Nevada Commission on Tourism

Kate Marshall was sworn in as Nevada’s 35th lieutenant governor on January 7, 2019. Kate grew up in working-class neighborhoods in San Francisco as the eldest of six children. She worked throughout high school and college, earning a bachelor’s degree and a law degree at the University of California, Berkeley, with the help of scholarships, Pell Grants, and student loans. After serving with distinction at the U.S. Department of Justice, Kate was recruited by then-Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa to come to Nevada to set up a state antitrust office as Senior Deputy Attorney General. Kate was elected Nevada State Treasurer in 2006 and re-elected in 2010. As Treasurer, she got rid of no-bid contracts and off-the-book accounts, and reduced spending, making government more efficient and identifying innovative methods to increase economic development for businesses in Nevada. Kate and her husband, Elliott Parker, reside in Reno, Nevada, where she is a board member of the United Way of Northern Nevada and Elliott is an economics professor at the University of Nevada, Reno.Read More

Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Charles Harris was selected to lead the organization and joined the team in November 2020. Reporting to the RSCVA Board of Directors, Mr. Harris is responsible for all activities associated with the operation of the RSCVA and its facilities. Most recently, Harris served as the Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for Visit Anaheim from 2014-2020. Prior to joining the travel and tourism industry, Harris worked as a sports management executive with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Anaheim Ducks, Angels Baseball and UC Irvine athletics.Read More

Steve Hill has had a hand in building the Las Vegas economy for more than three decades. From literally helping build the casinos on the Strip to attracting new businesses to the area and helping pave the way for professional sports leagues, Steve has left his mark on Las Vegas. As Chief Executive Officer and President of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority since 2018, Steve continues to have a hand in growing the local economy by driving more tourism to the Southern Nevada region. Originally from Ohio, Steve moved to Las Vegas in 1987 to start Silver State Materials, a concrete, sand and gravel supplier that grew to one of the largest in the country. Silver State was later purchased by CalPortland in 2008 and Steve served as the new company’s senior vice president until 2011 when he was appointed director of the newly established Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) by then Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval. Numerous businesses—including high profile corporations like Tesla, Apple and HyperloopOne—were lured to Nevada during Steve’s tenure. Former Gov. Sandoval also tapped Steve to serve as chairman of the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee, which led to the approval of both the expansion and renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center and the $1.9 billion Las Vegas Raiders stadium. He was subsequently appointed by the governor to serve as chairman of the Las Vegas Stadium Authority and as a member of the Southern Nevada Sporting Event Committee to help attract high-profile events to Las Vegas when the stadium is completed. Active in the Las Vegas community, Steve has served as chairman of Service 1st Bank of Nevada, Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, the Governor’s Construction Liability Task Force and the Boys & Girls Club of Las Vegas. He also served on the Nevada Commission on Economic Development, Nevada Savings and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Commission, Clark County Growth Task Force, RTC Regional Fixed Guideway Citizens Advisory Committee, Clean Water Coalition and Legislative Interim Advisory Committee on Air Quality. Steve earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, IN. Along with his wife, Molly, and their three adult children, Steve has resided in Las Vegas for 31 years.Read More

Cynthia Mun changed careers eight years ago to become a well-traveled children’s book writer and is represented by literary agents Jenny Bent and Eliza Kirby of The Bent Agency in New York. Beyond serving on the Nevada Commission on Tourism, Cynthia is currently the Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for Nevada. Previously, she spent two decades in strategic and product marketing. Cynthia served as Vice President of Marketing for Tropicana Las Vegas, overseeing the $125 million renovation and rebranding of the property, and as Executive Director of Business Insights and Strategy at MGM Resorts International. Prior to joining MGM Resorts, Cynthia acted as Leader of New Product Development at D&B for its $280 million small business division. She also launched Pandora.com as its Senior Vice President of Marketing. Cynthia served as Director of Product Marketing and Management for Gemstar TV Guide International, where she led the strategic market development and launch of the first electronic book. She has served on several non-profit boards, is President of the Yale Club of Nevada, and ASC Director for Yale College recruitment.Read More

Julie Pazina found her home in Las Vegas and never looked back, joining Edlen Electrical Exhibition Services. She is the company’s national director of sales, overseeing sales in the Las Vegas market, as well as regional and national sales efforts. Based in Las Vegas, Edlen is a family-owned and operated company that has grown into the nation’s largest independent temporary utility contractor for trade shows, conventions and special events.
She served on the Board of the Las Vegas Hospitality Association for six years, including her tenure as President in 2013. She is also a member of the Junior League of Las Vegas, is an active community volunteer and is a member of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events, which named her its 2011 Young Professional of the Year and the 2019 Woman of Achievement. Julie also currently serves on the International Association of Venue Managers Convention Center and Industry Affairs Committees.
Julie recently engaged in a campaign for a Nevada State Senate seat, in order to represent her community in upcoming legislative sessions.
Julie was raised in Atlanta and moved to Las Vegas in 2002, while working for the cruise industry as an Assistant Cruise Director and a Port and Cruise Consultant. Before living and working at sea, she worked in the advertising industry after graduating from Vanderbilt University, with a double major in Political Science and Communication Studies.
Julie and her husband Joel live in Henderson, Nevada with their golden retrievers, Midas and Molly.Read More

Kristin Windbigler currently serves as the Executive Director of the Western Folklife Center. In that role, she is responsible for establishing the vision for this mission-driven arts and culture organization that produces the annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering that attracts several thousand visitors to Elko every year and provides year-round education and entertainment programs. Prior to joining the Western Folklife Center, Kristin founded and launched a volunteer-based translation program for TED Conferences. Through her role as Director, the program grew to 30,000 volunteers in 155 countries, with more than 100,000 translations in 115+ languages to help TED fulfill its mission to become a global exchange of ideas through its popular TED Talks videos. Kristin received her Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Chico.Read More

Edward Estipona has guided his agency, Estipona Group, from its founding in 1993 as a two-person design shop into a full-service marketing agency. He has spearheaded branding and communications initiatives for healthcare, nonprofit, arts and education, tourism, retail and economic development clients. Edward is among the youngest recipients of Reno’s “Advertising Person of the Year” and “Marketer of the Year” awards, and he was named NCET’s Technology Advocate of the Year in Creative Services. While his business has evolved, what has remained consistent is Edward’s commitment to the community. The Estipona Group was awarded the prestigious Governor’s Arts Award in recognition of its support of the arts, and the agency was a finalist for the Governor’s Points of Light Awards, recognizing community contribution through volunteer service. Edward proudly serves as a Trustee with the Community Foundation of Western Nevada Board of Director. He and his team recently launched JustThePositive.com, a website that shines a spotlight on the people and organizations in Northern Nevada committed to positively impacting the community.Read More

Jill Rowland-Lagan, CEO of the Boulder City, Nevada Chamber of Commerce is a native Nevadan, whose family settled in Boulder City in 1947. Her ties to the community are strong and her love of the City encourage her daily to serve it well. Having started her first business at sixteen, she has had an affinity for the business world as an entrepreneur. After attending Brigham Young University, University of Nevada Las Vegas, and Phillips Junior College, court stenography became her trade along with two businesses she founded, operated and sold.

She soon found herself in Downtown Las Vegas working in Pretrial at the Clark County Detention Center and then on to the District Attorney's office as a locate specialist and process server in the Child Support Division. The opportunity presented itself to become more involved in the family business and drove her into the management world of marine operations on Lake Mead and at a coffee roasting plant in Henderson. Around that same time, a wedding and special event planning business fell into her lap and she had the opportunity to enjoy it for nearly seven years.

Selling of the family business and her wedding business allowed her time to accept the position of CEO at the Boulder City Chamber, where she has gratefully served for over 19 years. She has a wonderfully supportive husband who is a police officer in Las Vegas and two beautiful and talented teenage daughters. Jill looks to continue her commitment to the community she loves and is excited for her future.Read More

Jane Moon is the Director of Tourism & Special Events for the City of Fallon. Having lived in Fallon, Reno, and Las Vegas, she is passionate about sharing her hometown, and welcoming visitors to The Oasis of Nevada, as well as to the Silver State as a whole.  Prior to her career in tourism, she was a consultant in the medical field, then in education, and community engagement.  Jane enjoys spending as much time as possible with her husband, Steve, daughter, Mahal, son, Steven, and their pups; whether cheering her kids on in dance and sports, spending time entertaining at home together, taking part in church ministry, experiencing the great outdoors or immersive travel. Jane is an alumna of both Churchill Country High School/Fallon and the University of Nevada, Reno.Read More

Rick Murdock is the Vice-President of Governmental Affairs at Eldorado Resorts downtown Reno properties. With over 39 years at the Eldorado, he has grown along with the company and is well-versed in all aspects of tourism and travel in Northern Nevada, as well as the hospitality and gaming industry. Having recently completed two full terms on the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority Board as Chair, Rick has become very passionate about air service to our region. He also served on the boards of the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority, Reno-Tahoe Regional Air Service Committee and the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada and is always eager to promote Reno-Tahoe. Rick serves as a member of the Regional Air Service Committee and the Capital Projects Surcharge Advisory Committee for downtown Reno, and for the Saint Mary's Hospital Board.

Rick is happily married to his wife, Thea, who is an ICU nurse at Carson Tahoe Hospital. They have three daughters who are thriving and still love to call Reno home.Read More

Donald Contursi is the founder and president of Lip Smacking Foodie Tours, a culinary walking tour established in Las Vegas in 2014, and its sister company, Finger Licking Foodie Tours, set up in 2019 in Las Vegas.

Lip Smacking Foodie Tours offers guests access to VIP service at renowned restaurants, where they enjoy curated signature dishes and personalized greetings from chefs, without long lines or reservations. The excursions are led by professional tour guides. In contrast, Finger Licking Foodie Tours are self-guided restaurant tours of downtown Las Vegas, Chinatown, the Arts District, the Strip, and ARIA Resort & Casino. Finger Licking Foodie Tours recently expanded into Chicago, Contursi’s hometown.

Contursi moved to Las Vegas from Chicago to earn a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Nevada. He subsequently spent a decade working at high-end restaurants on the Strip, including STK Las Vegas, Gordon Ramsay Steak, and Social House. Contursi is a Certified Incentive Specialist (CIS), and he works regularly with meeting planners. Contursi was named a “2018 Meetings Trendsetter” by Meetings Today magazine. He was recognized in Connect Corporate magazine’s 2019 “40 under 40,” as well as Vegas Inc magazine’s 2020 “40 under 40.”Read More