Participant Bios Alaska Honorable Kevin Meyer Senate President Kevin Meyer was elected to the Alaska Senate in 2008. He served as majority leader in 2011-2012. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008. Before his legislative service, he served in the Anchorage Assembly from 1993 to 2012. Meyer works as a facilities support coordinator for ConocoPhillips Alaska. He earned a B.S. in business administration from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, an M.P.A. from the University of New Mexico-Albuquerque and an M.B.A. from Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage. He and his wife, Marty, have two daughters. Arizona Honorable John Allen House Majority Leader John Allen was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2012. He previously served in the House from 2001 to 2005. Allen worked for America West Airlines. He is a small business owner. He received a degree in business administration from Arizona State University. He and his wife, Tina, have three sons. Arkansas Honorable Jeremy Gillam Speaker of the House Jeremy Gillam was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2010. He has served on the White County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, the ASU Beebe Development Council, and the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Advisory Board. Gillam has been recognized with several awards from the Arkansas Farm Bureau. He is the owner of Gilliam Farms. He received degrees in criminology and psychology from Arkansas State University. He and his wife, Carissa, have two young sons. Honorable Mat Pitsch House Majority Leader Matthew Pitsch was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2014. He serves on the Joint Committee on Advanced Communication Information Technology, the committee on Agriculture and Economic Development and the Committee on Public Transportation. He also chairs the House Small Business and Economic Development Permanent Subcommittee and serves as vice-chair of the Sportsman's Caucus. Pitsch attended the University of Missouri at Rolla. He is an electrical engineer and owns several business ventures. He and his wife, Seanna, have four children. Colorado Honorable Crisanta Duran Speaker-Elect of the House Crisanta Duran is in her third term in the Colorado House of Representatives. Before being elected to caucus leadership, Duran chaired the legislature’s powerful Joint Budget Committee. Among her many roles, she has been a leader in legislative economic development efforts. She serves on the board of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Duran has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver, where she was a double major in public policy and Spanish, and a law degree from the University of Colorado. She is a sixth-generation Coloradan. Connecticut Honorable Joe Aresimowicz Speaker-Elect of the House Joe Aresimowicz was first elected to the Connecticut General Assembly in 2004. Before being selected as speaker, he served as House majority leader. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army Reserve, where he served as a combat medic for almost a decade. He is a long-time member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Before his legislative service, Aresimowicz served three terms on the Berlin Town Council. He is also the head coach of Berlin High School's varsity football team and has directed Berlin Midget Football for the past 15 years. He and his family live in Berlin. Honorable Bob Duff Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff was elected to the Connecticut Senate in 2004. In 2015, he was chosen by his colleagues to serve as majority leader. He is chair of the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee and vice chair of the Legislative Management Committee. He previously served one term in the House of Representatives. Duff is a real estate professional. He earned his degree in political science from Lynchburg College in Virginia and was awarded the degree of doctorate of humane letters. He and his wife, Tracey, have two sons. Delaware Honorable Helene Keeley Speaker Pro Tem Helene Keeley was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in 1996. She currently serves as chair of the Capital Infrastructure Committee, vice chair of the Gaming and Parimutuels Committee, and vice chair of the Revenue and Finance Committee. She has worked as a marketing specialist with the Delaware Department of Labor, and as a project manager with Rosenbluth International. Keeley serves on the board of directors for Westside Health, Hilltop Lutheran Neighborhood Center, and the American Council of Young Political Leaders. She and her husband, Michael Green, live in Wilmington. Honorable Valerie Longhurst House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in 2004. In 2008, she was elected as the House majority whip and after the 2012 election, her caucus elected her to be the House majority leader. Longhurst chairs the House Administration, Ethics and Rules committees. In addition to her responsibilities in the General Assembly, she plays an important role in many local and national organizations including the National Conference of State Legislatures Women's Legislative Network. She formerly worked for AIG Insurance in Chadds Ford, Penn. Honorable David McBride Senate President Pro Tem-Elect David McBride was elected to the state Senate in 1980. He was selected as majority leader in 2012, and after the November 2016 election, he was selected as president of the Senate. He served one term in the Delaware House of Representatives from 1978 to 1979. He was enlisted in the U.S. Air Force from 1961 through 1969, and was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant. After being stationed in Texas and Alabama, he served in the Pacific, with stints in Okinawa and Tokyo in Japan, and one in Thailand. McBride works as a civil engineer. He obtained his B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Delaware. He and his wife, Margaret, live in New Castle. Honorable Peter Schwartzkopf Speaker of the House Peter Schwartzkopf was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in 2002. He served as majority leader for four years before being elected as speaker of the House in 2012. He is a full-time legislator with an extensive background in public safety. Schwartzkopf is a retired Delaware State Police captain and troop commander with 25 years of service. He is a member of the Administration, Rules, Ethics and Veteran Affairs committees. He is active with several nonprofit organizations, including the Delaware Special Olympics, the Delaware State Troopers Association and the National Kidney Foundation. Schwartzkopf graduated from Wilmington College with a B.S. in human resource management. He and his wife, Carol, enjoy spending time with their children and grandchildren. Georgia Honorable Jan Jones Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2002. She has served as speaker pro tem, the second highest position in the Georgia House of Representatives, since 2010. Born in Warner Robins, Jones has lived in Fulton County for 25 years. She graduated with a B.A. in journalism from the University of Georgia and an M.B.A. in finance from Georgia State University. She was a marketing manager for Home Box Office and owned a home-based small business while raising her children. She currently operates an energy consulting business with her husband, Kalin. She and her husband have four children. Hawaii Honorable Ron Kouchi Senate President Ronald Kouchi was appointed to fill a vacant Hawaii Senate seat in September 2010. He subsequently was elected to the seat, representing Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau islands. Before serving in the Hawaii Senate, he was an 11-term veteran of the Kaua’I County Council. Kouchi became president of the Hawaii Senate on May 5, 2015. He previously served as vice president of the Senate, majority caucus leader, vice chair for the Committee on Tourism, and vice chair for the Committee on Ways and Means. Kouchi received a B.A. from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. He is married to the former Joy Tanimoto and they have two sons. Idaho Honorable Brent Hill Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill has served in the Idaho Senate since 2001 and is a member of the Senate State Affairs and Local Government and Taxation Committees. Hill is a certified public accountant and certified financial planner with more than 35 years of experience working with business and agriculture. He attended Ricks College (now Brigham Young University-Idaho) and received a B.S. in accounting from Utah State University. For more than 20 years, he served as the president and CEO of Rudd & Company. Hill is the author of numerous newspaper articles and publications, including a book entitled, “A Matter of Principle.” He and his wife, Julie, have four children. Indiana Honorable David Long Senate President Pro Tem David Long was first elected to the Indiana Senate in 1996. Before his legislative service, he was a Fort Wayne councilman from 1988 to 1995. He serves on the board of trustees of the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Wayne and is a member of the board of directors of the Lincoln Museum. When not serving in the legislature, Long works as general counsel for Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne. He attended Wabash College and received a B.A. from the University of California at Davis. He received his J.D. from Santa Clara University. He and his wife, Melissa, have two sons. Iowa Honorable Mike Gronstal Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal has served in the Iowa Senate since 1985 and was a member of the Iowa House from 1983 to 1985. In addition to serving as Senate majority leader, he serves as chair of the Rules and Administration Committee.