Our Board of Directors

KIM MACQUARRIE, CHAIR

Founder/Co-Executive Director, Green Our Planet

Kim MacQuarrie is a writer, a four-time Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker, and an anthropologist. He has an undergraduate degree in biology, a master’s in anthropology, and lived in Peru for five years. During part of that time he lived with a recently-contacted Amazonian tribe, the Yora. A native of Las Vegas who has lived and worked around the world, Kim’s most recent book is “Life and Death in the Andes.” You can find out more about him by visiting www.kimmacquarrie.com.

CIARA BYRNE, SECRETARY/TREASURER

Founder/Co-Executive Director, Green Our Planet

Ciara Byrne is a documentary filmmaker and entrepreneur who set up and ran a film production company, Lion Television, with offices in LA and New York. During that time, she managed over 60 employees and produced hundreds of films a year for PBS, The Discovery Channel, National Geographic, PBS, BBC, Fox, and E! A native of Dublin, Ireland, Ciara has traveled the world and decided it’s her mission to leave a positive impact on the planet.

NICOLE BRASSINGTON

CEO & Founder, NSPIRE Enterprises, Bespoke Ventures & Investments, Bespoke Global Health Initiatives

Nicole Brassington is a social enterprise entrepreneur and healthcare provider who has dedicated her life to helping others and women’s empowerment as a nurse practitioner and businesswoman. Nicole spent the first part of her career working as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in Heart and Lung Transplant throughout the southeast region of the United States, even working on the front lines with COVID patients. Determined to positively impact the lives of women around the world she started Bespoke Ventures and Investments, Bespoke Global Health Initiatives and NSPIRE Enterprises as vehicles to allow her to create and support businesses that inspire, invest, and leverage influence for good.

JAMES BRISTOW

Principal, Nova Geotechnical & Inspection Services

James Bristow is an expert in construction materials testing with over 15 years of industry-specific experience, knowledge and expertise. As a UNLV graduate whom double-majored in both Civil Engineering and Political Science and a master’s degree in Civil Engineering, James has quickly become the source of knowledge and reference within the engineering community when it comes to materials testing and special inspections. James is passionate about developing his strengths in resolving material interface discrepancies, field-construction errors, and implementing nondestructive, and destructive investigation methods in order to assist contractors, owners, and public entities with resolving major milestone blocks that can occur during construction. Further, Mr. Bristow’s involvement with the local building departments and code councils has allowed him to take an active role in the code development process.

EMILY ELLIS

Associate, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

Emily Ellis is an Associate in Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s Las Vegas office and a member of the Litigation Department. Emily focuses on complex commercial litigation and has litigated before the United States Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Nevada Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, and the Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County Nevada – Civil and Family Division. She has appeared before and argued in front of the Nevada Supreme Court. She is the Las Vegas chairperson of the firm’s Karma Committee, a firm-wide committee focused on community relations and involvement, including the firm’s partnership with Bank of Nevada and Green Our Planet. In addition to facilitating charitable giving events, Emily is passionate about offering pro bono legal work to Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.

JOE GANLEY

Senior Litigation Partner, Firm of Hutchison & Steffen

Joseph R. Ganley practices in virtually every aspect of business and commercial litigation, including real estate, construction employment, intellectual property, insurance, corporate and transactional, and contract litigation. A firm believer in building strong local communities, Ganley implemented an annual Blood Drive at his firm, which welcomes donors not only from the firm’s employees but the entire legal community and that benefits the Las Vegas chapter of the American Red Cross. He also spearheaded the firm’s perpetual clothing drive that provides needed donations for the Safe Nest domestic abuse shelter, and he volunteers at a local charter school that is in its second year of existence in the Las Vegas Valley. Originally from Weymouth, Massachusetts, Ganley is a graduate of the Boston School of Law and still holds season tickets to the Boston Red Socks and the New England Patriots.

ZACHARY HILLBERRY

Assistant Director of Culinary, Caesars Palace

Chef Zachary Hillberry is a decorated chef with more than 20 years of professional and enviable culinary experience. His talents in training and directing cooks and chefs have consistently allowed him to progress to positions of increasing challenge and responsibility. Chef Zachary’s dynamic, results-focused and contagious team-oriented spirit moved him through the ranks at Mandarin Oriental, Nobu, and Caesars Palace. Chef Zachary’s creative spirit and inventive approach to the world of culinary art have continued to open new and exciting ventures. He is recognized as a pre-opening expert with over 11 restaurants and 2 resorts under his belt. His most recent launches of note are Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas and Hell’s Kitchen Dubai.

DR. GARD JAMESON

Author and Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Dr. Jameson received his PhD from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2005. He teaches Chinese and Indian philosophy in the Philosophy Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Prior to his tenure at UNLV, Mr. Jameson spent 25 years practicing as a Certified Public Accountant and Director of Financial Planning at Piercy, Bowler, Taylor & Kern and Touche Ross. He is the author of three books, Footprints on the Sands of Time, the story of his mentor, Dr. Raymond M. Alf, Phaethon, Our Mythic Moment, an ancient Greek tale that illuminates our current predicament, and Monkey, Our Mythic Moment, the grand epic of China. Mr. Jameson helped found and chairs the boards of the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada and the Nevada Institute for Spirituality in Healthcare. He is the Treasurer and Cofounder of VMSN (Volunteers in Medicine in Southern Nevada). Mr. Jameson also helped found the Nevada Community Foundation.

PRANAV JAMPANI

Head of Sustainability, The Venetian | The Palazzo | Sands Expo.

Pranav serves as the Head of Sustainability for The Venetian | The Palazzo | Sands Expo. He is responsible for leading the Sands ECO360 global sustainability program for some of the world’s largest integrated resorts and spearheading sustainability projects with both internal and external stakeholders. One of his top priorities is to inspire and develop a green culture throughout the resorts operations. He has extensive experience in corporate sustainability and social responsibility. He developed and implemented world class sustainability programs for numerous conglomerates and fortune 500 companies and managed diverse consulting projects from both public and private sectors. He provided engineering and management support to utilities and regulatory agencies running state-wide energy efficiency and sustainability programs in over ten states across US with combined budget over $2 billion. He managed and achieved LEED certifications for over 20 million square feet of property and also achieved significant cost savings and generated new revenue opportunities for companies by implementing numerous strategic & performance improvement measures. He has been directly responsible for several corporations earning reputable sustainability industry awards.

BRIAN KUNEC

Regional General Manager, KB Home

Brian Kunec is the Division President for KB Home in Nevada. In his role, Brian oversees all aspects of operations for KB Home in the state of Nevada. He has over 14 years of experience in new home construction. Brian is a graduate of Lafayette College and holds a CPA license. In addition, he is a member of the Southern Nevada Homebuilder Association.

KRISTI OVERGAARD

ONIYA

A design and branding entrepreneur, Ms. Overgaard brings a rich background in environment design, culture mindfulness, creative direction and community development. Overgaard is passionately commited to STEAM education in Nevada.

MARK ROWLAND

CEO, Roceteers

“My passion in life is to be happy and strive for self actualisation for both myself and the people I come into contact with. I believe that “work” is a fantastic platform by which to change the world and have always tried to bring passion and purpose to the roles that I have had in my career. I have defined the ultimate KPI of my life as the total number of happy minutes in my life + the total of happy minutes I help others to haveI believe that my own personal happiness and self-actualisation is achieved when I:

• can identify with my life’s purpose and bring meaning to my life, i.e. live life on purpose
• feel connected to people, build positive relationships and sense of community
• believe I am in control of my own destiny and see that what I am doing is in line with my purpose
• believe that I am making progress toward achieving my goals, i.e. I can measure myprogress

I realized that these steps to happiness and self-actualization can also be applied to any business, team family and community. Sadly, this is the ingredient missing from many companies. I am passionate about changing that.”

JUSTIN ANDERSON

Owner, Galt Development LLC

A second-generation Las Vegas native, Justin Anderson is truly a reflection of what Las Vegas has to offer; a roll up your sleeves work-ethic; a loyalty to community; a passion for growth; a work-hard/play-hard attitude; and a commitment to family.

Today Justin owns and operates multiple businesses in multiple industries from construction & development to event photography. He is also a board member for Los Vaqueros Las Vegas and an active participant in many industry associations.

OWEN CARVER

Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

Owen Carver is a social business & tech entrepreneur who has founded 2 businesses. He is also a community organizer whois passionate about using for-profit and social business models to create powerful social impact. In 2010 he founded AllinWebPro.com a web & graphic design company, and in 2013 launched Cafe do Paraiso, a coffee roasting company that donates $1 to education charities for every pound of coffee sold. Owen is also the grandson of Roy J Carver, an Iowan entrepreneur & philanthropist who donated over $90 million to the University of Iowa Hospitals. Continuing the family tradition, Owen has been an active philanthropist & community leader in Las Vegas, and oversees the contributions of his family’s charitable foundation.

WENDY CASHIN

Corporate Controller, NV5

Wendy Cashin is the Corporate Controller/Director of Finance and Accounting. She is responsible for the accounting operations of NV5, which includes the production of monthly financial reports, maintenance of accounting and project records, and a comprehensive set of controls and budgets designed to mitigate risk. She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Arizona and has over twenty years of accounting and auditing experience in the construction and gaming industry.

MICHELLE HOWELL

Marketing Manager, Oasis Biotech

With more than a dozen years of corporate experience, Michelle manages Oasis Biotech’s marketing department. She brings in-depth insight and practical knowledge gained from many industries including gaming, food & beverage, healthcare, government, non-profit and retail. Prior to joining Oasis Biotech, Michelle held several roles at VIRGEN Advertising in Las Vegas including Director of Public Relations & Social Media and Marketing Manager for more than six years. At the agency, she was in strategic planning, account management, brand development, public relations, digital media, social media, email marketing and beyond. She graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in Communications.

DR. RICHARD LEAKEY

Paleoanthropologist, Stony Brook University, Chair of Turkana Basin Institute

Dr. Richard Leakey is a politician, paleoanthropologist, and conservationist. He is the former director of the Kenya Wildlife Service and is credited with helping to save Africa’s elephants from extinction. A feature film on his life, called Africa, is due out in theaters in 2017, directed by Angelina Jolie.

JENNIFER MAYON

Human Resources Director, Clark County School District

Jennifer Mayon is a leadership professional who has experience in both the private and public sectors. She is currently employed as a Human Resources Director with the Clark County School District, the nation’s fifth largest school district. Jennifer is a native Nevadan from Reno and graduated from UNLV after studying, traveling, and volunteering while living in Israel. Jennifer was the Curriculum Chair for the Las Vegas Chamber’s 2017 Leadership Las Vegas Program (2014 alumna). With her passion to be a warrior of change through acts of kindness…what she refers to as “AOKs,” Jennifer gives back to the community through hands-on volunteerism. You will likely find Jennifer focusing her spare time on activities that spark joy – spending time with family, at the Krav Mga (mixed martial arts) studio, cooking, and traveling.

JENNA MORTON

Restauranteur, Conservationist and Philanthropist

Jeff is an instructor with The IronYard in Las Vegas teaching Java and Spring to adult students. Formerly, he was the head engineer for a multimodal rideshare company called Shift which was dedicated to helping people move around the city in an all electric fleet. Jeff was the lead software engineer involved in building Green Our Planet’s very first website.

STEPHANIE ROSOL

President, Skye Coaching

Stephanie Rosol works with leaders and teams to improve performance, enhance communication, and increase satisfaction in both professional and personal domains. As an executive coach and leadership consultant, she brings 25 years as a Senior Executive and Non-Profit Leader – perspectives from the front line to the board room, inside and outside of business – to listen and support organizational leaders as they navigate the choices in their lives. As Vice President of Human Resources for Wynn Las Vegas and as Corporate Director for Talent Development with Caesars Entertainment, she was responsible for organizational culture and engagement initiatives impacting more than 100,000 employees. As a graduate of The University of San Diego’s Masters of Science in Executive Leadership program she serves as a coach on the SupporTED Coaching Team for TED Fellows, for the Sundance Institute, the Unreasonable Institute, and for the Institute for Generative Leadership.