Lyle Rivera, vice president for development and university relations at UNLV since 1984, will head the university's planning and development efforts for a proposed law school and will coordinate fund raising for the UNLV International Gaming Institute, President Carol C. Harter announced Thursday (Aug. 17).
Rivera's new title will be vice president and assistant to the president for special projects when he assumes his new duties on Sept. 1, Harter said. An attorney and long-time UNLV development officer, he was responsible for creating the UNLV Foundation, the university's prime fund-raising entity, in 1981.
"This is a great opportunity for the university to make use of Lyle's skills and experience in the areas of law, gaming, and development," Harter said. "He has already been instrumental, as former executive director of the UNLV Foundation, in attracting financial support for the International Gaming Institute. I am confident his abilities will benefit the institute, which is a unique resource for the gaming industry in Nevada and, indeed, the nation and the world.
"Regarding the proposed law school at UNLV, I have recently discussed with Chancellor Richard Jarvis the need for careful planning and study. The 1995 Legislature appropriated $500,000 to support the planning process. The Chancellor and I agree that what the university needs at this time is a high-level officer with both fund-raising and legal experience to guide the process. The obvious choice is Lyle, who will work closely with me and Chancellor Jarvis on this important project."
Maddy Graves, chair of the University and Community College System of Nevada Board of Regents, said, "A better person could not have been chosen for this job. It was through Lyle's efforts and dedication some 15 years ago that the UNLV Foundation was formed, and it has become one of the most successful foundations in the country. It was also through his guidance that both the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl and the Thomas and Mack Center have operated in the black."
Rivera has been involved in higher education since 1979, when he became chief development officer for UNLV and assistant general counsel for the university system. Before his appointment as vice president for development and university relations, he served as interim executive vice president.
He is the former founding president of the International Association of Gaming Attorneys and is a member of the Nevada State Bar, the American Bar Association, and that organization"s committee on gaming.
From 1987 until earlier this year, Rivera served as executive director of the UNLV Foundation and led its successful effort to raise millions of dollars in support of university programs during that period.
Las Vegas businesswoman and university benefactor Claudine Williams, a long-time member and former chair of the UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees, called Rivera "a great motivating force in the organization and operation the UNLV Foundation."
"Lyle was instrumental in getting the Foundation started," Williams said. "He has certainly proven himself extremely capable."
For the immediate future, President Harter will work directly with the foundation and alumni boards of trustees through their executive directors.
Rivera served as the state's chief deputy attorney general for the Southern Nevada area from 1971 to 1979. He was a member of the legal staff of the Clark County district attorney's office from 1969 to 1971.
