Reno, Nev., (January 10, 2014) The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) welcomes new members to its 2013-2014 Board of Trustees and four new officers. Steve Anderson, First Vice President of RBC Wealth Management begins his term as the EDAWN Board Chair. Leigh Goddard with McDonald Carano Wilson LLP former EDAWN Board Secretary will assume position as Vice Chair. Phyllis Freyer, Vice President of Renown Health has been named Board Secretary and Stuart Brady, Senior Vice President of Business Banking for Wells Fargo was elected Treasurer. In addition to the officer changes, Frank Lepori of Frank Lepori Construction Inc. and Chris Reed with OnTrac joined the EDAWN Board as Presidential Gold Investors along with the following elected positions: Jim Annis, President of Applied Staffing Solutions, Jim Emme, President of NOW Foods, and Stephanie Tyler President of AT&T Nevada.

“We are fortunate to have such strong business leaders engaged on the EDAWN Board,” said Mike Kazmierski, EDAWN CEO.  “A special thanks to those past and present board members who were instrumental in guiding the organization to its success over the past few years.  It is exciting to have the business community actively involved in quality job attraction, retention and start-up job creation.”

Steve Anderson is the First Vice President and Financial Consultant at RBC Wealth Management. Steve has over 25 years of experience in the Finance industry and writes a regular column for the Reno Gazette Journal. Steve has served on the EDAWN Board most recently as Vice Chair and will be assuming the role of Chair for the 2013-2014 year.

Leigh Goddard is a partner in the firm McDonald Carano Wilson LLP and has extensive experience in complex commercial litigation, in state and federal courts. Her representation covers all aspects of litigation from the investigation, filing of the initial pleadings, discovery, motion practice, and trial. Before joining the firm, she acquired extensive experience in defending claims involving personal injuries, insurance bad faith, and product defects. Leigh was awarded the “Best Lawyers in America” (Commercial Litigation) for 2014 and will begin her term as the Vice Chair for the EDAWN Board for 2013-2014.

Phyllis Freyer is the Vice President of Renown Health. Phyllis has 30 years of experience in healthcare and insurance including more than eight years with Renown. At Renown, Phyllis has responsibility for Marketing, Communications, Retail Operations and the Renown Health Foundation. Phyllis is active in the community and has served on the Nevada Women’s Fund board and is the Chairman of the WIN Board of Directors. She has chaired numerous large community events including the American Heart Association Go Red luncheon and the 2012 WIN Lecture Series dinner. Phyllis will be serving as the Secretary for the EDAWN board in 2013-2014.

Stuart Brady is the Senior Vice President for Business Banking in Northern Nevada for Wells Fargo. A native of Ireland, Stuart has lived in northern Nevada since 1978 and is in leadership roles throughout the community including service as a board of trustee of EDAWN, past-President of the Idaho-Nevada Community Development Financial Institution, Inc. and Board Member/Treasurer of Our Lady of the Snows School. Brady is a graduate of the University of the Pacific, Southern Methodist University Commercial Lending School, and the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington. Stuart will serve as the Treasurer for the EDAWN Board in the 2013-2014 year.

Jim Annis is the President and CEO of  Applied Staffing Solutions. Jim moved to northern Nevada in 1981 and owned and worked in C-Level positions with small and medium sized companies prior to opening Applied Staffing Solutions, LLC in 2002. Jim is committed to northern Nevada as he is a Charter member of the Rotary Club of Reno Centennial Sunset and is that club’s Charter President, is past President of the Northern Nevada Human Resource Association, is a former Deacon at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, is past Secretary of Troop 107 of the Boy Scouts of America, is past Chair of the Reno Marketing Professionals and belongs to Western Industrial Nevada (WIN). Jim also belongs to the Northern Nevada Chamber of Commerce and has served on the board of the Reno Sparks Chamber of Commerce, in addition to now serving with EDAWN.

Jim Emme is the President of NOW Foods and has been a member of the NOW management team since early in 1995. His unique combination of a Food Science education combined with decades of experience in the design and management of food manufacturing and distribution operations are uncommon in our industry. He grew up on a farm in Indiana, and knows the importance of hard work and dedication to the strong values system that the NOW brand represents.

Stephanie Tyler has been the President of AT&T Nevada since May 2010. She is a highly accomplished external affairs executive and former Nevada State Senator with over 20 years of multi-state experience in administering government relations programs, corporate communications, campaign management and public service. Stephanie is responsible for all external affairs for AT&T in Nevada including; state and local government relations, community affairs, regulatory and legislative activities, and new technology initiatives and infrastructure investment

EDAWN’s board of trustees is comprised of private investors and industry experts that will serve a two-year term. The board also includes volunteer community leaders and elected officials, dedicated to taking economic development in a new direction in Northern Nevada. It is the governing and administrative body for the non-profit organization, supporting its mission to recruit and expand quality companies to Greater Reno-Sparks-Tahoe.