Jodi Tyson is vice president of strategic initiatives at Three Square Food Bank.
At Nevada State Bank, Megan Comfort is senior vice president, small business manager; Dinesh Lachhwani is senior vice president, corporate banking underwriter manager; Vanessa Teeter is senior vice president, corporate banking sales manager; and Jennifer Turner is senior vice president, business banking sales manager.
Johnson & Johnson earned the top spot on the 2018 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list. Other companies on the list are: Marriott International; AT&T; Mastercard; ADP; Eli Lilly and Co.; Comcast NBCUniversal; KPMG; Accenture; Hilton; Prudential Financial; Cummins; Cox Communications; Wells Fargo; Procter & Gamble; Abbott; BASF; Kellogg Co.; Nielsen; Anthem; TIAA; New York Life; Northrop Grumman; Target; Toyota Motor N.A.; Walt Disney Co.; Monsanto; Allstate Insurance; AbbVie; Aetna; General Motors; Exelon; Hershey Co.; TD Bank; KeyBank; JCPenney; McCormick & Co.; Colgate-Palmolive; Time Warner; CVS Health; Aramark; Sanofi; Express Scripts; Southern Co.; AIG; MUFG Union Bank; Medtronic; Humana; Boeing Co.; and Dow Chemical.
Yeti, a provider of ice chests and drinkware, partnered with South Point Arena and Equestrian Center to be the exclusive sponsor of the arena’s concession stands, now known as “Yeti Refreshment Zones.”
Vegas PBS, through a state grant for distance education, is working with Nevada Learning Academy to provide additional opportunities for students to prepare for industry-recognized certifications in health science, information technology and business management. The initiative enables students to enroll in online career pathway courses through NVLA at reduced rates. To enroll, visit NVLearningAcademy.net/admissions.
New Song Christian Academy is open at 1291 Cornet St., Henderson. The school serves ages 3 through kindergarten. The project was completed by KGA Architects and Kittrell Jensen.
Melissa Kaiser is CEO of the Discovery Children’s Museum.
Dan Uonites, general manager of Silver Sevens Hotel & Casino, and Michelle Eckmann, chief financial officer of Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada, joined the board of trustees of HELP of Southern Nevada.
Communities In Schools of Southern Nevada honored volunteers, staff and community partners, and praised the success of its students, at its 2018 Power Within Awards. The UNLV Counselor Education and Human Services Program was named Community Volunteer Group of the Year. The CCSD School-Community Partnership Program was named Community Partner of the Year. Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas was named Service Partner of the Year. PSAV was named Service Partner of the Year. Barrick Gold was named Corporate Partner of the Year. The Unsung Hero Award was given to Miranda Trobiani, a CIS of Southern Nevada Site Coordinator at Monaco Middle School. Cox Communications presented special video biographies of select students at Hollingsworth Elementary, Monaco Middle School and Canyon Springs High School.
The John T. Moran Firearms Facility expanded to accommodate more police students and allow for modern rifle training. The project was funded by Las Vegas Metro, the North Las Vegas Police Department, Gaming Control Board and the FBI.
Dave Watts is venue director at Enclave, a 75,000-square-foot event facility at 5810 S. Eastern Ave.
The Public Education Foundation elected Susan Brager, Jerry Nadal and Don Snyder to its board of directors. Brager is a Clark County Commissioner. Nadal is senior vice president, resident shows division for Cirque du Soleil. Snyder is immediate past president of UNLV and serves on a volunteer basis as a presidential adviser.
US News and World Report ranked high schools in the nation. The Top 10 in Nevada are: Advanced Technologies Academy, Las Vegas; West Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas; Incline High School, Incline Village; Academy of Art Careers and Technology, Reno; Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Las Vegas; Coral Academy Charter School Secondary, Reno; Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas, Las Vegas; Robert McQueen High School, Reno; Northwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas; and Veterans Tribute Career Technical Academy, Las Vegas.
Healthy Minds, a mental health provider, launched a substance-use disorder program being spearheaded by clinical director Melissa Paller.
The Garden Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to servicing those with special needs through education, independence, inspiration and inclusion, is open at 7485 W. Azure Drive, Las Vegas.
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Thirteen women in Southern Nevada earned the Women of Distinction Award from the National Association of Women Business Owners of Southern Nevada:
• Arts-Entertainment-Media: Michelle Johnson, Diva Las Vegas Productions
• Business-Retail-Manufacturing: Leanna Jenkins, Nevada Business Opportunity Fund
• Corporate-Government Services: Irene Bustamante Adams, Nevada State Assembly
• Education: Carrie Buck, Pinecrest Academy of Nevada
• Gaming-Hospitality-Convention Services: Dawn Christensen, MGM Resorts
• Medical-Healthcare Services: Sasha DeCania, Destinations
• Philanthropy-Community Service: Dr. Reeta Thukral, Global Charity Foundation
• Professional Services: Debbie Banko, Link Technologies
• Real Estate-Construction: Lelia Friedlander, TuffSkin Surface Protection
• STEM studies: Eileen Christensen, BEC Environmental, Inc.
• Entrepreneur of the Year: Jo Cato, Periwinkle Group
• Rising Star: Ava Mucikyan, The Salt Room
• Glass Ceiling: Mayor Debra March, City of Henderson
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The Clark County School District honored seven first-year teachers as New Educators of the Year:
• Javier Alegria, math teacher at Northwest Career and Technical Academy (high school category)
• Jodi Eggleston, math teacher at Lied Middle School (middle school category)
• Elsi Hernandez, second-grade teacher at Clyde C. Cox Elementary School (elementary primary category)
• Lisa Magee, resource and English Language Arts teacher at Spring Valley High School (special education category)
• Bani Maita-Perez, third-grade teacher at Gwendolyn Wooley Elementary School (elementary intermediate category)
• Nicholas Paxton – school psychologist at Ernest Becker Middle School, Howard Wasden Elementary School and Burk Horizon School (related services category)
• Ross Takahashi-Brummer – Art teacher at Doris French Elementary School (specialist category)
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Winners of the fifth annual Las Vegas Women in Technology Awards, presented by the Las Vegas Community Tech Fund, include:
• Technology Woman of the Year: Duana Malone, CEO and founder, Tech Queen Systems
• Technology Woman for Gaming & Hospitality: Elena Jaacks, MGM Resorts International
• Technology Woman for Cybersecurity: Shannon Wilkinson, president and cofounder, Axiom Cyber Solutions
• Technology Woman Entrepreneur: Heather Wilde, chief technology officer, ROCeteer
• Technology Woman Mentor: Christine Heinrich, Taurean Consulting Group
• Technology Woman for Community Service: Jet Mitchell, Aristocrat Technologies
• Technology Woman Rising Star: Alicia Mejia, Worldwide Love Story