W. West Allen, a partner in the Las Vegas office of Howard & Howard, was installed as the Federal Bar Association’s 93rd national president. Allen is an intellectual property litigator and counselor who represents a wide variety of international clients in federal courts. He previously served as chair of the FBA’s Government Relations Committee for seven years. In addition, Allen has been a member of the FBA board of directors for much of the past decade. He also received the FBA’s President’s Award for longstanding service to the association.
The Nevada Realtors announced its newly elected officers for 2021, led by incoming President Brad Spires, a longtime local Realtor based in Gardnerville. Officers were elected during the statewide association’s October 2 board meeting. In addition to Spires, officers for 2021 include: President-elect Doug McIntyre, of Reno, who will become NVR president in 2022; Vice President Tom Blanchard, of Las Vegas, who will become NVR president in 2023; Treasurer Trevor Smith, of Incline Village; and Immediate Past President Chris Bishop, of Las Vegas.
Three Clark County schools have been named National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education, including Veterans Tribute Career and Technical Academy, West Career and Technical Academy and Judith D. Steele Elementary School. The awards affirm the work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content. The schools were the only Nevada schools selected for this national honor this year.
For the fifth consecutive year, VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System was chosen as one of Practice Greenhealth’s top hospitals in the nation for Environmental Excellence. This year, VASNHS received a Partner for Change Award and was recognized for leading the health care industry with innovation in sustainability, maintaining superior environmental programs and illustrating how green initiatives are entrenched in the facility’s culture.
NAIOP Southern Nevada, an organization representing commercial real estate developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial, retail and mixed-use real estate, announced its class of 2020 Developing Leaders Institute graduates. The class included: Christy Bojda, GRN Vision; Gitana Cafasso, Burke Construction Group; Emily Dobbins, Nigro Construction; Thoma Godbout, First Savings Bank; Tom Hanrahan, MCA Realty; Dylan Heroy, Sun Commercial Real Estate; Kerrie Kramer, Argentum Partners; Brendan Leake, MDL Group; Jordan Leavitt, Levitt Insurance Agency; Nora Murphy, Newmark Knight Frank; Matthew Patros, MDL Group; Alexandrea Rivera, Grand Canyon Development Partners; Armand Rodrigues, Geotechnical & Environmental Services; Elizabeth Sant, Brand Real Estate; Anna Saravia, Harsch Investment Properties; Gabriel Skerlich, Colliers International; Christina Stanfill, WORTHGROUP Architects & Designers; Travis Tartamella, Wells Fargo Bank; and Michael Willmore, Colliers International.
The Nevada Public Health Association named its 2020 Public Health Heroes, including Gov. Steve Sisolak; Dr. Mark Pandori, director of the Nevada Public Health Laboratory; Julia Peek, deputy administrator, Department of Public and Behavioral Health; Dr. Fermin Leguen, acting chief health officer, and Merylyn Yegon, community health nurse supervisor, both of the Southern Nevada Health District in its new Nevada COVID-19 Response special recognition. In addition, NPHA awarded the 2020 Public Health Program of the Year to Nevada’s four epidemiology programs which includes Southern Nevada Health District Office of Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance for its efforts to combat COVID-19. Brian Labus, assistant professor at the UNLV School of Public Health, was awarded the 2020 Public Health Leadership Award for his work on Sisolak’s Nevada COVID-19 Response Task Force and his efforts to educate the community about the disease and its impact. The 2020 Public Health Advocate of the Year was awarded to John Packham, associate dean, Office of Statewide Initiatives at the UNR School of Medicine, and commissioner of the Nevada Governor’s Patient Protection Commission.
CBRE announced that Linda Gonzales joined its Las Vegas office as a senior associate with Advisory & Transaction Services. She will specialize in the sale and leasing of office and flex properties. Most recently, she was a vice president at Sun Commercial Real Estate. Her experience includes representing owners, buyers and tenants of office, industrial and retail properties.
UnCommons hired Amalie Zinsser as community engagement lead. Zinsser will be responsible for developing a culture that instills a sense of belonging and fosters genuine human connection for the mixed-use community, which is scheduled for opening in early 2022. Bringing the skills she honed while serving as people and portfolio operations director at WeWork for five years, Zinsser will foster the UnCommons ethos of community and connection through innovative tenant and resident programs, collaborative events, thought-provoking panels and more.
CVT, a rooftop tent manufacturer, announced the opening of its third retail showroom and adventure center in Las Vegas. This location was established to accommodate customers across the Southwestern region with sales, installation, maintenance, warranty replacements, product demos and all customer service needs, and is designed to look and feel like an outdoor campground.
All In Aviation announced the expansion of its previously Cirrus-exclusive fleet with the addition of two Cessna 172 Skyhawks, to be hangared at the company’s Henderson Executive Airport location. These planes will allow the company to expand its flight school services and meet increased demand for flight training, while providing student pilots with an economical entry-level training option.
The American Institute of Architects Western Mountain Region chapter honored the Clark County Government Center, designed by Fentress Architects, with its 2020 Twenty-five Year Award. This award recognizes a built structure that has significantly influenced design and lifestyle in the Western Mountain Region. The project’s Southern Nevada-inspired design was recognized during the AIA Western Mountain Region Design and Honor Awards virtual Gala in October.
The Las Vegas City Council unanimously ratified Vince Zamora to serve as the city’s new human resources director. Zamora has been serving as acting director of human resources and was previously the department’s deputy director. In addition, the City Council unanimously approved the contract of Chief Operations and Development Officer Jorge Cervantes to become Las Vegas’ next city manager. Cervantes has been with the city for 22 years.