the States vs staff member

the States and staff member both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
the States	Yes	No	No	No
staff member	Yes	No	No	No

the States (noun)	staff member (noun)
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776	an employee who is a member of a staff of workers (especially a member of the staff that works for the President of the United States)