Effecting Change from Within: How Local and State Advocacy Can Lead to Positive Changes Everywhere
As states are the laboratories of democracy, state policy frequently foreshadows federal policy. While state-level policy choices are nominally limited in geographic reach, they can have spillover effects on other states. The importance of state legislatures in the fight for changes in workplace policy cannot be underestimated. In response, SHRM has put together a well-qualified panel that will take members through the latest workplace trends at the state level, as well as provide a forecast for the year to come.
Tim Storey
Tim Storey is the Executive Director of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) with offices in Denver, Colorado and Washington, D.C. NCSL's mission is to serve America's state legislatures and the legislatures of the U.S. territories. NCSL is dedicated to strengthening the legislative institution, helping legislators and legislative staff make connections with each other to exchange ideas and best practices and representing the states with the federal government.
Tim has spent the past 30 years working for and studying legislatures--specializing in the areas of elections, redistricting, legislative organization and leadership. During his tenure at NCSL, he has participated in, and led, more than two dozen, in-depth studies of legislative operations. And, he has consulted with, and conducting training for parliaments around the world. Tim staffed NCSL's Redistricting and Elections Committee for twenty years authoring numerous articles and papers on the topics of redistricting and elections.
For two decades, he led NCSL's effort, StateVote, to collect and analyze state election results. He led NCSL's State Services Division prior to being hired as NCSL's third Executive Director in June of 2019. During that time, he overhauled NCSL's services to legislative leaders and professional development portfolio. Born and raised in western North Carolina, Tim attended Mars Hill College and received his MA from the University of Colorado. Tim lives in Wheat Ridge, Colorado with his amazing wife Amy, and their three pretty-darn-good kids: Caroline, Will and Erin.
Jody Thomas
Jody has served as Executive Director of NFWL since December 2013. As such, she is responsible for the leadership and management of NFWL according to the strategic direction set by the Board of Directors. Prior to that, she was National Finance Director of two presidential campaigns, managed numerous issue-oriented groups and a vast array of special events, campaigns and committees. Jody was a partner at a public affairs firm for six years. For eight years she managed all fundraising and political activity for Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts. She was then appointed by President George W. Bush as Director of Public Liaison for the Office of Personnel Management. Jody holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Meredith Martino
Meredith Martino is the Executive Director of Women in Government, a national non-profit, non-partisan organization that convenes state legislators and stakeholder experts with broad perspectives and experiences to amplify the work of female lawmakers. In her role as Executive Director, Meredith oversees the strategic direction, budget and staff of the foundation. Under her leadership, the organization approved its first strategic plan in October 2021 and is expanding the content and programming it brings to legislators to cover three broad topics: Access to Healthcare, Resilient Communities and Strong Economies.
Prior to joining Women in Government, Meredith spent 17+ years at the American Association of Port Authorities, most recently as its Vice President of Membership and Sponsorship. In her role at AAPA, the industry trade association for public port authorities throughout the Western Hemisphere, she created and refined revenue streams for the Association, including the Premier Partner sponsorship program. She was responsible for the overall planning and execution of AAPA's Annual Convention, a $1M event that attracts 500-600 maritime industry executives and solution providers. She led a major revision of the Association’s governance structure in 2020 and created a new dues structure for U.S. corporate members that was adopted in 2021. Her previous roles at AAPA included Chief Engagement Officer; Director of Publications, Digital Media and Technology; and Director of Environmental Policy.
Before joining AAPA, Meredith led grassroots efforts for the U.S. Travel Association (then-U.S. Travel Industry Association), helping U.S. travel and tourism suppliers strengthen federal support for increasing travel to and within the United States.
Meredith began her career in the United States Senate, working initially for Senator John Glenn’s (D-OH) Government Affairs Committee staff. During the final two years of the Senator’s political career, she was responsible for sending the Senator’s relevant Committee files and work products to the National Archives. She then worked for Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), assisting senior legislative staff on transportation, energy, forestry and environmental issues.
While working in the Senate, Meredith completed her master’s degree in political management at The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, with a focus in lobbying. Meredith earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College, in conjunction with the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.
Originally a native of northern Kentucky, Meredith currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her two children – Claudia and Louis – and her rescue dog Bailey. She is a Washington Nationals baseball season plan holder and plays weekly recreational volleyball. She loves to read and listen to audiobooks, and she plays handbells in her church handbell choir.
Deriece Harrington
As Director of Government Affairs, Deriece K. Harrington represents PepsiCo before state and local governments in the Mid-Atlantic. In her role, she engages with community and government officials while developing and maintaining key relationships with stakeholders in her region and around the country. Prior to her role at PepsiCo, she served as the Deputy Executive Director of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, where she managed the day-to-day operations of the Caucus and critical relationships with corporate and nonprofit partners and legislative members from around the country.
As a political science graduate of Morgan State University, she began her career as the Executive Director for the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, Inc. (LBCM). She was instrumental in implementing the Caucus’ agenda while operating as an intermediary between its constituents and community partners. Her tenure at the LBCM led her to gain her Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Public Policy and Management and her work with the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. As the Chamber’s Vice President of Government Affairs, she advocated on behalf of their members in the areas of employment law, energy, environment, transportation, and tax.
Over the years, Deriece has participated in several leadership fellowship programs, such as the Council of State Governments Robert J. Thompson Eastern Leadership Academy and won numerous awards like the Daily Record’s Leading Women in Maryland, top 40 under 40 in Prince George’s County by the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund and a 2018 Rising Star by the Living Classrooms Foundation. In 2021, she was named one of the top 40 under 40 Very Important Professionals by The Daily Record.
She currently serves on several community and national boards and committees, including Living Classrooms- National Capital Region Board, A Wider Circle, and the Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Deriece enjoys reading, watching home improvement shows, and traveling with her family in her free time. Deriece is a native of Jamaica, New York, and currently resides in Southern Maryland with her husband and daughters.