Nearly two dozen join Carson City Chamber program to prepare for leadership roles
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 10/23/2023 - 8:11am
Now in its 34th year of conducting classes to prepare future leaders to make a difference in Carson City, the 2024 Class of the Carson City Chamber Leadership Institute will join the list of 545 students graduated from the Chamber legacy program since 1989, many of whom have gone on to assume leadership roles in government or in their various businesses.
The only year the class was not convened was in 2021 as a result of the pandemic.
The 23 students come from all walks of life, businesses, and government and are listed below. The first class convened on October 12 and will end in June of 2024 after spending one full day monthly for nine months learning the ins and outs of the city to include government operations, education, manufacturing and more.
The most familiar graduates still active today include Shelly Aldean, a graduate of the first class convened in 1989 who went on to become a successful entrepreneur and Carson City Supervisor (2003-2012) and still serves as the Carson City representative on the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. Michael Hohl of Michael Hohl Automotive was a classmate.
Former elected City Assessor and recently retired Dave Dawley (2003-2023) graduated in 1991, along with former tourism director Candy Duncan. Restaurateur and entrepreneur Jenny Lopiccolo (’98), David Ruf, owner of Greenhouse Garden Center (’93), builder Mark Beauchamp (’96) and Advocates to End Domestic Violence Executive Director Lisa Lee graduated in 1996. Beauchamp continues to build and expand the new Advocates campus while realtor Carol Toohey (also ’96) has been instrumental in buying and selling land for Lee’s projects showing how life-long contacts continue to endure.
Carol Scott, Executive Director of Wild Horse Productions and top realtor Bob Fredlund are from the Class of 2000. Elinor Bugli (’01) is the co-founder of the Carson City Symphony and former City Manager Linda Ritter (’04) decided the best way to get to know the community when she took over was to attend Leadership. Lupe Ramirez (’09) was again elected to the school board; Stacy Woodbury (’10) is now Chair of the Chamber and husband Jason Woodbury (’11) is the elected Carson City District Attorney.
Melanie Nelson (’13- now Thomas) is the Chamber Vice Chair. Supervisor Maurice White (’13) was elected as a city supervisor in 2021. Current City Manager Nancy Paulson (appointed in 2018) and Supervisor Lisa Schutte (elected in 2021) were classmates in 2014. Nevada Appeal editor Adam Trumble graduated in 2015 as did Courtney Warner, the director of the Carson City Senior Center. The City’s Park Director Jennifer Budge and Chamber Board member Krisha Caraway were in the class of ’17. In 2018 Parks Operation Manager Dan Earp earned his certificate. In 2019 Justice of the Peace Pro tem John Tatro made friends with Stephen Jones, District Operations Manager at Southwest Gas and WNC educators Deborah Conrad and Angela Holt.
Restaurateur Lori Baxter, owner of Bella Vita and Bob Roll, general manager of Cinderlite Trucking and now a Chamber board member were classmates in 2020. The Class of ’22 included current City Treasurer Andrew Rasor and other amazing graduates.
The full list of all graduates can be found here.
The Chamber welcomes the Class of 2024!
Ernest "Teddy" Barham - Greater Nevada Credit Union
Holly Beeson - Salvation Army
Kelly Brandon - Carson City District Attorney's Office
Andrea Card - Chromalloy Nevada
Kurtis “Kurt” Carlson - Southwest Gas
Courtney Copp - Chromalloy Nevada
Juan De Alba Villegas - United Federal Credit Union
Anna Freeman - Carson City Parks & Recreation
Kimberly Hallock - Carson Plaza
James Hardiman - Finest LLC
Nigel A. Harrison, M.S. – WNC Professor of Construction Technology
Stephanie Hicks - Carson City Consolidated Municipality
Corey Jenkins - Carson City Airport Authority
Michelle Ketten - JP Morgan
Jennifer Lewis - Eagle Valley Children's Home
Paula Mayer - Carson Tahoe Health
Elizabeth “Ely” Morelli - Carson City Treasurer's Office
Michaela Pence - Carson City Sheriff's Office
Cody Shelton - Coldwell Banker Select Nevada Style
Lauren Stevens - Western Nevada College
Jenn Stoffer - Carson City Sheriff's Office
Hope Sullivan - Carson City Consolidated Municipality
Brett Zunino - Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada
— Writer Ronni Hannaman is the Executive Director of the Carson City Chamber of Commerce.
