Suzanne Geist hired as chief policy adviser for Nebraska attorney general

Months after she resigned from Nebraska's Legislature to focus on her unsuccessful Lincoln mayoral campaign, Suzanne Geist has landed a new job in state government.

The former District 25 senator on Monday joined the Attorney General's Office as Mike Hilgers' chief policy adviser, a newly created position that will pay Geist $95,000 annually, a spokeswoman for Hilgers said Thursday.

Geist, who studied broadcast journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, worked as a style consultant before winning a seat in Legislature in 2016. She was reelected in 2020.

She was the chair of the Legislature's Transportation and Telecommunications Committee when she resigned in April to focus on her mayoral campaign following her second-place finish in that month's primary. Geist's bid to unseat Lincoln's mayor failed in May, when voters reelected Leirion Gaylor Baird after a contentious race. 

As a member of the Legislature, Geist served on numerous committees including the Judiciary, Natural Resources, Executive Board, Corrections Oversight, and Child Welfare Contract Special Investigative and Oversight committees.

She also served as the Chair of the Performance Audit Committee.

"I am thrilled to add Suzanne Geist to our talented team," Hilgers, himself a former lawmaker, said in the news release announcing her appointment.

"I served with former Senator Geist for six years, and she was a trusted colleague and friend. Suzanne has deep policy expertise, with a particular focus on criminal justice and sentencing issues."

In her role as Hilgers' chief policy adviser — a position that did not previously exist — Geist will "oversee numerous initiatives and priorities," Hilgers' office said in a news release.

Suzanne Gage, the office's communications director, said Thursday that Geist will serve on the Nebraska Sentencing Reform Task Force, which was created when the Legislature passed LB50 in June.

The omnibus criminal justice reform bill was first introduced by Geist but carried to the finish line by Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha following her resignation. 

The reform task force that Geist will sit on will identify and recommend changes to the state's criminal justice laws, policies and practices "to improve public safety and more effectively allocate Nebraska's criminal justice system resources."

Gage said Geist has spent her initial days in the Attorney General's office meeting with law enforcement leaders, which will be among her regular job responsibilities.

In her mayoral campaign, Geist focused in part on crime and the recruitment and retention of police officers. She was endorsed by the Lincoln Police Union.

Geist has previously said that she had primarily been interested in politics as an observer before she ran for a seat in the Legislature in 2016, but had worked on family friend Doug Peterson's successful bid for attorney general. 

Hilgers was elected last year to replace Peterson, who did not seek a third term.

In his announcement of Geist's hiring Thursday, Hilgers also named Joshua Shasserre as the new deputy attorney general for public affairs.

Shasserre, who has worked in the attorney general's office since 2015, will be the primary liaison with the Nebraska Legislature and other state, federal and local government officials, Hilgers' office said in the news release. 

Shasserre will be paid $133,536 annually — unchanged from his previous salary, Gage said.