He is married to Caroline Byerman. They have two children, Amanda and Will.[3]
Early career
Byerman began his career as executive director of Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities, Inc., a public-private partnership that promotes alternative fuel vehicles. Under Byerman's leadership, Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities developed from a start-up non profit to become the winner of the "Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence," an honor awarded by Governor Tom Ridge in 1998.[4]
Byerman moved back to his home state of Nevada in 1998 and served on the senior staff of Governor Bob Miller. There, Byerman served as executive assistant to the governor, a policy position in which Byerman managed transportation, environmental, and information technology issues as a member of the governor's senior staff. From the governor's staff, Byerman went on to lead intergovernmental relations for the Nevada Department of Transportation.[1]
As a volunteer in his community, David has served as president of the Sparks Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the State of Nevada's Advisory Committee on Participatory Democracy, and chairman of the board of the Nevada Association of Nonprofit Organizations.[3]
Census 2000 and Census 2010
Byerman served as chief government liaison for Nevada for the U.S. Census Bureau during both the 2000 and 2010 Census campaigns.[5] In this role, Byerman served as the lead strategist and media spokesman for both campaigns. Nevada's 2000 Census Campaign produced the biggest turnaround of any state in the nation; while 2.3% of Nevadans were missed in 1990, the undercount was cut to only 1.6% in 2000. The improved Census count was calculated to have produced $16 million for Nevada annually in additional federal allocations from 2000 to 2010.[6] Both campaigns were highly successful, and Byerman was widely credited with having played a major role as both an advocate and an organizer.[7]
Secretary of the Senate
David Byerman was the 40th secretary of the Senate for the Nevada Senate.[3] He was appointed by then-Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford on August 18, 2010[7] and was then unanimously elected by the full Nevada Senate on February 7, 2011[8] and on February 4, 2013.[9]
David Byerman was the first Southern Nevada resident ever appointed to serve as Secretary of the Senate.[10] The position is full-time and non-partisan. As Secretary of the Senate, Byerman served as the Chief Executive Officer and Parliamentarian for the Nevada State Senate.[11] The Secretary of the Senate oversees a session staff that grows to over 100 during legislative sessions, and includes legislative staff, floor staff, sergeants at arms, research assistants, and others.[2][12]
Secretary Byerman implemented a wide variety of initiatives to increase accessibility and transparency in government during his terms of office. Channel 21 serves as a communications channel for the Senate and includes Senate news and information, explanations about jargon and legislative terminology, live video of Senate committee and floor sessions, national and local news, and meeting information.[13] SENarts was a partnership among the Nevada Senate, Nevada Division of Museums and Nevada Arts Council that included arts competitions, programs, and a campaign to build the Senate's permanent art collection.[14] uLegislate was a simulation in the Senate Chambers that offered visitors the chance to play the roles of Senators and Senate officers on the floor of the Senate.[15]
After a change in party control in the Senate for the 2015 Legislative Session, the new Republican leadership announced that former secretary Claire J. Clift would be re-appointed to the job.
Director of the Legislative Research Commission
Byerman assumed office on October 1, 2015, taking the helm of an agency that had been racked by a sexual harassment scandal and poor management practices.[16] Citing a highly professional workforce, Byerman expressed early optimism in a full recovery for the agency.[17] He wrote an op-ed less than a week into his tenure, which was widely run in every major newspaper in the state, in which he was widely quoted saying that LRC needed to "get its swagger back."[18] Byerman assumed office on October 1, 2015.
After over a year in office, Byerman was credited by Senate President Robert Stivers with making progress in addressing policy issues at LRC.[19] In his first two months with the agency, over 125 employees scheduled one-on-one meetings with the director. He has moved to shore up internal LRC communications, establishing a daily internal news bulletin, launching a bimonthly newsletter, and establishing a social media presence under the handle @DirectorLRC. He also changed a longtime policy where employees were awarded a set number of comp time hours at the sole discretion of the Director, opting instead to adopt a "one for one" comp time approach.[19]
In August 2016, Byerman presented, and the Legislative Research Commission approved, an employee classification plan. This established—for the first time in the agency's history—formal job descriptions for all positions and a formal organizational structure. For years, LRC employees operated without clearly explained procedures for advancement or pay increases, with the staff feeling that many decisions were being made arbitrarily by previous directors. Then House Speaker Greg Stumbo gave Byerman's plan high marks, saying it was a good plan that addressed longstanding issues documented by the National Conference of State Legislatures.[20] Byerman planned to implement performance evaluations based on the classification plan.[19]
In 2017, the LRC announced that it had updated its measurement of employee satisfaction, using an identical survey to one used to diagnose widespread employee dissatisfaction previously. The updated survey dramatic improvement for the agency under Byerman's leadership, with LRC showing improvements in 49 of the 54 areas in which employee satisfaction was measured. The area that showed the biggest change between 2014 and 2017 reflected increased confidence that LRC's hiring practices are consistent for all job openings. On a four-point scale, employee responses on that topic were almost nine-tenths of a point higher in this year's survey.[21] Overall, employee satisfaction with Byerman's performance as Director was measured at 73%.[22] Shortly after the survey results were released, Byerman received a contract extension from the Legislative Research Commission.[23]
In August, 2018, legislative leadership informed Director Byerman that his contract would not be renewed for a fourth year.[24] The move was widely believed to have been made for political reasons, causing an outcry from editorial pages and constituent groups.[25] Upon news breaking of his pending departure, Byerman was hailed by constituents and some legislative leaders for his efforts at transparency, citizen engagement, and youth empowerment.[26] In a statement, House Minority Leader Rocky Adkins hailed Byerman for bringing “a deep level of experience and expertise. Legislators and legislative staff alike owe him a great deal for his many contributions.”[26] The role of LRC Director, up until the end of Director Byerman's term a strictly nonpartisan role, has since been filled by staffers with long ties to Republican leadership, who had previously held partisan roles.[27]
CEO of Chester County, Pennsylvania
In November 2024, the Chester County Commission announced that Byerman would serve as the county's Chief Executive Officer. The move is a return back to a county where Byerman lived in the 1990s. [28] In this role, Commission Chair Josh Maxwell indicated that Byerman would be responsible for the overall leadership of the county's 2600 employees, and for shaping the county's strategic vision.[29]. He is responsible for a budget of over $475 million and a workforce of over 2,600 employees.[30]
Awards and recognition
In May 2013, Secretary Byerman was honored with the Jean Ford Democracy Award by Secretary of State Ross Miller in recognition of his dedication to engaging the public in the democratic process.[31]
In April 2014 Secretary Byerman was announced by the Clark County Law Foundation as a winner of the Liberty Bell Award. According to the citation, the Liberty Bell Award, "recognizes individuals in the community who uphold the rule of law, contribute to good government within the community, stimulate a sense of civic responsibility, and encourage respect for the law in the courts."[32]
At its Legislative Summit, the National Conference of State Legislatures announced in August 2014 that Secretary Byerman was the recipient of the Kevin B. Harrington Award.[33] The award, named for Senator Kevin B. Harrington, "recognizes an individual or organization for advancing public understanding of state and local representative democracy."[33]
Related Research Articles
James Arthur Gibbons is an American attorney, aviator, geologist, hydrologist and politician who was the 28th Governor of Nevada from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 2nd congressional district from 1997 to 2006.
Congressional staff are employees of the United States Congress or individual members of Congress. The position first developed in the late 19th century, and it expanded significantly during the 20th century. Staffers may work with individual members of Congress, or they may be associated with committees or other organizations that support Congress.
Brian Edward Sandoval is an American politician, academic administrator, and former federal judge who served as the 29th Governor of Nevada from 2011 to 2019.
The Kansas Republican Party is the state affiliate political party in Kansas of the United States Republican Party. The Kansas Republican Party was organized in May 1859.
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives.
The Legislative Research Commission (LRC) is an agency of Kentucky state government that supports the state legislature, the Kentucky General Assembly.
Kevin J. O'Toole is an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey Senate. O'Toole represented the 40th legislative district, which included parts of Bergen, Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties from 2008 to 2017.
Bill Bradbury was an American politician who served as a member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly and as the 23rd Oregon secretary of state from 1999 to 2009. Bradbury was an unsuccessful candidate for the 2010 Oregon gubernatorial election. In 2010, he was appointed to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski.
The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada, the lower house being the Nevada Assembly. It currently (2012–2021) consists of 21 members from single-member districts. In the previous redistricting (2002–2011) there were 19 districts, two of which were multimember. Since 2012, there have been 21 districts, each formed by combining two neighboring state assembly districts. Each state senator represented approximately 128,598 as of the 2010 United States census. Article Four of the Constitution of Nevada sets that state senators serve staggered four-year terms.
Nora Campos is an American politician from California. Campos formerly served as a California State Assemblymember and was the Speaker pro tempore during her tenure. In 2020, she was unsuccessful in her campaign for the California's 15th State Senate district. She served on the San Jose City Council representing District 5 (2001-2010). She was unsuccessful in her campaign for the same seat in 2022. Prior to taking elected office she worked for a San Jose City Councilmember.
Howard Hendrick is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Hendrick was serving as the Oklahoma Secretary of Human Services, having been appointed by Democratic Governor of Oklahoma Brad Henry in 2003.
Christopher B. Shank is an American politician who has served in a variety of roles within Maryland state government, including Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief Legislative Officer to Governor Larry Hogan. He has previously served in the Maryland Senate representing the 2nd district in Washington County, including a stint as Senate minority whip.
David Grier Martin III is an American politician and attorney. He served several terms as a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly, representing the state's 34th district. His district included the northern part of Raleigh in Wake County.
Manuel A. Torres-Nieves, Puerto Rico's longest-serving secretary of the Senate of Puerto Rico in modern times, first served during the tumultuous years of 2005–2008 in which the Senate was controlled by the pro-statehood New Progressive Party (NPP) while the governorship had been controlled by the pro-status quo Popular Democratic Party, served a second consecutive term as Senate Secretary after having served as Acting President of the Senate from January 1–12, 2009, between the Senate presidencies of Kenneth McClintock and Thomas Rivera Schatz. He then served as Puerto Rico's first Electoral Comptroller before his third election as secretary of the Senate during Rivera Schatz' historic second non-consecutive term as Senate President, which ended January 11, 2021. On March 11, 2021, Governor Pedro Pierluisi nominated him as Comptroller of Puerto Rico, a constitutional role which requires the advice and consent of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Shannon Jones is an American politician from the state of Ohio. A Republican, she was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2007 to 2009 and a member of the Ohio Senate from 2009 to 2016. She was the Executive Director of Groundwork Ohio from 2016 to 2024, and is currently a county commissioner in Warren County, Ohio.
The government of Nevada comprises three branches of government: the executive branch consisting of the governor of Nevada and the governor's cabinet along with the other elected constitutional officers; the legislative branch consisting of the Nevada Legislature which includes the Assembly and the Senate; and the judicial branch consisting of the Supreme Court of Nevada and lower courts.
Tony Shipley is a former State Representative for the Tennessee House of Representatives 2nd District in Sullivan County.
The Nevada general election, 2014 was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, throughout Nevada.
Heidi K. Seevers Gansert is an American politician, businessperson, and engineer from the state of Nevada serving in the Nevada Senate, representing the 15th district since 2016. She served in the Nevada Assembly from 2004 through 2010, including as Republican leader, and as chief of staff to Governor Brian Sandoval from 2011 through 2012. She is a Republican.
Julie Frye-Mueller is an American politician from South Dakota. A member of the Republican Party, she has been a member of the South Dakota Senate, serving since 2021. She was censured by the Senate in 2023 for harassment of a legislative staffer; she denied harassment.
↑ Official Press Release from Secretary of State Ross Miller, May 14, 2013.
↑ News Release from Clark County Law Foundation, "LIBERTY BELL AWARD HONORS JUDGE ALLAN EARL AND SECRETARY OF THE SENATE DAVID BYERMAN", April 1, 2014.
1 2 NCSL Website, Nevada Senate Secretary David Byerman Awarded National Trust for Representative Democracy's Kevin B. Harrington Award, August 21, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
