Patricia Cafferata, Chair
Patricia (Patty) Cafferata has had a diverse
career in politics, law and as an author. She is an attorney
and former Nevada State Treasurer (1983-1987), State
Assemblywoman (1981-1983) and district attorney of Lincoln,
Lander and Esmeralda counties in Nevada.
Cafferata was the
first woman elected to constitutional office in Nevada when she
was elected state treasurer in 1982. When she was appointed
district attorney of Esmeralda County to fill a vacancy, she
became the only woman and one of only three people to serve as
district attorney of three Nevada counties.
Cafferata has
authored six books on Nevada history. Cafferata writes a
bi-monthly column for the Reno Gazette-Journal on local history.
She also wrote articles on recall elections and minority office
holders for the Nevada Secretary of State’s Political History of
Nevada: 2006.
She is currently a Hearing Officer for the Nevada Department of
Personnel and has a private law practice in Reno, NV.
Lee Plotkin
Lee Plotkin has been a resident of Nevada since 1968 and a strong
advocate for equality for more than 20 years. In 1994, the Las
Vegas Review Journal named Lee 'Best Minority Spokesman' for his
work on behalf of the gay and lesbian community. Lee served as
President of Golden Rainbow for five years, raising community
awareness and financial assistance to men, women and children
affected by HIV/AIDS in Southern Nevada.
In 2000, Lee became Executive Director of the National
Conference for Community and Justice, formerly the National
Conference of Christians and Jews. The National Conference for
Community and Justice, founded in 1927 as The National
Conference for Christians and Jews, is a human relations
organization dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry, and racism in
America. NCCJ promotes understanding and respect among all
races, religions, and cultures through advocacy, conflict
resolution, and education. Lee served until the national
organization dissolved.
Lee has been a Las Vegas real estate agent since 1989 and has
served on the Spring Valley Town Advisory Board since 2003. Lee
was appointed to the Nevada Equal Rights Commission in 2002 by
Governor Kenny Guinn.
Tiffany Young
Tiffany Young was born in
Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in South Central Los Angeles. After
moving to Las Vegas and graduating from Basic High School in Henderson,
she moved to Reno to attend the University of Nevada Reno in 1990. Mrs.
Young has obtained both an AA and AS degree from Truckee Meadows
Community College, as well as a BA in General Studies, with a minor in
Criminal Justice from the University of Nevada Reno.
Mrs. Young is currently employed as a Health Program Specialist I for
the Bureau of Family Health Services (BFHS) Children with Special Health Care
Needs. She is responsible for conducting community outreach for
person’s age 0-22 years that have special health care needs, as well as
building collaborations and partnerships in the community. Prior to
working for the BFHS, Tiffany served as the Weed and Seed Director
for five years where she was responsible for providing community and
economic development to improve the quality of life for Northeast Reno
residents. The majority of Mrs. Young's work experience is in the areas
of finance and human services. She has seven years of finance experience,
eight
years of program planning and management, as well as five years of grant
writing and management experience.
Mrs. Young is a certified Housing Specialist for Section 8 Housing
Quality Standards. She is a Board Member for Join Together
Northern Nevada, and has served on the Impartial Policing Advisory
Council and the Human Services Network. Tiffany has also served as
the Youth Center Director for the Gang Alternative Partnership, Director
of the Child Assault Prevention Program and Family Resource Center and
as a
Mentor and Youth Coordinator.
Swadeep Nigam
Twenty-five
year Las Vegas resident Swadeep Nigam has worked for the Las
Vegas Water District for 20 years. Prior to the Water District,
Swadeep was a Financial Manager, Western Region, for a
national home healthcare company. Swadeep is also a
CFO/Managing Member of his family-owned investment company. He
has over 30 years of diverse experience in Accounting, Finance,
Economics and Investment Management. Apart from his regular
volunteer involvement with numerous organizations, Swadeep's
philanthropic efforts include his generous donation to the
Nevada Policy Research Institute for establishing a
scholarship program
for graduating high school students in
Clark County.
Swadeep
holds an MBA in Finance and an MS in Applied Economics from
Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio. Prior to his education
in Dayton, Swadeep graduated from the prestigious Delhi School
of Economics, University of Delhi.
Swadeep's
past and current community services includes his work as a
Treasurer and Board Member for the NAACP-Las Vegas branch,
Advisory Board Member of the Advanced Technologies Academy (ATech),
Treasurer for the Clark County Republican Party, and Assistant
Treasurer for the Nevada State Republican Party.
