COUNCIL FOR A BETTER NEVADA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Vegas Golden Knights Chairman and CEO
On October 3, 2016, Vegas Golden Knights Chairman and CEO Bill Foley announced Kerry Bubolz as the first President and Chief Operating Officer of the Golden Knights. In his role, Bubolz oversees all business aspects of the franchise.
Bubolz is entering his second season with the Golden Knights after leading the organization to a tremendously successful first campaign. The Golden Knights exceeded expectations averaging 104.4% attendance at T-Mobile Arena when combining playoffs and regular season totals. Under Bubolz's leadership the organization also achieved sponsorship revenue 20% higher than the forecasted goals for the 2017-18 season and ranked in the top tier among NHL teams in terms of per game gate revenue.
Bubolz was also instrumental in negotiating the franchise's television deal with Root Sports (now AT&T Sportsnet), broadcasting VGK games not only locally in Las Vegas but extending throughout the Western Rockies region through Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and parts of California and Arizona. The Golden Knights also captured national attention with their best-in-class game presentation putting on a show for both Golden Knights fans, and NHL fans. Bubolz's steady leadership ultimately led to the organization winning the Sports Business Journal's prestigious Sports Team of the Year Award for the 2017-2018 season, as well as the National Hockey League's "Commissioner Award for Business Excellence".
Bubolz has also instilled a commitment to community outreach and service in the franchise through the organization's various charitable initiatives. The Golden Knights Foundation serves as the primary charitable link between the team and the Las Vegas community focusing on several projects including, fighting hunger and homelessness in Las Vegas, securing the future of Las Vegas military, first responders and their families, and fostering physical, social and emotional growth of Las Vegas youth. The Golden Knights Foundation also raised more than $775,000 in 2017 for the Folded Flag Foundation and other Southern Nevada military and first responder non-profits. Bubolz's commitment to community and growing the sport of hockey in Southern Nevada is evidenced by the team's hockey development programs, including the "Golden Knights Hockey Academy" which reaches close to 80,000 children and 63 middle schools in Clark County.
Prior to joining the Golden Knights, Bubolz spent 13 years with the National Basketball Association's Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2013, he was named President of Business Operations where he oversaw ticketing and suite sales, corporate sponsorship revenue, broadcast, marketing, communications and community engagement for the franchise. In Bubolz's time with the Cavaliers, the team won the Eastern Conference Championship three times and won the NBA championship in 2016. The Cavaliers were consistently recognized by the NBA during their annual Sales & Marketing awards ceremonies as a top performing team in all key business metrics.
In addition to overseeing Cavaliers business operations, Bubolz also served as President and Alternate Governor for all franchise property teams owned by the Cavaliers Operating Company, including the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League. In 2016, the Monsters won the Calder Cup and finished third in league average attendance with 8,596 fans per-game. He was also President and Chief Operating Officer of the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League from 1994 to 2000.
The Tulsa, Oklahoma native also brings an abundance of National Hockey League experience to Las Vegas. He served as vice president of sales for the Carolina Hurricanes and the Dallas Stars prior to joining the Cavaliers.
Bubolz graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelors' Degree in marketing in 1989. He and his wife, Melissa, live in Summerlin and have two daughters, Madison and Emma.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
Curtis L Myles is a native Nevadan, Curtis Myles began his career in transportation after receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Colorado State University while attending on athletic scholarship. Upon his graduation, he began work with a national shipping and cargo firm from 1986 to 1991.
Returning to Las Vegas in June of 1991, he embarked upon an eleven year career in aviation management with the Clark County Department of Aviation. He served in several managerial capacities, including Operations Manager, as well as his final position there as Assistant Director of Aviation.
Curtis departed the Department of Aviation for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada in May of 2002, where he served as Deputy General Manager for three years. He accepted the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Las Vegas Monorail Company in July of 2005.
He holds both a Bachelor of Science and Masters degrees in Economics and teaches economics part-time at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He is married and has two teenage daughters.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Executive Committee Member of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance
Donald J. Giancursio Don Giancursio is the CEO of UnitedHealthcare's Nevada, Utah, and Idaho operations. He has held that position since 2009. Don previously served as the company's senior vice president of sales and marketing, which included Health Plan of Nevada, Nevada's largest health maintenance organization (HMO). He served in the same capacity for Sierra Health Services, Inc. from 2006 until the company merged with UnitedHealth Group in 2008. Don has spent more than 30 years in the health insurance industry, and has led sales organizations representing a diverse group of client solutions.
Don is currently an executive committee member of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA), and a Director with the Council for a Better Nevada (CBN). He maintains a membership in the Las Vegas Chapter of Legatus International and is also a founding member of the American Cancer Society of Las Vegas Chapter of "CEO's Against Cancer".
Born in Rochester, NY, Don grew up in Southern California where he attended California State University, Fullerton, graduating on the Dean's List with a B.A. degree in business administration and marketing in 1982. Don has been a resident of Nevada since 1992.
UnitedHealthcare (www.unitedhealthcare.com) provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to individuals, public sector employers and businesses of all sizes, including more than half of the Fortune 100 companies. The company organizes access to quality, affordable health care services on behalf of more than 26 million individual consumers, contracting directly with approximately 590,000 physicians and care professionals and more than4,900 hospitals to offer them broad, convenient access to services nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Board - Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon
A graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Hugh L. Bassewitz is a Board-Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon, specializing in spinal surgery and is a leader in robotic assisted surgery. He is a Senior Managing Partner at Desert Orthopaedic Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, a practice he joined in 2000, and has helped it grow to twenty five physicians with five offices serving the Las Vegas Valley.
An Adjunct Associate Professor at Touro University School of Medicine and a Clinical Assistant Professor at UNLV School of Medicine who teaches residents and medical students, he has been named by his peers as a Las Vegas Top Doctor multiple years in a variety of local and national publications. During his training he participated in clinical and surgical research projects and published peer reviewed articles and book chapters. He continues to lecture regionally and nationally on degenerative disorders of the spine and spinal reconstruction, and he serves as a spine consultant for the Las Vegas Raiders and the Vegas Golden Knights.
He has participated in spinal implant design and training in collaboration with the spinal implant industry, working towards continually improving spine surgery devices. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Clark County Medical Society and on the Board of Advisors for Nevada State Bank. He is a Past President of the Nevada Orthopaedic Society and a past Chief of Surgery at Desert Springs Hospital. He served on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas from 2004 through 2019 and is a Past Chairman of the Board. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America from 2010 through 2015 and is a past National Co-Chairman of JFNA's Young Leadership Cabinet.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- President of RDL Investments, Inc
Duncan R. Lee is President of RDL Investments, Inc., a real estate investment company established in 1991. The real estate portfolio consists of residential, office, industrial and resort properties in the Las Vegas, Phoenix, Singapore, and Hong Kong markets. In addition, Mr. Lee participates in his family's international manufacturing business. Prior to forming RDL Investments, Inc., Mr. Lee worked in the banking industry for several years, during which time he underwrote numerous real estate loans which earned him the distinction of becoming one of the youngest vice-president at the age of 27 for Sanwa Bank, previously the fifth largest bank in the world.
Mr. Lee graduated from University of Southern California with both degrees of Master of Business Administration in finance and Bachelor of Science in business administration.
Mr. Lee's philanthropic efforts include the following: Director of Nevada Community Foundation, President-elect of the Las Vegas West Rotary Club and Trustee of the William Endow Scholarship-Providing college scholarships to Asian high school students. He is also a Trustee and advisor to the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Co - Owner of Morton Group
- President of the Las Vegas Springs Preserve Foundation Board of Directors
Jenna Morton Jenna Morton is a co-owner of Morton Group, a restaurant development company with venues in Las Vegas, including La Cave Wine and Food Hideaway inside Wynn Resort, La Comida, a Mexican joint in downtown Las Vegas and CRUSH eat, drink, love debuting in the MGM Grand Resort in November 2013. She is a graduate of Northwestern University.
Ms. Morton is currently the President of the Las Vegas Springs Preserve Foundation Board of Directors, the co-chair of After School All Stars Las Vegas and a member of the Board of Directors for Community Cloud Forest Conservation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Founding Member and Managing Partner of the Law Firm of Bailey Kennedy
John R. Bailey is the founding member and managing partner of the law firm of Bailey Kennedy, LLP. He specializes in corporate litigation, gaming law, and healthcare law. Prior to founding his own law firm, Mr. Bailey was an attorney and partner with Lionel Sawyer & Collins for fifteen years. Mr. Bailey has been recommended to the President of the United States for a Judgeship on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
For the past twenty-nine years he has served as Chairman and a member of the Character and Fitness Committee of the Nevada State Bar. He joined the Board of Directors of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) in January 2015, and he served on the Board of Directors of Shuffle entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ - SHFL) from 2008 until it was acquired in 2013. Mr. Bailey is currently a Director for the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Director of Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, Director of Nevada Health & Bioscience Corp., Member of the Board of Trustees of Cristo Rey St. Viator College Preparatory, and Commissioner for the Southern Nevada District Court Review Commission. He formerly served in the following capacities: Chairman of the Governing Board of the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy; Director of the Public Education Foundation; Member of the Institutional Advisory Council of the College of Southern Nevada; General Counsel, Board Chairman, and Member of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Southern Nevada; Member of the Boards of the Nevada Community Foundation and College of Southern Nevada. He is the past chairman and served as a member of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
A lifelong Nevadan, Mr. Bailey graduated from Western High School. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from The Colorado College and a Juris Doctorate from McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific. He began practicing law in Nevada in 1985. He and his wife, Teri Thomas, have three children and one grandchild.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Executive Committee
- President
Keith E. Smith has been President and a director of the Company since April 2005, and he has served as Chief Executive Officer since January 2008. Mr. Smith served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Company from October 2001 through December 2007, and prior to being appointed President, Mr. Smith had served as the Company's Executive Vice President since May 1998. He joined the Company in September 1990. Mr. Smith served as a board member of the Los Angeles Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 2009 through 2014, including having been appointed to serve as its Chairman from January 2012 through December 2014. In 2005, Mr. Smith was appointed to the Board of the Nevada Resort Association and served as Chairman from December 2008 until December 2012. Mr. Smith is also a member of the board of directors of the American Gaming Association having served as its Chairman in 2010 and 2011. He served as the Vice Chairman of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority from January 2006 to July 2011 and is currently a member of the board of directors of Sky West, Inc.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- First President and Chief Operating Officer of the Golden Knights
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the Executive Committee
- President & CEO of the Nevada Health & Bioscience Asset Corporation
- President and CEO of the Schafer Company
Maureen Schafer is the President and CEO of the Schafer Company, LLC, providing specialized growth, strategic, and operations advisory services to private, public and non-profit institutions. Portfolio clients span the healthcare, K-20 education, communications, media and real estate sectors.
Schafer is currently the President & CEO of the Nevada Health & Bioscience Asset Corporation. She was previously the UNLV School of Medicine's founding Chief of Staff in 2014 to launch Las Vegas's first four-year public allopathic medical school. Schafer was the Chief Emerging Business Officer for Cleveland Clinic Nevada after leading the Las Vegas-based non-profit Keep Memory Alive's (KMA) merger with the Cleveland Clinic as its Chief Executive Officer. She also leads a Nevada-based CEO group, the Council for a Better Nevada (CBN) as its Executive director. She is a Director on the board of the Able Channel, Inc.
Ms. Schafer participates in various community & social board engagements. Current board affiliations include the Stanford Center for Longevity, Conservation International (Leadership Council) and the education group Opp180. Past engagements include a founding Commissioner on the Nevada Commission on Homeland Security and as Chairman of the Nevada Community Foundation, where the Foundation's endowment grew from $13 million to $150 million under her leadership.
Ms. Schafer holds a BS and an MBA from the George Washington University. (GWU) She is currently pursuing an MLA in Government from Harvard University. She has attended the Aspen Institute Executive Leadership Seminar.
Ms. Schafer attended GWU on a soccer scholarship and rowed on the School's crew team. She has competed in the New Zealand and Hawaii World Championship Ironman race, and the Ultra Marathon Des Sables.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Director of Dermody Community Initiatives
Mike Kazmierski is currently the Director of Dermody Community Initiatives, an organization focused on addressing longstanding community challenges in the areas of education, childcare, mental health, and workforce development, especially for working families.
Kazmierski recently led the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) from November 2011 to August 2023.
Kazmierski is a retired Army Colonel, combat veteran, and former garrison commander of Fort Carson, Colorado, when it was recognized as the best of the 270 installations in the Army in 1998. He was also recognized by the Army as the best supervisor of civilian employees with the Macy Award in 2000. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy, (West Point) a Master's Degree in Business Administration, and a Master's Degree in Military Arts & Science.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Senior Vice President / the Whiting - Turner Contracting Company
Paul Schmitt joined The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company in 1985 upon his graduation from Virginia Tech with a BS in Civil Engineering. After 35 years with the firm, he is currently Senior Vice President overseeing the company's Southwest region. Paul has lived in the Las Vegas Valley since moving to Henderson in 1997.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- President of the Opa Group
As President of the Opa Group, Guzman is an accomplished small business owner, real estate investor and developer. Having lived most of his life in Nevada, his work has been recognized nationally by the major real estate organizations with over $600 million in sales. Guzman has advised and worked to transition many publicly traded companies as well as privately held companies in all facets of business from real estate to contract procurement. Mr. Guzman has been recognized by numerous Senators and Congressman for his creative and impactful contributions to public policy around affordable housing that increase minority home ownership and business entrepreneurship.
As President- of The Latin Chamber of Commerce, (LCC) Guzman leads the Hispanic Chamber with over 40 years of community work and business representation. The LCC has provided services for the community for over 40 years and continues to grow its dynamic membership. "The Latin Chamber of Commerce is a beacon of light for the business community and a beacon of hope for those in need of assistance in the Southern Nevada community".
Guzman participates in a number of boards and community engagements, including the October 1st LV Victims Fund, The Nature Conservancy, The Mob Museum Board, Nevada State College, the Nevada Governor's appointed Judicial Selection Committee and vice-chairman of Workforce Connections, overseeing a $25 million annual budget.
Guzman is married to a fellow Nevadan who is an executive in the gaming resort industry. They have one daughter and one son. "I believe that true success is only as strong as the family foundation".
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
- Member of the Executive Committee
Randy A. Garcia is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of one of the first Nevada based independent investment management consulting firms, The Investment Counsel Company. Mr. Garcia is an innovative leader in the investment management consulting industry. Since 1978, he has assisted affluent families, corporations, and endowments with establishing investment goals and risk parameters, structuring and implementing investment plans to match individual needs, and monitoring investment performance in relation to each clients' stated objectives. The Investment Counsel Company has raised the standard of service for all institutional investors within the State of Nevada since its establishment in 1987.
Randy has been recognized for his expertise and excellence over the last three decades by numerous financial industry publications including Money Magazine, Barron's, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Wealth Manager and Medical Economic magazines. Mr. Garcia has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal and Barron's, for eight consecutive years as the top financial advisor in Nevada and one of the top 1,200 financial advisors in the nation. ICC is among only thirteen other US investment firms that have received this recognition seven or more times. In 2008, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 Barron's Magazine listed Randy as one of the Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors in the nation. He is the only investment advisor in Nevada to be ranked among the Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors. For many years, Medical Economics acknowledged Randy as one of the Top 150 Financial Advisors for Doctors.
He formerly served as the first Chairman of the Education Committee for the Investments & Wealth Institute, an international organization of investment professionals engaged in investment management consulting, counseling, and advisory activities. His responsibilities included setting forth standards of industry professionalism and developing education programs for association members. In this role, he has been instrumental in raising the level of professional ethics for the investment industry across the financial services industry.
Randy is currently serving the community in the following capacities: UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees and Chair of the Foundation Investment Committee, Board Director and Education Committee member of the Council for a Better Nevada, Board Member of the Las Vegas Area Council of the Boy Scouts, member of the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce and Honorary Commander for the Nellis Support Team. He formerly served on the 2016 Presidential Debate Steering Committee, as Chairman of the Nevada State Taxicab Authority (Governor Appointee) and on the Spending and Government Efficiency Commission, also as Governor Appointee. He also served as a Member on the 2017 Clark County School District Superintendent's Budget Task Force. He also serves as a member on the Clark County School District Superintendent's Budget Task Force.
In addition to his participation on community boards, the Garcia's pledged a $100,000 scholarship for a medical student in the inaugural class of the UNLV School of Medicine. Randy underwrites the Lee School of Business Finance Department lecture series. He also initiated and, for more than a decade, underwrote the Latin Chamber of Commerce Annual Career Day. He has sponsored supplemental enrichment programs in the Clark County School District. Mr. Garcia was honored by the Latin Chamber of Commerce in 2016 with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Philanthropy and also in 2016 by the Cultural Diversity Foundation with the Golden Hand Award. He received the 2016 Alumnus of the Year Award from UNLV Lee Business School. In addition, he has been honored by Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada in 2015 with the Heart of Hope Award for his many contributions to their vital work in the community, the Latin Chamber of Commerce as 2007 Hispanic of the Year for his philanthropic efforts and in 2009 was honored with the Nevada State College President's Award for his contributions to improving education. Mr. Garcia and his family focus on supporting the community in ways which enhance the lives of under privileged youth, with the goal of fostering positive, systemic change in Southern Nevada.
Randy has been a resident of Las Vegas since 1957 and is a 1977 honors graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Following graduation, he attended the University of Santa Clara, School of Law, as a scholarship recipient. He completed post graduate classes at Harvard University and Wharton School of Business. He is Nevada's first Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) and has held over five National Securities Industry professional licenses. Mr. Garcia has also received the Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA) designation from the Center for Fiduciary Studies.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- President of the Nevada Division of the Lewis Operating Corp
Robert E. Lewis is the president of the Nevada Division of the Lewis Operating Corp. This family-owned operation develops and manages commercial real estate, including office parks, industrial and retail centers, and apartment complexes throughout California and Nevada. Robert oversees land acquisition, strategic planning and selected operational duties.
Robert is a licensed general building contractor and real estate broker in Nevada. He has over 33 years of experience in the real estate industry. Robert has served as a director for the National Association of Home Builders and as a director and President of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association. Twice, the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association has named Robert "Builder of the Year." Robert is on the Executive Committee and served as Secretary and Legislative Chairman for the Nevada Development Authority, is a member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks, and recently served as Chairman of the Las Vegas District Council of the Urban Land Institute. Additionally, he served on the Clark County Community Growth Task Force.
He has spoken at the Pacific Coast Builders, Urban Land Institute, Real Trends and the National Association of Home Builders conferences. Additionally, he serves on the University of Nevada Las Vegas Foundation and the Wells Fargo Community Advisory Board. In 2004, he joined the Board of Directors of Station Casinos.
He has served on the Integrated Resource Policy Advisory Committee, the Southern Nevada Strategic Planning Authority, and on numerous advisory committees and task forces throughout Southern Nevada. In 2006, Robert was inducted into the Nevada Business Hall of Fame. Robert became President of the Nevada Region of Kaufman & Broad Home Corporation when Lewis Homes Management Corp. and Kaufman & Broad Home Corporation merged in January of 1999. Robert stepped down from that position on December 1, 1999.
Prior to the merger, Robert headed up the Nevada operation of the Lewis Homes group of companies and its affiliates for 25 years. The division became the largest homebuilder in Nevada, building more than 25,000 homes and apartments in the state since 1961. Robert was born in Los Angeles, California in 1945. He is the second of four sons born to Ralph and Goldy Lewis, the founders of the family-owned Lewis Homes group of companies.
Robert received his BA from Claremont McKenna College in 1967 and an MBA from the University of California-Los Angeles in 1969. He and his wife, Catalina, have two children, and have resided in Nevada since 1972.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- President and Chief Executive Officer for Nevada State Bank
Terry A. Shirey serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Nevada State Bank, a division of Zions Bancorporation, N.A. and Executive Vice President of Zions Bancorporation. Named President and CEO in January 2017, Shirey formerly served as Chief Financial Officer for six years before being named President and COO in September 2014. Shirey oversees all five banking lines of business - retail, real estate, small business, commercial, and private banking - as well as all bank operations in Nevada.
Shirey holds a CPA certificate and has been in the financial industry since 1995, with the majority of his career spent managing finance and operations for major banks and bank holding companies.
Shirey holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Wyoming. He currently serves as an executive committee member of the Vegas Chamber Board of Trustees, as chair of the College of Southern Nevada Foundation Board of Trustees, as a Director of Nevada HAND, and as a Director for the Desert Research Institute Foundation. He is also a past chairman of the Nevada Bankers Association and the Vegas Chamber and served as the 2020 Walk Chairman for JDRF of Southern Nevada.
Job Titles:
- CEO / Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center / Sunrise Children 's Hospital
- Chief Executive Officer of Sunrise Hospital
- Member of the Executive Committee for the Nevada Hospital Association
Todd Sklamberg is the Chief Executive Officer of Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Nevada's largest acute care facility at 690 beds, and Sunrise Children's Hospital located on the same campus. Prior to becoming CEO, Sklamberg served as the Chief Operating Officer of Sunrise Children's Hospital - Nevada's largest, most comprehensive children's hospital. Sunrise Hospital and Sunrise Children's Hospital are members of HCA's Sunrise Health System in Las Vegas. Prior to joining HCA, Sklamberg served as vice president at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
Sklamberg currently serves as a member of the Executive Committee for the Nevada Hospital Association. He is also active with the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce serving as co-chair of the Healthcare Policy Task Force and is a member of the Government Affairs Committee.
His community involvement also includes committee work with the Regional Transportation Commission including the Transport Resource Advisory Committee, Maryland Parkway Business Coalition and Maryland Parkway Corridor Committee. An advocate for the Western Governor's University (WGU), Sklamberg also serves on WGU-Nevada's Advisory Board.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
Tom Kaplan has been a nationally recognized and respected name in the food and beverage and hospitality industries for over 41 years. As the Executive Vice President, Development and Design of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group (WPFDG), Kaplan works alongside the renowned chef as a trusted partner and company thought leader. Throughout his tenure with WPFDG, Kaplan has nurtured key strategic partnerships with major casino resorts and luxury hotel brands such as Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Four Seasons, Dorchester Collection, Rosewood, Ritz Carlton, Park Hyatt Marriott, St. Regis, Pendry, and SBE, leading the company to extraordinary growth.
Together, Kaplan and Puck have taken the company from several individual restaurants to becoming one of the preeminent restaurant groups in the world, boasting an impressive and evolving collection of 22 domestic and international dining establishments. Day-to-day, Kaplan is responsible for strategic development, as well as playing an instrumental role in the supervision of design, construction, and philanthropy.
Intimately involved and passionate about community service, with a special focus on public policy, the arts, and the environment, Kaplan is a dedicated philanthropist and currently holds, or has held, numerous leadership positions on a variety of boards and councils.
He currently serves on the Brookings Institution Board of Trustees and is a member of their Metropolitan Leadership Council and Advisory Circle, working closely with Brookings Mountain West at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is a Trustee of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Foundation Board, and serves as a Board Director of the Council for a Better Nevada and the Fulfillment Fund Las Vegas. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Alexander Dawson School and is an Emeritus Board member of the Animal Foundation.
He also served on the Board of Directors for the Marshall Retail Group from 2006 - 2015.
Kaplan served as a member of the Grassroots Network Committee for the Conservation Lands Foundation and was Vice President of the Puck Lazaroff Charitable Foundation benefitting the Los Angeles chapters of Meals on Wheels for more than 25 years and was a member of the City of Las Vegas Energy Advisory Committee.
Kaplan was named Nevada Restaurateur of the Year by the Las Vegas International Hotel & Restaurant Show in 2005 and one of the "50 Most Influential" in Nevada by In Business in 2008. In 2003, he was in the first induction group of the Las Vegas Dozen which honors men in the Vegas valley for their role in business and community involvement. In 2011, Kaplan was named "Humanitarian of the Year" by Greenspun Media Group's publication Vegas Inc.
Raised in Stamford, Connecticut and New York City, Kaplan relocated to Los Angeles in 1980 after graduating Magna Cum Laude from Bowdoin College that same year with a bachelor's degree in art history, visual arts, and a coordinate major in environmental studies. He has been a resident of Las Vegas since 1992.
To compete with the rigors of the hospitality world, Kaplan enjoys hiking, cycling, and skiing. His passions include architecture, art, music, travel as well supporting the NHL Vegas Golden Knights all shared with his wife, Liz and son, Austin.
Windom Kimsey Windom joined Tate Snyder Architects in 1991 and became President and CEO of Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects in 2008.
Windom developed a reputation for innovative design early in his career through a series of award-winning projects and buildings that were as programmatically and technically innovative as they were cost and resource conscious. His career has since been devoted to public projects, especially the design of civic, public safety and educational facilities for which he has received numerous accolades and awards.
Windom received the AIA Western Mountain Region Silver Medal in 2009 in recognition of his contribution to the industry, profession and communities across multiple geographies. That was just two years after receiving the AIA Nevada Silver Medal. In 2004, he was inducted into the AIA's College of Fellows and in 2020 = the 60th anniversary of the formation of the company which now proudly bears his name - Windom led TSK to the most prestigious award for an architecture firm in the state, the AIA Nevada Firm of the Year Award.
While he works tirelessly to enhance the quality and depth of TSK's portfolio, Windom's body of work is now an important repository of civic and educational architecture throughout the West Coast. His work crosses many stylistic approaches and is connected by an expectation that a public building should achieve a certain pride in the idea of civic architecture.
Alongside his architectural practice, Windom guest lecturers at AIA events both nationally and internationally, and sits on numerous design committees and boards.