Courtesy
Lieutenant Governor Lisa Cano Burkhead
Published Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021 | 11:33 a.m.
Updated Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021 | 3:06 p.m.
Lisa Cano Burkhead’s mother came to Las Vegas from Paraguay and her father from Argentina in search of better lives, working on the Strip as a seamstress and a blackjack dealer.
They only finished elementary-level schooling, instilling in their daughter from a young age the value of education, Cano Burkhead said. The native Las Vegan graduated from the University of Redlands in California with a double major in Spanish and English on the way to a career as an educator and school administrator.
And now, after retiring this summer from her job as a high school principal in the Clark County School District, the Henderson resident is taking on a new challenge: Serving as Nevada’s lieutenant governor.
Cano Burkhead, 50, was appointed to the post this week by Gov. Steve Sisolak to succeed former Lt. Gov. Kate Marshall, who left in August to take a job at the White House.
Cano Burkhead, a Democrat, said she plans to help boost the state’s economy and improve education.
“(My parents) instilled in me a deep appreciation for education and the opportunities that come with a strong education,” Cano Burkhead said Thursday at an event announcing her appointment. “That’s what led me to dedicate my career to teaching. And now I want to use my life’s experience as a teacher, a principal, an administrator and as a parent to be an advocate for education in my new role as lieutenant governor.”
She spent a decade in the classroom teaching English and Spanish in CCSD before becoming the dean of students and assistant principal at Eldorado High School, Sisolak said. She spent several years as chief of staff to Richard Carranza, who was the superintendent of the Northwest Region.
Cano Burkhead later became a principal, where she spent the past six years at Foothill High School. Because of her experience, Sisolak said, she’ll bring much-needed change to state government.
“Lisa’s experience as an educator and as a principal makes her the right person to lead that conversation and lead that work in Nevada as we recover, and assure that all Nevadans, especially our students, have the opportunities that they deserve,” Sisolak said.
In her new role, Cano Burkhead said she will focus on learning about the position and listening to people in the community. She was part of the Paradise Town Board in Clark County and unsuccessfully ran for the Nevada Assembly in 2002.
The lieutenant governor chairs the Nevada Commission of Tourism, which is charged with establishing policies and directing funding for tourism. The lieutenant governor also serves on the Nevada Board of Transportation and on the Board of Economic Development.
“There is certainly a lot of work ahead of me,” said Cano Burkhead, a mother of three daughters. “After experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, I am dedicated to working endlessly to make our economy stronger and get our schools and families back on track.”
Some questioned why it took Sisolak three months to appoint someone to the position. “That’s on me,” he said. “I want to say here and now that this process took exactly as long as it needed to take to get the right person, and we have the right person.”
That right person doesn’t plan to make this a short-term role.
Cano Burkhead intends to run for reelection in 2022. The Democratic primary field will include Henderson Mayor Debra March and Democratic Rural Caucus Chairwoman Kimi Cole, a retired construction project manager who if elected would be the first transgender person to serve a statewide office in the U.S.
Four Republicans are running: Las Vegas City Councilman Stavros Anthony, former Nevada Treasurer Dan Schwartz, Henderson businessman John Miller and perennial candidate Mack Miller.
The emphasis on Cano Burkhead’s background could be significant in a state that is fifth in the U.S. in its percentage of Hispanic and Latino population. The U.S. Census reports about 30% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, and that a little more than 20% of eligible voters in Nevada — U.S. citizens 18 and older — are Hispanic or Latino.
Nevada in recent years had a Latino governor — Sisolak’s predecessor, Brian Sandoval, a Republican — and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is the first woman from Nevada and the first Latina elected to the Senate.
In her introductory news coverage, Cano Burkhead answered questions in both English and Spanish, stressing “we can get so much work done if I do have a full term,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
