Staff Snapshots | Ryan Frost.

Ryan Frost

Hometown: Cheyenne, Wyo.

Role: Legislative information officer, Operations Division, Wyoming Legislative Service Office; Frost is a 2020 graduate of NCSL's Legislative Staff Certificate Program.

Years of legislative service: Four and a half

The talent or skill he's proudest of: "My ability to make government more understandable and accessible to the public. I enjoy helping others to understand why government is important and how it directly impacts their lives."

Why did you choose to work at the legislature?

Early in my career, I held a position that included tracking legislation as it moved through our state legislature. The more I understood about the process, the more interesting it became to me. After working for the Wyoming executive branch for several years, I took a job with the Legislative Services Office, staffing the Joint Appropriations Committee. After a few years in that role, I moved into my current position in our Operations Division, where I'm the legislative information officer. Now almost five years later, my professional satisfaction has never been higher. While the environment can be challenging at times, it can also be energizing, and I genuinely enjoy my colleagues and getting to work with a talented group of people.

What's the best advice you were ever given?

Former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming famously said, "If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters." While this advice wasn't given to me individually, it becomes more and more true the further I get into my professional career. I've been fortunate to have some incredible mentors during my life, and I'd like to say I took something from each of them, such as different leadership styles and ways to manage projects or approach daily tasks. However, the one thing I learned from all my mentors was, first and foremost, that integrity is the most important attribute.

Who or what inspires you?

My father-in-law is a great inspiration. He was a city manager for over 30 years and then became director of an executive branch department for eight years. He demonstrated outstanding leadership during his tenure, and I will forever be grateful for the things I have learned and continue to learn from him, just by hearing the way he speaks on various topics. He possesses a deep understanding of issues and brings a level of thoughtfulness to each situation that I have rarely seen in people in positions of authority...