Staff Snapshots | Kimberly Madsen.

Kimberly Madsen

Hometown: Orem, Utah

Role: Financial analyst, Utah Legislature; Madsen is a 2020 graduate of NCSL's Legislative Staff Certificate Program.

Years of legislative service: Two and a half

What inspires her: "Kindness. I am constantly inspired by people who take time out of their own busy lives to focus on someone else. Something as simple as a smile and hello, or remembering small details of someone's life, or just a message to check in can make such a difference."

Why did you choose to work at the legislature?

I love public service! I worked in Washington, D.C., for the Government Accountability Office before I started my Ph.D. and fell in love with nonpartisan work. I knew that government was where I wanted to have an impact and discovered how much there was to learn about and do at the state level. I get to work on a variety of projects and policy areas while staffing the Social Services Appropriation Subcommittee, including homelessness, affordable housing, compensation and retirement for state employees, domestic violence, and unemployment insurance. My nonpartisan role gives me the opportunity to work with people from all parties with the goal of providing useful, objective and accurate information. I get so much fulfillment from providing legislators with the information they need to make the decisions they were elected to make. NCSL has been a great resource for me in getting objective information and developing more skills to serve our Legislature.

What skill or talent are you most proud of?

I enjoy building trust with legislators, agency personnel and others I get to work with every day. One way I do this is by keeping communication open and by summarizing nuanced and large quantities of information to make it accessible to a variety of audiences.

What's the best advice you were ever given?

While deciding whether to pursue a career in academia or government, live abroad, in D.C., or come back to my home state, I met with one of my professors, Ashlyn Nelson, who told me that in making these big decisions, I should choose the path that gives me the fuller life. She cautioned me to not just look at salary or career path, but at what all aspects of my life would look like in each scenario. This helped me choose a career in public service at the state level where I enjoy the immediate impact we have, where I live close to family, where my kids and I get to see grandparents and cousins, explore the mountains...