Since 1998, Deece Eckstein has been Chief of Staff to Senator Rodney Ellis. He is responsible for overall management of the Senator's legislative program as well as his Capitol office, and two district offices.

Previously, Deece was a member of the Texas State Board of Insurance, appointed by Governor Ann Richards in 1993. From 1991 to 1993, he served on the Governor's staff as her Director of Economic and Regulatory Policy.

Kenneth has worked for Senator Ellis since July 1998. He serves as General Counsel and Legislative Director. Previously, he worked for Senator Ellis as a legislative aide, clerk of the Senate Jurisprudence Committee, director of the Senate Jurisprudence Committee, and counsel and budget analyst for the Senate Finance Committee. He has been involved with all aspects of Senator Ellis' legislative package including criminal justice reform, judicial and court-related legislation, and the 2002-03 budget.

Loi joined Senator Ellis' Staff in November 2001 as the Database Manager. Before working for the Senator, she was the promotions and sales support coordinator for a textbook publisher.

Her unique background in textbook approval and sales gives her a broad perspective on Texas' state board of education review system, and systems nationally, as well as higher education issues.

Jean joined Senator Ellis' office as his Special Assistant in January 2003. Prior to joining the Senator's office, she worked for former Senator Mike Moncrief for 10 years as a Legislative Assistant/ Scheduler.

Jean was responsible for monitoring juvenile justice issues, including DWI and gangs. She also monitored the managed care system and the newly created, Hospice facilities for inmates within TDCJ, and staffed both the Child Care Development and State Preservation Boards.

Adrian Collins has worked as deputy district director since July 2002. He joined Senator Ellis' staff in 1995 as an intern in the Texas Legislative Internship Program, and he later left to take a position as a senior aide for State Representative Scott Hochberg. Adrian also served under the president of Prairie View A&M University as the deputy special assistant for governmental affairs.

Sakina Lanig joined Senator Ellis' team in January 2004, bringing with her a strong background in advocacy. She previously worked as a resource developer for children with special healthcare needs and their families, identifying beneficial services. Her previous experience includes the Law Offices of John Farneti, Jr., Representative Garnet Coleman, and as a political advisor on various campaigns.  Most recently, Sakina worked as Community Liason for City of Houston Council Member / Mayor Pro -Tem Carol Alvarado, where she was responsible for constituent services and interfacing with community-based organizations, with a focus on special projects such as the Riverside Health Clinic and the Gregory School Project. 

Karen came to the district office staff in January 2002. She comes from a diverse background in marketing and event planning. Most of her recent experience is in the area of professional sports. She has worked for or in conjunction with major league football and basketball teams, including the Houston Comets and Rockets.

Meredith joined the Senator's district office staff in 2004 and currently works as a district aide in Senator Ellis's Alief and Fort Bend offices.  Before joining the staff, she worked in Washington, DC as Program Coordinator for the Honorable Clovis Maksoud, former Ambassador of the Arab League of Nations to the United Nations and United States.  Under the Ambassador, Meredith assisted in managing the Center for the Global South, a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of international development issues.  She recently completed her master's degree in international relations from American University, with a specialty in economic and environmental policy work.  Meredith received a B.A. from Texas A&M University in 1998.

Sadie has been Senator Ellis' Executive Assistant in Houston since 1996. It is also notable that she is a registered Interior Designer, licensed by the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners.

Sherry first joined Senator Ellis' office in January 2001. She is the Administrative Assistant for the Senator's Houston District Office. Her duties ranged from technical support to legal assistant.