The Utah State Capitol was unusually quiet in early 2021, even though the legislature’s annual session was in full swing. “There just wasn’t the bustle we usually have,” says Megan Selin Allen, a 2010 MPA alum. “The capitol was closed to the public for the first couple of weeks, and even after it opened, just our interns could be in the gallery. Only representatives, staff, and approved others could be on the floor. We had COVID-19 testing going on every day, and for the first time, some legislators participated via Zoom.”
Even though the atmosphere in the building wasn’t the same, the legislative process went forward as usual, thanks to Allen. As chief clerk for Utah’s House of Representatives, Allen is an integral part of the team that keeps things moving during the 45-day legislative session.
In addition to overseeing staffers such as pages and “green coats” (those who fulfill security and ushering roles), Allen prepares and distributes the daily order of business, which, she says, “helps us know where we are and what we have coming.” From her seat in front of the Speaker of the House, she helps direct action on the House floor and ensures that representatives follow parliamentary procedure, House rules, and constitutional requirements. She also records votes, presents results to the Speaker, and transmits House legislation to the Senate.
“My days are kind of crazy,” reports Allen, “especially during the first week of the session when we have a lot of ceremonial events, like the State of the State address. I always say that if I can get through the first week, I’ll be okay.” But the weeks near the end are also intense, when debate on the House floor might go until 8 p.m.—or later.
Once the session is over, Allen manages the final step of “enrolling”—
transmission to the governor for signing—bills that have been passed. She oversees writing and editing the official House Journal and ramps up for the next session by lining up staffers, planning for opening-week events, and helping onboard new legislators and offboard outgoing members. “I do boring things too,” she says with a laugh, “like making sure we have enough signature-page copies.”
Allen’s career in government began long before she accepted her current position. Though she majored in management at BYU Marriott, she also had a keen interest in politics. She participated in BYU’s Washington Seminar, interning in the office of the CFO for the US Department of Agriculture, and later interned with the Utah House of Representatives.
Serendipitously, not long before Allen completed her bachelor’s degree in 2008, she saw a poster in the Wilkinson Center advertising the MPA program. She had never heard of it, but she ended up attending an informational meeting the same day. “They described an MPA as ‘an MBA but for government and nonprofit work.’ I knew it was a perfect fit,” she says.
As a result of relationships built during her internships, Allen stayed involved in politics, working on campaigns and private projects for legislators. In 2015 she became deputy chief of staff for the Speaker of the House, a role she held for four years before being hired as chief clerk. Allen also earned an MBA from Western Governors University in 2017.
Allen, her husband, Scott, and their three children currently reside in North Salt Lake, not far from the capitol building. As Allen reflects on her work with the legislature, she describes it as an exciting, frustrating, fast, and slow process—all at the same time. “But what I like best about my job,” she says, “is the inside peek into the very real and pertinent issues that affect everyone in the state.”
