Governor taps Elaine Wynn for state School Board

By Paul Takahashi

Published Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 | 3:59 p.m.

Updated Monday, Dec. 17, 2012 | 10:10 p.m.

Gov. Brian Sandoval has appointed casino executive and education advocate Elaine Wynn to the state School Board.

Wynn has been a director of Wynn Resorts since 2000. She is founding chairwoman of Communities In Schools of Nevada and also serves as national board chairwoman of that nonprofit, which seeks to bring community resources, such as food and clothing pantries, onto school campuses.

Wynn was appointed by former Gov. Jim Gibbons in 2010 to become co-chairwoman of the Education Reform Blue Ribbon Task Force, which drafted Nevada's application to the federal Race to the Top competition. Although Nevada’s application ultimately failed, the task force was instrumental in recommending education changes to the Legislature.

“Elaine has long been a vocal advocate for improving the delivery of education to our state’s children,” Sandoval said in a statement. “From her service to our state as co-chair of the Education Reform Blue Ribbon Task Force to her continued work with students in the greater Las Vegas area, Elaine is a dedicated champion for education, and I am pleased she has agreed to serve in this manner.”

Wynn also serves on the boards of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Library of Congress Trust Fund. Born and reared in New York City, Wynn graduated from George Washington University in 1964 with a political science degree. She moved to Las Vegas in 1967.

The state School Board sets policies that govern public education in Nevada's 17 school districts. The Legislature reconstituted the 10-member board in 2011, putting greater control of education in the governor's hands.

There are now seven voting members, four of whom are elected from each congressional district. The remaining three members are appointed by the governor, the Senate majority leader and the Assembly speaker. There are also other nonvoting members, such as a student representative.

The new board will be sworn in Jan. 8, 2013. They serve four-year terms, and are limited to three consecutive terms.