LVGEA Expands Board of Directors to 43

Las Vegas –The Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance recently announced additions to its board of directors, bringing the total number of members to 43. The newest additions to the board of directors include: Michael Brown, president of Barrick Gold, USA: Senator Ben Kieckhefer, director of client relations at McDonald Carano Wilson LLP and Nevada state senator; Mary Simmons, vice president of business development and community strategy for NV Energy; and Bill Noonan, senior vice president of industry and government affairs for Boyd Gaming.

“The LVGEA is thrilled to expand our board of directors by including such talented members of our community,” said Jonas Peterson, president and CEO of LVGEA. “Our goal is to bring together 50 of our region’s most influential private sector, public and education leaders on the LVGEA board. Michael, Mary and Bill all bring with them tremendous experience and leadership ability that fits perfectly with our mission to grow southern Nevada’s economy.”

Michael J. Brown joined Barrick Gold Corporation in 1995. In 2016 he was named president of Barrick Gold USA and is the company’s senior executive in the United States. Barrick is the world’s largest gold mining company with operations in 12 nations. In Nevada, Barrick has 4,000 employees at mines in Elko, Eureka, Lander, and Humboldt counties. The company has a power generation plant and solar facility in Storey County and opened a Global Business Office and Technology Hub in Southern Nevada in 2015.

Senator Ben Kieckhefer serves as Assistant Majority Leader at the Nevada Legislature as well as director of client relations at McDonald Carano Wilson LLP and is responsible for the strategic development and execution of firm wide client relations initiatives. His legislative accomplishments include the creation of Nevada’s first need-based scholarship program for community college students, the development of alternate routes to licensure for Nevada teacher, the creation of statutory sunset committee to review state government operations, and legislation cracking down on child sex offenders.

Mary Simmons, vice president of business development and community strategy for NV Energy, has worked in the utility industry for 30 years. Mary is a certified public accountant and a certified internal auditor and worked for several years in public account specializing in auditing and tax. Mary graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a bachelor of science in accounting.

Bill Noonan has held the position of senior vice president of industry and government affairs for Boyd Gaming Corporation since December 2014. His responsibilities include the oversight of the company’s corporate government affairs and corporation communications department. Prior to this, Mr. Noonan was senior vice president of administration since 2005. Previously, he was vice president and general manager of Boyd Gaming’s Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner, Louisiana. Prior to that, he held a similar positon with Fitzgerald’s Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

About Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance

The Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance is a 501(c)6 membership organization dedicated to growing the economy in Southern Nevada through connectivity, community development, and strong business recruitment, retention and outreach. LVGEA’s vision is to help Southern Nevada residents thrive in a global economy by fostering a more prosperous, diverse and connected regional economy. For more information, call 702.791.0000 or visit www.lvgea.org.

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