Sending Them Off in Style: NCSL salutes Glenn Koepp, a giant in the redistricting field who died last year, and three dedicated staffers who retired: Sheron Violini, Rick DeLeon and Stephen Klein.

• Position: LEGISLATIVE STAFF PROFILES - National Conference of State Legislatures

Glenn Koepp

Secretary, Louisiana Senate

Glenn Koepp wrote down three things he was grateful for every day. And when he retired in 2020 after nearly 50 years in different roles in the Louisiana Statehouse, one of the things he listed was his job.

"It's the greatest job in the world," he said in a speech to the Senate on the day he retired as its secretary.

Koepp, who devoted his life to public service--particularly the complex world of redistricting--died from a heart attack on July 19 last year. He was 76.

At the time of his death, he had just attended NCSL's redistricting seminar in Salt Lake City and was visiting his son in Colorado. Family, friends and colleagues all describe Koepp as someone who was unfailingly upbeat, full of passion about his family and his work as Senate secretary and other roles in the Louisiana Statehouse.

And it was through that job that Koepp became an expert on redistricting, eventually writing four redistricting plans for Louisiana, serving as a special master in two court cases and advising officials on redistricting in other states.

Koepp was a member of NCSL's American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries professional staff association; served on the NCSL Task Force on Reapportionment for more than three decades; and gave presentations at NCSL redistricting seminars over the years.

Sheron Violini

Deputy secretary for operations, California Senate

Sheron Violini's interest in legislative work was sparked at a young age by the late California Assemblyman Eric Seastrand, who attended meetings of the 4-H Club Violini belonged to while growing up in rural Monterey County, California.

"Upon his suggestion, I attended the University of California, Davis and interned at the California State Capitol," Violini says.

After graduating, she took a fulltime job in the Assembly as an office assistant. "It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up because I enjoyed the pace as well as the people."

She enjoyed the Legislature enough to spend 27 years there, earning a master's degree in public history along the way. In her work for the nonpartisan administrative office of the Senate Rules Committee, she helped ensure that Senate events, social media and constituent outreach complied with the law and Senate policy. She also assisted with the organization of ceremonial events, including oath-of-office ceremonies and memorials.

The most rewarding moment of her career was the creation of the Senate Training Office in 2012 to...