Robert Lang, UNLV public policy leader, dies at 62

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Published Tuesday, June 22, 2021 | 11:59 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, June 22, 2021 | 7:15 p.m.

Robert E. Lang, whose influence as a policy leader in Southern Nevada can be seen in such projects as UNLV’s medical school and Allegiant Stadium, has died. He was at 62.

Lang, who on Monday succumbed to complications from cancer, had been a resident of Las Vegas since 2010, when he came here to lead the newly founded Brookings Mountain West think tank at UNLV. A professor in the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, Lang would also become the director of The Lincy Institute for public policy at UNLV.

A Brooklyn native and graduate of Rutgers University, Lang arrived in Las Vegas with a strategic roadmap to transform Las Vegas from a city mostly reliant on tourism to a multifaceted community on par with larger regional cities.

His original plan called for five major improvements: a medical school, a publicly funded major-league sports stadium, the elevation of UNLV to top-tier research status, the buildout of Interstate 11 from Phoenix through Las Vegas and development of a light-rail system.

In Lang’s 11 years, three of those priority items would come to fruition: the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, Allegiant Stadium and UNLV achieving Carnegie R-1 status as a research institution. In addition, Southern Nevada expanded its portion of the I-11 route, although the highway remains unfinished in Arizona.

Lang and his team also worked with state officials to craft strategic plans for economic development in Nevada that remain in place today.

Gov. Steve Sisolak's office issued a statement calling Lang "a public policy leader in Nevada whose deep academic acumen and expertise helped push our state forward over the years in a number of policy areas. Additionally it was his strategic and relentless commitment to economic development that has set Southern Nevada on the path forward of advancement."

The Vegas Chamber, which partnered with Lang and Brookings Mountain West on strategic planning, issued a statement saying Lang "forever transformed Southern Nevada."

"During the depths of the Great Recession, Dr. Lang and his colleagues at Brookings Mountain West identified significant industries and infrastructure that Southern Nevada lacked that impeded economic recovery and diversification. He was a leading proponent of economic development and leveraging our strengths to move our community forward," the statement said. "As a result of Rob’s vision, tenacity, and collaboration with the Vegas Chamber and other community organizations, our region became laser-focused on filling these critical gaps.

"Rob’s fingerprints are all over Las Vegas. His partnership with the Vegas Chamber spanned over a decade. Without Rob Lang, Las Vegas would not be where we are today.”

Lang’s death resonated at The Brookings Institution, the parent organization of Brookings Mountain West, where Lang was a senior fellow.

“Rob was a critical member of the Brookings community,” said Brookings President John Allen, a retired U.S. Marine Corps. four-star general. “He founded and helped build Brookings Mountain West into a highly respected program contributing to key policy impacts in the region. More importantly however, he was a treasured friend and colleague to so many within our institution. We deeply mourn his passing, and his family and loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers.”

Tom Kaplan, a member of The Brookings Institution Board of Trustees and senior managing partner of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, called Lang "Las Vegas's first true academic pioneer."

"Bringing his keen East Coast intellectual acumen to the West a decade ago, he immediately discerned what our city and state needed to transform itself into a real modern metro," Kaplan said. "Where he stood out, however, was that he actually got things done, many things, and quickly too. He was always humble, and never sought the credit that he so profoundly deserved.”

Lang was a passionate advocate for UNLV, frequently challenging state lawmakers and the higher education system’s overseers to address funding inequities between the Southern Nevada university and UNR, the state’s flagship university.

“He loved the fight. He had no fear whatsoever,” said his wife of 41 years, Karen Danielsen-Lang, an associate professor in the School of Public Policy and Leadership at UNLV.

In a statement to the campus community, UNLV president Keith Whitfield applauded Lang for his support of the university and Southern Nevada.

"As I’ve come to know Las Vegas in my relatively short time here, I’ve learned that there were few — if any — who worked as hard as Dr. Lang over the past decade to both highlight our region’s vast economic potential and transform public policy to help us achieve it," said Whitfield, who was hired in July 2020 to lead UNLV.

Whitfield noted that Lang connected UNLV to experts and policy leaders at Brookings through his interactions with the think tank, including a Brookings Mountain West visiting scholars program that brought several Brookings experts to campus to participate in classroom instruction and give presentations.

"As a researcher and international authority on urban growth, he became a go-to source for business leaders, policymakers and media on the rapid growth of the American Southwest and Las Vegas," Whitfield said. "And as teacher and mentor, he was a constant and vocal advocate for our students, giving them a unique opportunity to collaborate and publish their research – work that has no doubt served to kick-start many promising careers for our graduates."

Richard Reeves, a Brookings Institution fellow who has made several trips to UNLV through the visiting scholars program, tweeted that Lang was "quite the guy — passionate, funny, scholarly, committed and an urbanist to his core."

"His death rends the fabric of his university @unlv, his city of Las Vegas and his family — all of whom he was burstingly proud of," Reeves continued.

Robert Ulmer, dean of the UNLV Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, recalled Lang as a go-to expert for policy consultation on housing, public transportation, higher education governance and economic development in Southern Nevada.

"He was a thought leader for the Vegas Chamber, the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, the county, the governor's office," Ulmer said.

In his latest project, Lang co-authored the book "Blue Metros, Red States: The Shifting Urban-Rural Divide in America's Swing States," with UNLV professor David F. Damore and Danielsen-Lang. The book, published by The Brookings Institute in October, analyzed the characteristics of areas in swing states and how those correlate with votes for Republicans and Democrats.

"He had been working with a lot of grad students and faculty thinking about implications of how these states will impact policy nationally," Ulmer said.

Yet even with his in-depth research and off-campus responsibilities, Lang never eased off of his professorial duties to mentor and teach students, Ulmer said.

"He gave every conversation, every lecture, every presentation 120%," Ulmer said.

North Las Vegas City Manager Ryann Juden praised the abiding impact of Lang's advocacy.  

"Rob saw Southern Nevada as a blank canvas where he could draw on his expertise to import best practices and lessons learned from around the country as he spearheaded public policy formation in our valley," Juden said. "While his voice will be dearly missed as we face today’s enormous post-pandemic challenges, he left us a wonderful example of fearless advocacy and relentless courage to follow."

Danielsen-Lang said her husband was attracted to Las Vegas by the opportunity to play a leading, public-facing role in policy development. She said Lang’s colleagues at the Brookings Institution were surprised that he chose to station himself in a far-flung western community instead of in the nation’s capital. However, she said, Lang believed he would have a stronger voice here than in Washington, where policymakers saturate the political landscape.

“Rob has always been interested in politics since I’ve known him,” Danielsen-Lang said. “He didn’t want to run for office or anything like that, but he wanted to be a strong policy player. And here, he thought he could have a bigger impact as far as influencing policy.”

Lang became a leading presence as a policymaker, not only working with state and local officials behind the scenes but appearing in local media and as a speaker at major community events such as the Metro Chamber of Commerce’s annual Preview expo. He was a frequent contributor of commentary to the Sun.

He and Danielsen-Lang have a son, Aidan Robert Lang, who will attend UNLV beginning this fall after studying at Whittier College in Southern California this past year.

Las Vegas Sun reporter Sara MacNeil contributed to this report.