Vegas Golden Knights Joins LVGEA Board of Directors

LVGEA 50 also welcomes new board members from CSN and Barclays

LAS VEGAS – This month, Vegas Golden Knights President Kerry Bubolz was unanimously elected to the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance’s (LVGEA) Board of Directors known as the “LVGEA 50.”

“We are thrilled to welcome the Vegas Golden Knights to the LVGEA board of directors,” said LVGEA President and CEO Jonas Peterson. “In just the last few years, we have seen the tremendous impact of professional sports in Las Vegas—especially with the success and popularity of the Golden Knights. This is the first professional sports organization to join our board, and we are confident that Kerry will bring valuable knowledge, experience and insight that will take our economic development efforts to the next level.”

Bubolz joined the Vegas Golden Knights as the franchise president in Nov. 2016 and currently oversees all of the business ventures for Las Vegas’ first major league professional sports franchise.

“I was honored to be considered for a LVGEA board member position. I look forward to learning from other members and contributing in any way I can. Joining the board helps further integrate the Golden Knights into the community which is always our ultimate goal,” said Bubolz. “We are Vegas Born and our association with the LVGEA gives us another opportunity to help grow our home as the sports and entertainment capital of the world. Las Vegas’s brand is so strong right now and we are thrilled to be a part of its sports backbone. The community has proven its hunger for sports and we are excited to watch that hunger take the Las Vegas brand to another level.”

Bubolz previously spent 13 years with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena organization as the franchise’s president of business operations. Prior to his tenure in Cleveland, Bubolz served in top roles for the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) and the Southwest Sports Group, which includes the Dallas Stars (NHL) and the Texas Rangers (MLB).

The LVGEA also welcomed College of Southern Nevada (CSN) President Dr. Federico Zaragoza and Barclays Henderson Site Lead Jayne Backhouse as new members of the board.

After unanimous approval by the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education, Dr. Zaragoza joined CSN as the college’s new president and CEO this year. He previously served as the vice chancellor for economic and workforce development at the Alamo Colleges in San Antonio Texas. A distinguished lecturer in workforce, technical and industrial education, Dr. Zaragoza is a recipient of many education awards and was even appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in 2013 to serve on the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), which was established to enforce national education standards for accrediting agencies or associations.

“I am excited to join the LVGEA’s Board of Directors. Strengthening the longstanding partnership CSN and the LVGEA have had is crucial to the region’s economic development,” said Zaragoza. “CSN has a nearly $1 billion impact on the Southern Nevada economy every year, and by working closely with the LVGEA we are able to continually direct that impact to best serve the region’s business and industry. As the state’s economy grows and diversifies, I want to ensure that CSN is nimble enough to respond. This partnership helps us do just that.”

Serving as the Henderson site lead for Barclays, Backhouse works closely with key stakeholders across the business and leads the Customer Care teams. As the driving force for Barclays in the community, her role is to bring together civic, corporate and citizenship agendas to make Barclays the organization of choice across the U.S.

“As a new member to the Southern Nevada community, I am proud to have the chance to collaborate with such a dynamic leadership group that is the LVGEA Board,” said Backhouse. “Only through diverse and strategic business partnerships and a dedication to service and citizenship will we achieve the vision of a strong and connected regional economy in this wonderful place my family and I call home.”

The LVGEA 50 is the largest business board in Nevada, made up of an impressive group of public and private sector leaders dedicated to driving Southern Nevada’s community and economic development efforts, in order to strengthen the region, create new jobs and spur capital investment. Learn more at lvgea50.org.

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