experience engaging state leaders to discuss policy issues and solutions in a bipartisan and innovative way. Throughout her career, Sydney has researched state policy and disseminated her analyses through articles and online platforms. Sydney previously worked for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. She earned a B.A. from the University of Louisville and an M.P.A from the University of Kentucky.

Andrew Johnson is a Policy Analyst at the Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. He works with the Education and Workforce Development Team. He attended the University of Kentucky, where he earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in both History and Political Science, as well as a Master of Arts in Education. Before coming to CSG, he taught middle school Social Studies and Reading & Writing and served on his school’s Site-Based Decision-Making Council.

Rachel Wright provides support to the State Exchange on Employment and Disability. In this role, Rachel convenes state policymakers and subject matter experts; develops analyses of state disability employment and workforce development policies; and prepares research memos, policy briefs and reports for state officials and non-technical audiences. Rachel earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Kentucky.

Abeer Sikder is a Senior Policy Analyst at The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. He works on the Education and Workforce Development Team and analyzes policies that support disability inclusion and employment for youth and young adults . He leads research projects on justice-involved youth, mental health equity and intersectionality. Abeer served in Teach For America as a middle and high school math teacher in Memphis, Tennessee. He earned a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Louisville.

Enmanuel Gomez is a Policy Analyst at the Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. Previously, he was a Political Affairs Consultant at the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, engaged in project management, strategic operations and research. In his career, he has advocated for youth empowerment in global issues. He earned his M.A. in Political Science from Oklahoma State University and his B.A. in Journalism from Universidad de Palermo in Argentina.

Chip O’Connell is a Research Data Scientist at The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. He earned bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Economics from Marshall University and expects to earn his PhD in Political Science from the University of Kentucky in 2022. Prior to coming to The Council of State Governments, Chip instructed Political Science classes in topics such as political analysis. He loves playing with data and enjoys every step of the data analysis process.

Casandra manages the Apprenticeship Data Alignment and Performance Technical Assistance Center, the Overseas Voting Initiative, and other research areas related to cybersecurity, data and privacy. As a part of her work at CSG, Casandra regularly convenes state policy makers to facilitate the exchange of innovative policies and practices. Her work focuses on improving the quality of data collection in the states to help states inform policy decisions.

Dr. Natasha Murray is a Senior Policy Analyst at The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. She brings a wealth of national, state and local experience together with a strong advocacy for equity and excellence for all students. Upon completing her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at the University of Kentucky, she led a portfolio of investments designed to strengthen higher education partners across the U.S. that are critical to the success of traditionally underserved youth for the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation. Her research interest includes using advance statistical methods to examine individual and environmental factors that impact the academic achievements of traditionally underserved youth.

Mary Wurtz is a Policy Analyst at The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. In her role, she provides analysis and technical assistance related to apprenticeship, work-based learning, and other workforce development policy issues. As a Schwarzman Scholar, Mary earned her Master of Management Science degree in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University in 2021. In 2020, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages and International Studies from Bellarmine University. Prior to coming to CSG, Mary worked at Catholic Charities of Louisville in education and community engagement.

Sean Slone is a senior policy analyst at the national headquarters of The Council of State Governments (CSG) in Lexington, Kentucky and a member of the Education and Workforce Team in the CSG Center of Innovation. In recent years, he has staffed projects on long-term care, mental health policy and the future of work and directed the organization’s Medicaid policy education programs. Previously, as CSG’s Director of Transportation & Infrastructure Policy, he spent a decade (2008-18) staffing the organization’s Transportation & Infrastructure Public Policy Committee, organizing transportation-related convenings in Washington, D.C. and around the country and writing for CSG publications. A journalist by training, his career also has included a decade as a producer for C-SPAN in Washington, D.C. and five years as a producer/reporter for Kentucky Educational Television, where he covered the Kentucky General Assembly.

Mary Greenfield is a Policy Analyst at The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. Here, she researches and disseminates information on policies, programs, and strategies for providing youth with disabilities a smooth transition into the workforce. Her background is in research: welfare politics, economics, mutual aid, and the ethics of public policy. She received her MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Joe Paul is a Policy Analyst at The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. He works on Registered Apprenticeship Standards and Apprenticeship Data. He previously worked for the state of Kentucky as a Workforce Project Manager and Program Manager and served as a U.S. Naval Supply Officer for three and a half years. He received his B.A. from the University of Kentucky and his M.P.A. from Strayer University.