The Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority named a new chairman and four new trustees to serve on the board that oversees both the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, the 66th busiest airport in the nation, and Reno-Stead Airport.
Shaun Carey, appointed by the City of Sparks, was named Chairman of the nine member board. Carey served as the Sparks City Manager for 14 years and spent more than three decades in public service. He holds a civil engineering degree from the University of Nevada, Reno and is a retired licensed Professional Engineer in Nevada, California and Colorado. Carey was appointed to the Airport Board of Trustees in April 2017.
“The airport is part of the economic engine that helps drive the vitality of northern Nevada,” Carey said. “I am looking forward to working with the Board of Trustees and the professional staff at the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority.”
And sworn in today as new Airport Board Members were: Carol Chaplin, Daniel Farahi, Richard L. Jay and Art Sperber.
Carol Chaplin has been in the hospitality and tourism industry in the Lake Tahoe area for over 35 years. She has served as the President/CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and the Executive Director of the Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority since 2008. She is a director on the Regional Air Service Corporation (RASC) board and is co-chair of RASC’s marketing committee. Chaplin is a board member for the Tahoe Prosperity Center, and serves on the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency working group for basin-wide sustainable recreation and environmental education and stewardship. Chaplin was appointed by the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority.
Daniel Farahi is the Director of Development Services for Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. He is a member of the Airport’s Master Plan Working Group and was formerly a member of the Airport’s Community Outreach Committee. Prior to rejoining Monarch in 2015, Farahi earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Columbia Business School and worked as a management consultant in the financial services sector. Farahi was appointed by the City of Reno.
Richard L. Jay has served more than 30 years in community leadership roles in the Reno/Tahoe area. Currently working as First Vice President/Investment Officer for a major brokerage firm, Richard brings a strong analytical perspective to the Airport Board. He also serves on the City of Reno Financial Advisory Board, and is an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, Sparks Rotary, and the Reno Youth Sports Association. In 2012, the Moana Sports Fields were renamed the Richard L. Jay Fields by the City of Reno. Jay was appointed by the City of Reno.
Art Sperber is a Senior Project Manager with a Nevada Based Transportation Engineering Firm. With more than 30 years of Nevada consulting work experience, Sperber has a strong background in both air and surface transportation including: construction administration, quality assurance, contractor quality control, and civil materials testing. Sperber served as a Planning Commissioner on both the City of Sparks and the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency. Sperber was appointed by the City of Sparks.
The Reno-Tahoe Airport Board of Trustees also includes Nat Carasali, who was appointed by Washoe County in 2013; Shaun Carey who was recently appointed by the City of Sparks in April of 2017; Jessica Sferrazza and Jenifer Rose who were appointed by the City of Reno in 2015; and Lisa Gianoli who was appointed by the Washoe County Commission in 2015.
Trustees are appointed to the Board by the City of Reno, City of Sparks, Washoe County and the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority. Reno-Tahoe International is the 66th busiest commercial airport in the United States and does not operate on local tax dollars.
