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Executive Director
Indiana Legislative Services Agency
George Angelone has headed the Indiana Legislative Services Agency, a nonpartisan organization within the legislative branch of state government, for 14 years. But he’s been with the agency for a total of 48 — in pretty much every capacity it has to offer. Recruited out of a combined law degree/MBA program at Indiana University to work on a multidisciplinary team evaluating state government programs, Angelone’s past roles also include bill drafter, legal researcher, legal editor and deputy director. “At each stage of my career, my educational background matched an opportunity, and I was willing to take on the challenge,” he said. The agency, Angelone says, remains focused on improving its practice by using technology such as cloud services, artificial intelligence and XML database tagging. His long career has given him a clear understanding of what it takes to succeed in the legal profession. “Find an area of the law that you enjoy and people with whom you enjoy working,” he said. “Lawyering can be hard work and stressful. At the end of the day, you need to know that this is where you belong.”
Givebacks: member, Midwestern Legislative Service Agency and Research Directors group, Council of State Governments Midwest; former merit badge counselor and adult committee member, Scouting America
Motivation: “My father was one of the last lawyers to ‘read the law,’ rather than go to law school,” Angelone said. “He was very proud of his profession. His encouragement strongly encouraged my decision.”
Mentors: In addition to his father, Angelone pointed to two former bosses — Phil Sachtleben and John Rowings — as well as “the many lawyer-legislators who generously shared their insights into both their areas of legal expertise and the pragmatic and very human drivers of the law.”
Important traits: legal skills and ethical backbone, plus the patience and open-mindedness to really hear all stakeholders
First job: His first (almost) full-time position was an internship in the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office. Before that, his long list of part-time and/or summer gigs included lifeguard, library shelver and YMCA camp counselor.
Favorite de-stressors: “Family centers me,” he said. “Music, preferably loud, instantly calms and de-stresses me.”•
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