The LVGEA Board of Directors
Working Diligently to Build a Brighter Future
The Board of Directors guides efforts to attract investment, expand economic opportunity, and support long-term growth and job creation in Southern Nevada.
Stronger Together
The LVGEA Board of Directors is a diverse group of public and private sector leaders that are passionate about creating a brighter future for all Southern Nevadans. Together, the group works to advance an ambitious economic development strategy designed to strengthen the Las Vegas region’s economy, create high-paying jobs, and spur capital investment. Collectively, the LVGEA Board of Directors is the largest business board of its kind in Nevada.
LVGEA Executive Committee
Lauri Perdue
Board Chair
National Workforce Director, University of Phoenix
Lauri Perdue has over 25 years of experience in higher education across multiple institutions and is currently the National Workforce Director for the University of Phoenix. In this global role, she partners with employers to…
Brian Kleven
Board Vice Chair
Nevada Market Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Dignity Health St. Rose Dominican Hospitals
Brian serves as the Nevada Market Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Dignity Health St. Rose Dominican Hospitals and manages the financial operations of all business entities in the organization. This includes the three acute care…
Dr. Renee Coffman
Nominating & Governance Committee Chair
President and Co-Founder, Roseman University of Health Sciences
Dr. Renee Coffman is president and co-founder of the Nevada College of Pharmacy, now Roseman University of Health Sciences. She previous served as the University’s Executive Vice President for Quality Assurance and Intercampus Consistency and…
Denette Suddeth
Finance Committee Chair / Treasurer
Regional President & Head of Commercial Banking, Nevada, PNC Bank
Denette Suddeth is regional president and head of Commercial Banking for PNC Bank in Nevada, including Northern and Southern Nevada regions. She is responsible for PNC’s overall market expansion driving a culture of teamwork, client…
Molly Hamrick
Policy Committee Chair
President & COO, Coldwell Banker Premier Realty & Coldwell Banker Commercial Premier
Molly Kay Hamrick, President and COO of Coldwell Banker Premier Realty and Coldwell Banker Premier Commercial in Las Vegas, Nevada, is one of the most influential businesswomen in Southern Nevada. In 1998, Hamrick and her…
Ivan Ferraz
Strategic Planning / Business Development Committee Chair
Head of Nevada-Commercial Banking Leader, Wells Fargo
Ivan Ferraz is a market executive and head of commercial banking for Nevada. Based in Las Vegas, he leads a team of bankers in Reno and Las Vegas focused on middle market and large corporate…
Karen Haller
Compensation Committee Chair
President and CEO, Southwest Gas
Karen Haller is President and Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Gas Holdings, Incorporated (NYSE: SWX), a publicly traded company with over $4.7 billion market capitalization. Southwest Gas Holdings is an energy infrastructure holding company that…
Bryant Thornton
Director at Large
Area President Mountain West Area, Republic Services
Bryant Thornton is the Area President for Republic Services, Inc.’s Leading the Mountain West Area (Nevada, S. Utah, N. Arizona, Colorado, N. New Mexico, and S. Wyoming). In this role, Thornton has full P&L responsibility…
Steve Westerman
Director at Large
Vice President, Cox Business
Stephen G. Westerman is Vice President of Cox Business, the commercial services division of Cox Communications. In this role, he leads a large, diverse team of professionals in driving sales, sales support and enhanced end-to-end…
LVGEA Board
Akosa Akpom
Vice President Analytics & Insights, TKO
Akosa Akpom serves as Vice President, Analytics and Insights for TKO, a premium sportsand entertainment company that owns iconic properties including UFC, the world’s premier mixedmartial arts organization; WWE, the global leader in sports entertainment;…
Dr. Amber Lopez Lasater
Acting President, Nevada State University (NSU)
Dr. Amber Lopez Lasater is a recognized leader in educational advancement and economicdevelopment serving as Officer in Charge at Nevada State University. As Officer in Charge, she serves as the temporary chief administrator while an…
Brian Wolf
Market Manager, Manpower
Brian Wolf was born and raised outside of Minneapolis Minnesota and graduated from North Dakota State University in 1998 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Minor in Business Administration. Brian relocated to Las Vegas,…
Dr. Chris Heavey
Interim President, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)
Chris Heavey is the Interim President of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where he leads the state’s largest public research university. In this role, he oversees the UNLV’s strategic direction, academic mission, and…
Christina Erling
Vice President, Government Affairs, North America, Barrick
Christina Erling is the Vice President Government Affairs, North America for Barrick. As the primary advocate for Barrick in Washington, D.C., Carson City and Ottawa, she engages with a wide range of external stakeholders, including…
DeAndre Esteen
VP, Contact Center Site Coordinator, Barclays
DeAndre Esteen works within the Henderson, NV campus, the largest Operations site in the US Consumer Bank, where he oversees the Citizenship and community agenda for Henderson colleagues. He is responsible for establishing and maintaining…
Frank Martin
Founder, Martin-Harris Construction
Frank Martin founded Martin-Harris Construction (MHC) in 1976 with five associates, $5,000 and a vision of becoming a general contracting firm that could deliver the very best to its clients. The company is headquartered in…
Gregory Gilbert
Partner, Holland & Hart
Greg Gilbert helps public and private owners, developers, contractors, and engineers with project development, implementation, construction, and claims resolution. To serve his client’s ultimate goals, he carefully coordinates multiple legal, business, and political disciplines that…
Jackie Van Blaricum
President, HCA Healthcare Far West Division
Jackie (DeSouza) Van Blaricum is currently the President of HCA Healthcare Far West Division, with oversight of eight hospitals and multiple healthcare facilities throughout Las Vegas, Southern and Northern California. This robust network of access…
Jaime Cruz
Executive Director, Workforce Connections
Jaime Cruz serves as Executive Director for Workforce Connections, Southern Nevada’s Local Workforce Development Board. Before his appointment as Executive Director in October 2017, Jaime served as Chief Strategy Officer for eight years and was…
Mayor Joe Hardy
Mayor, City of Boulder City
Mayor Joe Hardy, M.D. has served the residents of Southern Nevada for more than 40 years. Mayor Hardy was sworn in as Mayor of Boulder City in November 2022. He previously served as a Boulder…
John Penhollow
President of Business Operations, Vegas Golden Knights
In his role as EVP and CRO with the Vikings, Penhollow oversaw all revenue-generatingactivities for the club including ticket sales as well as corporate partnerships and strategy. Heplayed a critical role in the Vikings’ efforts…
John Bailey
Managing Partner, Bailey Kennedy
John Bailey is an attorney specializing in corporate litigation, healthcare law, gaming law, and dispute resolution (serving as a mediator and arbitrator). He is the founding member and managing partner of Bailey Kennedy, LLP, having…
John Cannito
President & Chief Executive Officer, The PENTA Building Group
John Cannito is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for The PENTA Building Group and affiliated companies. He has been with PENTA since 2004 and is currently responsible for the strategic direction and overall…
John Entsminger
General Manager, Las Vegas Valley Water District
John Entsminger is the General Manager of the Las Vegas Valley Water District, which serves more than 410,000 customer accounts, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which is responsible for providing wholesale water to local…
Jose Bustamante
President, Nevada Region for Howard Hughes
Jose Bustamante is President of the Nevada Region for Howard Hughes, overseeing realestate strategy, master planning, development, construction, management, finance, andmarketing functions for Summerlin, a 22,500-acre award-winning master planned community inLas Vegas. Jose brings over…
Justin Carley
Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel, Las Vegas Raiders
Justin Carley is an accomplished and versatile attorney who thrives on new challenges. Throughout his career, he has proven to be a solutions-oriented team player, who leads by example, and achieves excellent results. Born and…
Justin Jones
Commissioner, Clark County
Commissioner Justin Jones was elected to represent District F on the County Commission in 2018 and re-elected to a second four-year term in 2022. Since joining the County Commission, Commissioner Jones has championed several issues…
Karlos LaSane II
Regional Vice President Government Relations and Community Affairs, Caesars Entertainment Corporation
Karlos R. LaSane II currently serves as Regional Vice President, Government Relations & Community Affairs for Caesars Entertainment Corporation. He represents the legislative interests of Caesars in Nevada and at the federal level in Washington,…
Kevin Schiller
County Manager, Clark County
Appointed as County Manager for Clark County effective Nov. 11, 2022, Kevin Schiller is responsible for the executive oversight of the nation’s 13th largest county which provides regional and municipal services to nearly 2.5 million…
Kim Sonerholm
Health Plan President and CEO, UnitedHealthcare
Kim Sonerholm is President and Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare for Nevada, Utah, and Idaho with responsibilities across our commercial, individual and Medicaid businesses. She has over 30 years of experience in the health care…
Dr. Kumud Acharya
President, Desert Research Institute
From two state‐of‐the‐art research campuses in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, Dr. Acharya leads over 500 scientists, engineers, and research support staff who rank among the top in the world in their specialties. As a…
Marc Badain
President, Athletics
Marc Badain is currently the President of MLB’s Athletics, leading the development of their new Ballpark in Las Vegas and managing the entirety of the business operations including the relocation to Southern Nevada. Prior to…
Mary Beth Sewald
President & CEO, Vegas Chamber
As the chief executive of the largest and broadest-based business association in Nevada, Mary Beth Sewald sets the vision for the Vegas Chamber and leads its strategy of supporting local businesses and pursuing initiatives to…
Michael Bonner
Managing Shareholder, Greenburg Traurig
Michael J. Bonner is Managing Shareholder of the Las Vegas Office and concentrates his practice in the areas of corporation finance, corporate governance, business transactions, securities and gaming. He represents clients in corporate securities and…
Mayor Michelle Romero
Mayor, City of Henderson
Michelle Romero was elected Mayor of Henderson in June 2022 and assumed office in January 2023. She was elected at-large to the Henderson City Council in April 2019, representing Ward I. Mayor Romero serves with…
Mike Janssen
City Manager, City of Las Vegas
Mike Janssen, originally from Queens, New York, began his career with the City of Las Vegas in 1997 as an entry-level Engineering Associate in Public Works. He has risen through the ranks and held numerous…
Mike Olson
Founder & President, Olson Precast Company
Mike Olson is Founder and President of Olson Precast Company. Since its founding in 1989, Olson has overseen each division’s operations. Olson Precast Company is the leading precast and cast-in-place concrete underground contractor in the…
Miles Dickson
President & CEO, Nevada GrantLab
Miles Dickson is CEO of Nevada GrantLab, a nonprofit he founded in 2020 with a mission to support nonprofits and their government partners to successfully access and administer federal grants that benefit Nevadans and strengthen…
Mitch Cloward
President, Intermountain Health’s Desert Region
Mitch Cloward was born in Bountiful, Utah. He started his career as a housekeeper in the Intensive Care Unit at McKay-Dee Hospital. Mitch serves as the Region President for Intermountain Health’s Desert Region. Prior to…
Nikki Fargas
President, Las Vegas Aces
Nikki Fargas serves as the President of the 2x World Champions, the Las Vegas Aces since May 2021. Prior to joining the Aces, Nikki Fargas led the LSU Women’s Basketball team to 6 NCAA tournament appearances, becoming…
Philip Potamitis
Market Leader, Western Alliance Bank
Philip Potamitis is the Nevada Market Head where he assists in the coordination of efforts acrossthe Nevada market and supports Commercial Banking, Business Banking, Market Banking,Commercial Real Estate, Commercial and Industrial Banking, and leading the…
Robert Lewis
President NV Operations, Lewis Management Corp.
Robert Lewis has been responsible for the Nevada operations of the Lewis Group of Companies for the past 30 years. During that time, the companies have built over 25,000 houses in Nevada. Prior to the…
Scott Muelrath
President & CEO, Henderson Chamber of Commerce
Scott Muelrath has served as President and CEO of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce since 2011. Under his leadership and community focus, the HCC has expanded its valley-wide membership base by nearly 200% and grown…
Shannon Petersen
Executive Vice President & Corporate Banking Manager, Nevada State Bank
As EVP/ Corporate Banking Manager at Nevada State Bank, Shannonis responsible for all aspects of Corporate Banking in Nevada. She joined Nevada State Bank in 2001, and has been a member of the Executive Management…
Mayor Shelley Berkley
Mayor, City of Las Vegas
Mayor Shelley Berkley was elected by the people of Las Vegas in November 2024. Prior to taking office as mayor, she served as senior vice president of the Touro University system. Before this, she held…
Dr. Stacy Klippenstein
President, College of Southern Nevada (CSN)
Stacy Klippenstein, Ed.D. is the President of the College of Southern Nevada, serving athriving region that includes Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and the surrounding ruralareas. With 45,000 students each year, CSN is the…
Stephanie Garcia-Vause
City Manager, City of Henderson
Having dedicated nearly three decades of public service to the City of Henderson, Stephanie Garcia-Vause is a seasoned leader with a proven track record of successful community development and strategic planning. Stephanie Garcia-Vause was named…
Steve Zanella
President of MGM Resorts Operations
As President of MGM Resorts Operations, Steve Zanella oversees regional operations, future operations tied to domestic growth, and certain global growth initiatives. Additionally, he leads Sports Partnerships, Citywide Event Strategy, and the ongoing relationship with…
Steven Peralta
Chief Strategic Officer, Touro University
Steven Peralta began his role as President of Nevada Donor Network Foundation in 2019 tolead the organization’s philanthropic and fundraising strategic plan to help expandtransplantation services and programs in Nevada. Peralta brings a deep commitment…
Tom Burns
Executive Director, GOED
Governor Joe Lombardo appointed Tom Burns Nevada Governor’s of Economic Development (GOED) Executive Director on January 30th, 2023. Burns started his career by attaining his Certified Public Accountant designation with Deloitte and was subsequently the…
Tom Power
President & Owner, Sunshine Minting
Mr. Power has over 30 years’ experience in the precious metals and minting fields. He began his career with Johnson Matthey Ltd., the Canadian division of Johnson Matthey PLC based in the United Kingdom. In…
Tony Sanchez
Executive Vice President of Business Development and External Relations, NV Energy
Born and raised in southern Nevada, Tony joined NV Energy (NVE), in 2007 as Senior Vice President for Government and Community Relations. Since then, Tony has overseen several departments within the NVE structure including regulatory…
Wes Adams
President, Western States Contracting
Weston Adams has been the President and CEO of Western States Contracting, a large civil infrastructure services company, since 2010. He is also the President of Prometheus Development Group, a leader in land and infrastructure…
Emeritus
Frank Woodbeck
Emeritus
Special Projects Consultant, College of Southern Nevada
Frank R. Woodbeck is the Principal of Frankly Speaking, a firm dedicated to providing strategic consulting services in higher education, including grant acquisition, workforce development, and government relations; state government, including agency management and long-term…
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