LVGEA adds new members, works to diversify

In addition to trying to diversify the local economy, the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance is working to diversify its board.

Two new members joined the board Thursday: Michael Cunningham, executive vice president and regional president at Bank of Nevada, and Jim Holt, president of National Security Technologies LLC, the company that runs the Nevada National Security site.

Cunningham and Holt join four recent additions to the board as of late April: Michael Brown, president of Barrick Gold, USA; Sen. Ben Kieckhefer, R-Reno, who is also director of client relations at McDonald Carano Wilson LLP; 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.

“We want to represent the mix of industry that we have here in Southern Nevada,” said Jonas Peterson, president of the LVGEA, adding that the board has yet to add representatives from the hospitality and gaming industries.

Brown, with Barrick Gold, is the first member of the board to represent the mining industry.

“That is an industry that is very important to Nevada,” Peterson said, adding that his membership will help build connections to that industry, and in turn LVGEA can work to “make sure that the political environment creates a workable environment” for mining.

It is also a priority to add gender and racial diversity to the board, he said. The 44-member board includes two people of color and six women.

LVGEA has a nominating committee that is tasked with identifying new members for the board, and that there is “opportunity” to make sure the committee is proactive in identifying diverse candidates, he said.

A part of choosing those candidates is making sure they are able to “have some skin in the game,” as Peterson put it.

The board imposed a minimum board investment several years ago of $25,000 upon joining.

“That’s money that allows us to grow our programs, services and outreach,” he said, including funding for the Hyperloop, for example.

A 50-member board is a larger than average, and Peterson said there are several challenges to managing a board of that size.

“But we are able to get a lot of work done outside those board meetings through a committee structure and one-on-one meetings,” he said, adding that typical attendance is about 35 members.

A private organization, the LVGEA works as the clearinghouse for economic development in Southern Nevada and works directly with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.

Contact Nicole Raz at nraz@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512. Find @JournalistNikki on Twitter.