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Occupational Licensure

Featured Work

Occupational Licensing: Assessing State Policy and Practice

OVER THE LAST 60 YEARS, the number of jobs requiring an occupational license, or government approval to practice a profession, has grown from about 1 in 20 to nearly 1 in 4.

Interstate Licensure Compacts and Universal Licensure Recognition Laws

In recent years, state policymakers have used two mechanisms to enable interstate mobility of licensed professionals. Interstate licensure compacts are statutorily enacted agreements among states to allow professionals to work across state lines.

Occupational Licensing Final Report: Assessing State Policies and Practices

Occupational licensing has emerged as a chief policy issue for state leaders in recent years. While licensing serves as a tool to safeguard public health and safety, it can come with economic and social costs.

The Team

Dan Logsdon

Division Director, Director, National Center for Interstate Compacts
Dan Logsdon is the Director of the National Center for Interstate Compacts at The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. Previously, Dan was Vice Chair of Kentucky's Public Service Commission. He served as Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear’s deputy chief of staff and as Assistant Kentucky State Treasurer. He also served as vice president for external affairs at Alltel Communications and Windstream Communications. He earned a B.A. in History from Murray State University.

Carl Sims

Deputy Program Director
The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation
Carl Sims is a Special Projects Manager at The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. Carl oversees the work of the 2021-22 CSG Healthy States National Task Force, a multi-year project focused on the improvement of state fiscal, civic, economic and workforce and human health. Carl earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Kentucky Wesleyan College and his Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Kentucky’s Martin School.
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Matt Shafer

Deputy Program Director
The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation
Matt Shafer is a Deputy Program Director at The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. Matt serves in the National Center for Interstate Compacts, where he manages development of licensure compacts for teaching, cosmetology, massage therapy, social work and dentistry and supports the legislative enactment of licensure compacts for counseling, occupational therapy and speech language pathology. Matt earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kentucky.

Dexter Horne

Leadership Development Specialist
The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation
Dexter Horne is a Leadership Development Specialist at the Council of State Governments where he works to expand the personal, professional, and emotional skillsets of CSG members. In 2016, Dexter earned his bachelor’s degree in Politics from Centre College. He earned his MPA from the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration in the spring of 2018.

Isabel Eliassen

Policy Analyst
The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation
Isabel Eliassen is a policy analyst with the National Center for Interstate Compacts at the Council for State Governments. She earned her B.A. from Western Kentucky University. She works primarily with occupational licensure compacts, serving as the interim Executive Director for the Counseling Compact and the Occupational Therapy Compact. She has helped write compact language and provides technical assistance to compact commissions and state legislatures.

Adam Diersing

Policy Analyst
The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation
Adam Diersing is a Policy Analyst and The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. Adam joined the Council of State Governments after earning a degree in Law and Public Policy from the O’Neill School at Indiana University. Within the Center of Innovation, Adam primarily works on projects in occupational licensure, veteran support policy, and interstate compacts. Outside of work, Adam enjoys pub trivia and exploring the natural beauty around Lexington.

Jessica Thomas

Policy Analyst
The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation
Jessica Thomas is a policy analyst at the Council of State Governments Center of Innovation. She works for the National Center for Interstate Compacts, supporting the development of compacts. Jessica earned her bachelor’s degree from Bellarmine University, a Master of Education degree from the University of Louisville and a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Kentucky.

Keith Buckhout

Research Associate
The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation
Keith Buckhout is a Research Associate providing technical assistance on development of interstate compacts for occupational licensure with research and analysis focused on policies that promote public safety, remove barriers to employment, expand access to services and streamline regulatory administration. Prior to joining CSG, Keith served multiple administrations in Kentucky State Government. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Political S.