Institutional Advisory Council

BJ North, Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer, Plumas Bank
BJ North is the Executive Vice President, Chief Banking Officer of Plumas Bank. She joined Plumas Bank in 2008 to oversee the Bank’s retail network, commercial loan group, and marketing. Prior to her position at Plumas Bank, Ms. North was the Chief Advancement Officer for Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) and was an adjunct professor teaching human relationships and leadership development, personnel management and supervision. North received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education and her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Nevada, Reno. North is involved in various international, national and local Reno-based organizations.

Sesh Commuri, Professor of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, UNR
Dr. Commuri is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering at UNR. He holds a bachelor’s degree from JNT University in Hyderabad, India, a master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas, Arlington all in Electrical Engineering. Dr. Commuri has over 30 years of experience in Embedded Controls, Automotive Control and Control of Off-Road Equipment. Prior to joining the University of Nevada in January 2016, he held the position of Gerald Tuma Presidential Professor at the University of Oklahoma in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He was selected by Engineering News Record as one of the 2015 TOP 25 Newsmakers of the Year and the intelligent compaction technology developed by him was also awarded the 2015 Innovation of the Year. His research areas include reconfigurable systems, sensor networks, robotics and their applications in the development of intelligent systems.

Joe Nannini, Director of Dual Credit Initiatives, UNR
Joe Nannini is the Director of Dual Credit Initiatives at the University of Nevada, Reno where he oversees both High School Dual Enrollment and the Collegiate Academy Concurrent Enrollment Programs. Joe has proudly been with his alma mater, the University of Nevada, Reno since 2016, serving in roles including Director of Clinical Experiences and Assessment at the College of Education and Human Development where he led all clinical practicum courses, student teaching, and Rural Education Initiatives for teacher education students. Prior to joining the faculty at Nevada, Joe was a teacher and administrator in local middle and high schools.

Steve Reid, President, Bender Group
Steve Reid, President of Bender Group, is a native northern Nevadan and graduate of the University of Nevada, with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Logistics. Steve has spent his entire career in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry. Twenty-six of those years have been with the original northern Nevada 3PL, Bender Group, a locally and family-owned company, providing international, domestic, and omni-channel logistics services since 1945 for a broad spectrum of companies, from Fortune 500 to entrepreneurial start-ups.

Robert Chisel, President, Mejsel Group
Robert Chisel is the founder of the Mejsel Group, LLC, forming the company in March, 2021. After Robert became a Certified Public Accountant, he entered government service as an accountant with the Nevada State Industrial Insurance System. Robert then accepted a position with the Nevada Department of Transportation, as their Chief Accountant. In 2002, he was promoted to the position of Assistant Director of Administration. In 2011, Robert accepted the position of Finance Director for the City of Reno. As Director of Finance and Administration, he managed the Departments of Emergency Communications, Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology. In 2017, Robert accepted a position with the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority. He then retired from the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority as the Vice-President of Finance and Operations in March 2021. Robert Chisel graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a BS in Business Administration, as an accounting major.

Eric Brown, Washoe County Manager
Eric Brown became the Washoe County Manager in November of 2019, and leads Nevada’s second largest county with more than 2,700 employees. Brown brings over 20 years of a robust executive leadership and management background in a variety of organizational settings, including multiple Fortune 500 companies. He has extensive experience in consumer brand management with a variety of consumer product companies, including The Procter & Gamble Company, H.J. Heinz, and Bumble Bee Seafoods. Brown received his Master of Business Administration in Marketing and General Management from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of California in Los Angeles.

Milton Stewart, CEO, Nevadaworks
Milton Stewart serves as CEO for Nevadaworks, Northern Nevada’s Local Workforce Development Board. Milton has been with Nevadaworks for over seven years and has an extensive understanding of the workforce development needs in the Nevadaworks thirteen county region. Milton was born and raised in the rural Central New York area. He was the first in his family to graduate from college, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the State University of New York at Oswego. Milton has always had a love for learning and continuously pursued additional education, earning a Certificate of Advanced Study at Syracuse University and a Master of Science degree in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University.

Edward Estipona, President and CEO, Estipona Group Advertising and Public Relations
Edward Estipona is the President, CEO and founder of Estipona Group, a full-service creative marketing agency based in Reno, Nevada. For 30 years, his agency has served clients throughout Nevada and the west, earning a variety of marketing awards, including 2022 Advertising Agency of the Year (Under $10M) for the Western Region by the American Advertising Federation. In recent years, the agency has developed expertise in ADA design principles for marketing and DEI initiatives, advocating to make communications more inclusive and accessible with their roster of clients.

Marissa Brown, Workforce and Clinical Services Director, Nevada Hospital Association
Marissa Brown is the Director of Workforce and Clinical Services at the Nevada Hospital Association (NHA). She has been with the NHA since 2009. Previously, she worked as a nurse in various capacities, including Labor and Delivery, Perinatal Home Care, Home Infusion, Marketing and Director of Case Management.

Joseph Greco, Director of Strategic Origination, Calpine
Joseph Greco joined the Calpine team in September 2021. In his role he provides market intelligence while implementing and closing structural transactions relating to the purchase, development, and sale of strategic projects in geothermal generation, carbon capture sequestration, battery storage and other clean energy initiatives. Prior to joining Calpine, Mr. Greco served as Senior Vice President for Middle River Power and was responsible for Asset Management and Government Relations for a 2K+ MW West Coast Portfolio of natural gas and renewable generating facilities, identifying and catalyzing dynamic opportunities to grow resources, assets, and organizational outreach. Mr. Greco is a 1987 graduate of Manhattan College, with a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

Craig Madole, CEO, Nevada Chapter Associated General Contractors
Craig Madole has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Nevada Chapter of the Associated General Contractors since 2015. AGC is the nation’s largest commercial construction association, with more than 27,000 member firms nationwide, including more than 300 in the Nevada Chapter. In that capacity, he leads efforts to protect and promote the construction industry in state and local agencies and in the Nevada Legislature. Craig is a 25-year veteran of the Air Force and Air National Guard. He is a Nevada native and lives in Reno with his wife Jenifer and daughter Megan.

Nancy McCormick, EDAWN
Nancy McCormick joined EDAWN as the Vice President of Retention, Expansion and Workforce Development in April of 2012. Nancy currently leads the EDAWN Regional Development Authority’s efforts to support newly located companies to the region, retain and grow 600+ existing primary companies, and oversee a robust regional workforce plan in conjunction with partners. Nancy is a member of the regional Workforce Development Board NevadaWorks, and has participated on the boards of multiple non-profits including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada and Western Industrial Nevada (WIN). Nancy graduated Magna Cum Laude from Chapman University with a B.A. in Communications, is a Master Graduate of Rapport Leadership International, and has an extensive background in numerous leadership and sales management programs.

Seng-Dao Yang Keo, Washoe County School District
Dr. Seng-Dao Yang Keo is the deputy superintendent of the Washoe County School District in Nevada. Prior to becoming deputy superintendent, Yang Keo was the chief strategy officer at the Nevada Department of Education. Throughout her career, Yang Keo has advanced evidence-based interventions, rigorous evaluations of programs and services, and strategies for continuous improvement. Prior to her work in education, she was an investment banking analyst in mergers and acquisitions. A child of refugees, Yang Keo’s experiences as a Hmong American and first-generation middle school graduate influenced her commitment to educational equity and ensuring all students have access to high-quality schools and the life opportunities they afford. She earned her doctorate in education leadership and a master’s in education policy and management from Harvard Graduate School of Education, an M.S.T. in education from Pace Graduate School, and a bachelor’s in economics from Harvard College.

Mindy Lokshin, Foundation
Dr. Lokshin is a former family physician with over 30 years of experience in medicine and education advocacy. She received her BA from Johns Hopkins University, her MD from the University of Arizona and her MSPH from the University of Missouri. She left her private practice in family medicine to raise her two sons and has since been very active in the Reno community, serving on the boards of the Reno Philharmonic, the Gifted and Talented Advisory Council to WCSD, and the Education Alliance. She was a founding member for the GT Parent Connection, Alliance for Philharmonic Youth and Parent Leaders for Education. Dr. Lokshin is now also serving as the founding chair of the Parkinson Support Center of Northern Nevada.