Lieberman chairs board, Eight of Nevada's top business leaders approved by Regents

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 30, 2012

(RENO, LAS VEGAS) - Lawrie Lieberman has been named the 2013 chairman of the Desert Research Institute Research Foundation (dba DRI Foundation), Stephen Wells, DRI President, announced on Friday afternoon. In addition, eight new trustees have joined the board including a myriad of Nevada's successful business owners, executives and community leaders.

"The DRI Foundation plays a critical role in providing funding in support of the institute's mission," Wells said. "I'm very proud of the caliber of people who make up our board. We receive much, much more than financial support from this wonderful group that always comprises many of Nevada's leading citizens

Lieberman, an Incline Village resident, has over 25 years of experience in technology companies, including Apple Computer and Kaleida Labs.  He served as Senior Group Vice President for Business Objects, a global provider of enterprise software solutions employing 5,000 people worldwide and selling to over 2,500 corporate customers in 60 countries. Prior to his tenure in the technology industry, he was dean of admissions at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  He retired and relocated to Incline Village in 2000 and has served on the DRI Foundation since 2009.

The Foundation's new trustees include:

• Soraya Aguirre, a Partner in the law firm of Holland and Hart.
• Mark Bruce, the principal attorney in the Bruce Law Group, based in Reno.
• Keith Burrowes, who founded Sierra Integrated Systems (SIS) in 2001 following a successful career in the Engineering Construction Industry.
• Paul Kaleta, the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Shared Services and Corporate Secretary for NV Energy. 
• Gary Kvistad, a Shareholder in the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and a member of their Water, Infrastructure Development and Natural Resources groups; based in the firm's Santa Barbara, Calif. office.
• Holger Liepmann, who has served as an Executive Vice President of Nutritional Products at Abbott Laboratories since 2008 and also served as its Executive Vice President, Global Nutrition from 2006 to 2008.
• Donald Soderberg, the Vice President of Risk Management for Southwest Gas, in Las Vegas.
• Robb Smith, co-founder of Chrysallis.

Foundation officers for 2013 are: Lawrie Lieberman, Chair, Investor, Independent Computer Software Professional (Incline Village); Marybel Batjer, Co Vice-Chair, Public Policy & Communications, Caesars Entertainment (Las Vegas); Stephanie Tyler, Co Vice-Chair and Treasurer, President, AT&T Nevada (Reno); Leonard Lafrance, Secretary, EPI (Incline Village); Dan Barnett, Past Chair, COO, Vistage International (Incline Village).

Other members of the Foundation Board for 2013 can be found listed online at www.dri.edu/foundation.

Foundation Trustees are primarily responsible for governance of the DRI Foundation, which includes functions such as auditing, trusteeship, revenue generation, and stewardship of the Foundation's assets and resources. Trustees are approved by the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents. The term is for four years, renewable for a second consecutive term.