NCSL Staff Directory

In her role as an associate director in the Criminal and Civil Justice Program, Alison Lawrence oversees projects on policing, pretrial release, community supervision, jails, corrections budgets and criminal justice data. Lawrence also staffs the Law, Criminal Justice and Public Safety Standing Committee and has 14 years of experience with NCSL. She earned her masters of public administration from the University of Colorado. 

Alyssa Vigil is a program coordinator at NCSL, where she supports the Criminal and Civil Justice Program. Previously, Vigil worked in administrative support and research roles for the University of Colorado Boulder. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in business, also from the University of Colorado.

As a program principal in NCSL’s Criminal and Civil Justice Program, Amanda Essex focuses on corrections and sentencing, community supervision, corrections budgets, criminal justice data and immigration. Essex also staffs the Task Force on Immigration and the States and has nearly nine years of experience with NCSL. She earned a bachelor’s in political science from Colorado State University, holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and is a member of the Colorado bar.

As program principal in NCSL’s Criminal and Civil Justice Program, Amber Widgery has national expertise in front-end criminal justice policy, including law enforcement and pretrial release. Widgery has nearly 10 years of experience at NCSL, tracking and analyzing legislation, testifying for legislative bodies and writing on important criminal justice legislative trends and hot topics. Widgery received her bachelor’s in political science and history from Colorado State University, holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado Law School and is a member of the Colorado bar.

As an associate director in the Criminal and Civil Justice Program, Anne Teigen oversees work related to juvenile justice, criminal records, human trafficking, civil justice and firearms policy. Teigen has nearly 20 years of policy experience with NCSL and is a licensed attorney in the state of Colorado. She educates and informs state legislators and staff by providing testimony, convening meetings and writing reports on a wide array of criminal and civil justice policy areas.

Jay Gideon is a policy analyst with the Civil and Criminal Justice team, and researches topics related to adult criminal justice such as law enforcement and sentencing.  Prior to joining the NCSL, Gideon spent time in Eswatini, Africa, for the Peace Corps. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Colorado Boulder and a master’s degree in criminology from Regis University.

As a policy analyst, Jessica Guarino supports the Civil and Criminal Justice Program by researching a variety of topics related to criminal records, human trafficking, firearms policy and questions relating to the Constitution. Prior to joining NCSL, Guarino earned her J.D. and LL.M. from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and worked as a postdoctoral legal research associate for the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has published several law review and peer-reviewed articles and is dedicated to providing accurate and accessible policy data.

As a policy specialist, Kate Bryan researches a variety of issues concerning criminal and civil justice. Bryan comes to NCSL with experience in the legal field as well as health care. Bryan holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Colorado as well as a Master of Science in Law from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.

Laura Carper supports NCSL’s Criminal and Civil Justice Program. Previously, Carper worked in administrative support roles for Xerox and RE/MAX Alliance. She earned a bachelor’s in technical journalism from Colorado State University. 

Sarah Brown is the director of the Criminal and Civil Justice Program (CCJ) at NCSL. As the director, she oversees all of NCSL’s criminal and civil justice work, with specific expertise in juvenile justice. Brown has been with NCSL for 20 years working on informing state legislatures on criminal and civil justice issues across the nation. Prior to joining NCSL, Brown worked for five years as a legislative assistant to a United States Senator in Washington, D.C. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado and earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver College of Law. Brown has been admitted to practice law in Colorado.