53 Feature Photography by Jerry Metellus

FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY BY JERRY METELLUS In this, Luxury's first ever “Power Influencer” issue, we present to you an impressive array of individuals who’ve been integral in enriching our community in the areas of gaming, education, arts and culture, hospitality, philanthropy and development. APRIL 2016 | LUXURYLV.COM 53 FEATURE | POWER INFLUENCER STRATEGIC THINKING PROCESS Donald Snyder’s success is a result of taking tough jobs, solving problems and building consensus BY MATT KELEMEN Donald Snyder left his position as acting president In a city where mavericks traditionally played with of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas at the end of their cards close to their chests, Snyder made it a 2015 to make way for incoming president, Len Jessup, point always to lay his on the table face up. Although but he continues to serve as presidential adviser for he arrived in Vegas with his family via Reno, Nev., as strategic initiatives. president of First Interstate Bank—which later was consolidated into Wells Fargo—his experience coming The co-founder of Bank of Nevada and prime mover into an unfamiliar situation and building consensus to behind the development of The Smith Center for the tackle tough problems worked to his benefit in the still- Performing Arts has been active with the university young city. since shortly after arriving in Las Vegas in 1987, but that initial involvement only would be the beginning of what “A lot of what I’ve done over the years I categorize would become a wide spectrum of community service more as community building,” he says, crediting his and philanthropic endeavors. wife Dee’s involvement with the Discovery Children’s Museum as the Snyders’ first foray into Vegas “I got involved from a business point of view,” said volunteerism and philanthropy. “This is building the Snyder. “The first job I had, being the CEO of the type of community that we need that we didn’t have largest bank in the state, was recruiting talent to move a chance to do when we were growing so rapidly. The here from other places. analogy I often use is its hard to change tires on a car going 60 miles an hour, and this economy was very “I could get the executive excited about the professional much like that. The need and the opportunity to get challenge, but then the executive would go home and involved with the community and effect some change talk with his family, who would say very much what my was possible and rewarding.” family said to me, ‘You want us to move where?’” Snyder formed relationships with other Vegas influencers, Snyder went from initially seeing the things Las Vegas such as Steve Wynn and Irwin Molasky, but his most needed in order to become a major city that would enduring friendship would prove to be with William attract professional talent, to becoming fully immersed Boyd of Boyd Gaming. Impressed by what he witnessed in helping materialize them. Along the way, he became as a client of First Interstate Bank—Snyder’s advocacy one of the most influential and trustworthy figures in was a key factor in moving the bank’s headquarters from the upper echelons of Las Vegas’ post-’80s business Reno to Vegas—Boyd asked Snyder to form BankWest and nonprofit circles, serving on 15 corporate boards. of Nevada with him, starting with assets of $8 million. 54 LUXURYLV.COM | APRIL 2016 UNLV Vice President for Government Affairs, Diversity Initiatives and Compliance Luis UNLV Interim President Don Snyder addresses the Valera, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, UNLV Interim President Don Snyder during campus Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents, visit, Sept. 22, 2014. (R. Marsh Starks / UNLV Photo Services) Nov. 18, 2014 (Aaron Mayes/UNLV Photo Services) BankWest later became Bank of Nevada, and its parent “But I think that flexibility in terms of approaching holding company, Western Alliance Bancorporation, is situations not only gave me a diverse career as a banker, now worth more than $13 billion. but also the ability to take a banking background and apply it successfully to other things like the gaming Boyd then encouraged Snyder to get involved with industry and academia.” what would become the Fremont Street Experience. Downtown’s casinos, including Boyd Gaming’s Boyd later asked Snyder to serve as president of Boyd California and Fremont hotel-casinos, and Main Street Gaming Corp., an office he retired from in 2005. But Station, had lost clientele and revenue to new resorts his involvement in FSE led to him being asked to on the Strip, and Boyd had confidence in Snyder’s attend a 1994 meeting regarding the city’s need for a approach to problem-solving. Snyder agreed under performing arts center. two conditions: the parties involved had to agree to go through a business-planning process and the “People like Steve and Elaine Wynn and (then The principals—industry icons such as Boyd, Jack Binion, Howard Hughes Corp. president and CEO) John Jackie Gaughan and Jeanne Hood—had to be at Goolsby hosted what I call the first community action the table because tough decisions were going to have meeting,” said Snyder. “Steve Wynn stood up at the to be made. meeting and said, ‘We’re the largest community in North America that doesn’t have a world-class Key elements of Snyder’s strategic thinking process performing arts center, and we need to change that.’” include assessment, clarity and consensus, creating a vision—“What do you want to be when you grow At the time, Snyder was working on FSE with Wynn and up?”—and defining success. his colleagues, and Goolsby sat on the board at First Interstate Bank. “I think being a banker and having the opportunity to be thrust into some difficult situations that I had no “Being at that meeting and hearing that message, knowledge of forced me to develop a learning style and being around the people who were committed to and then a leadership style that could be applied to the cultural side of that made my commitment, from a different situations,” said Snyder, adding that making it business point of view, just kind of fit in,” said Snyder. a point to take on the toughest challenges early on in “It was relatively easy to then say, ‘This is something his career made him a go-to person. that will make a difference.’” APRIL 2016 | LUXURYLV.COM 55 FEATURE | POWER INFLUENCER UNLV Interim President Don Snyder gives the annual State of the University Address, Sept. 18, 2014. (R. Marsh Starks / UNLV Photo Services) Snyder, who now serves as The Smith Center’s But it’s Snyder’s service as a board member of chairman of the board, oversaw the 18-year process, Nathan Adelson Hospice that Molasky is personally and when it was time to add a full-time professional grateful for. to the team of volunteers, he brought in current CEO and President Myron Martin. “Don came on the board at a very challenging time for the hospice,” said the chairman of the Molasky “Don Snyder is the single most gifted leader I have Group and Hospice co-founder. “He took charge ever known,” said Martin, who described Snyder’s and turned it around financially so that thousands leadership skills as unmatched and considers him of patients will be able to have dignified end of life, “the best mentor I’ve ever had… There would be no regardless of their ability to pay. I am forever grateful, Smith Center without Don Snyder. His tireless efforts and I am proud to call Don Snyder my friend.” made this extraordinary gift to the community possible. When the history books are written about Snyder served as chairman of the board at the this period in Nevada history, Don Snyder will hospice for several years, and considers both deserve his own chapter, if not his own book.” Molasky and Boyd as mentors. He is committed to “developing the next generation of leaders and Martin said countless nonprofit organizations owe community builders” as well, which next-generation Snyder a great debt of thanks, a sentiment with business leader John Tippins appreciates. which Molasky agrees. “Don has inspired me on many levels,” said the “He has always been a leader in business, creating founder and CEO of boutique real estate company opportunities and jobs in the gaming industry,” Northcap. “He inspires me, as well as others, said Molasky. “His commitment to UNLV set a tone in being a finisher—and a really good one. The for excellence, and he paved the way for it to have community is a better place because of Don Snyder. super-computing power—something which will Who wouldn’t aspire to do a quarter of what he has benefit the university and legions of students.” done for the community?” 56 LUXURYLV.COM | APRIL 2016 NANCY HOUSSELS KEEPS LAS VEGAS ON ITS TOES The distinguished, spirited 81-year-old visionary continues her quest to ensure all in the community have access to the art of dance...and more BY BOBBIE KATZ For the past 44 years, Nevada Ballet Theatre co-founder Nancy Houssels has been at the forefront of the Las Vegas community as one of its most ardent cultural ambassadors. Known as a trailblazer and a visionary, her accomplishments are attributable to the fact that, by nature, she likes to lead when we dance. A former dancer herself who performed worldwide in theater and on television as part of the famed dance team of Szony and Claire, including in the Casino de Paris show at the Dunes Hotel and as the closing act in Les Folies Bergere at the Tropicana.

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