DRI Research Foundation names new chair, officers and fellows

Reno, Nev. (Feb. 26, 2019) – The Board of Trustees of the Desert Research Institute (DRI) Research Foundation are pleased to announce the unanimous approval of Ms. Tina Quigley as the organization’s new chair, effective February 8, 2019.

As general manager of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, Tina Quigley brings more than 25 years of civic leadership and experience in air and ground transportation management to the DRI Foundation. She is on the leading edge of improving how residents, workers and visitors travel the Las Vegas valley.

The DRI Foundation’s past chair, Mr. Roger Wittenberg, has taken on a new role as DRI’s Special Assistant for Business Strategy. He will work alongside Brian Speicher, DRI’s Business Development Lead and Executive Director of the Desert Research Corporation (DRC), to cultivate DRI’s portfolio of emerging intellectual property and expand the opportunities for DRI scientists to create solutions to economically impactful challenges across the state of  Nevada and beyond.

“I am excited for Roger’s new role with the DRC, and I am honored to welcome Tina as the first woman to serve as chair of the DRI Research Foundation,” said Kristen Averyt, Ph.D., President of DRI. “I am confident in her ability to lead the DRI Foundation in its renewed effort to create new opportunities for donors to financially support DRI faculty and students.”

The Board of Trustees of the DRI Foundation also welcomed the following individuals as the elected officers of the Foundation for a one-year term.

  • Thomas Gallagher, Vice-Chair
  • Leonard LaFrance, Treasurer
  • Holger Liepmann, Secretary

Additionally, the DRI Foundation proudly welcomed three new Fellows in 2019.

  • Joseph Guild
  • Robin Holeman
  • Robert Holeman

The DRI Foundation was formed in 1982 as a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 to financially support the mission and vision of DRI. The DRI Foundation’s mission is to maximize DRI’s global environmental impact by securing necessary funding, promoting DRI to multiple constituencies and expanding DRI’s reach. For more information about the DRI Foundation or DRI please visit www.dri.edu.

You May Also Like…

Accounting for Soil Saturation Enhances Atmospheric River Flood Warnings

Accounting for Soil Saturation Enhances Atmospheric River Flood Warnings

Atmospheric rivers carry unfathomable amounts of water across the sky, bringing moisture to drought-stricken regions like the Western U.S. But whether a particular incoming atmospheric river storm will result in disastrous flooding has long been difficult for researchers to determine with confidence. Now, a new DRI-led study demonstrates that accounting for soil saturation levels can substantially improve our early warning of potentially destructive flooding events. The research, published February 12th in Nature Communications, was led by DRI hydrologist Mariana Webb. She and her team examined more than 71,000 atmospheric river storms in the Western U.S. and central Chile to improve flood hazard early warning.

DRI Awarded Grant to Advance AI and Computer Science Education for K-12 Preservice and Inservice Educators

DRI Awarded Grant to Advance AI and Computer Science Education for K-12 Preservice and Inservice Educators

The $2.7 million Department of Education award is a Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education grant. The four-year project will address the need to advance artificial intelligence (AI) and computer science classroom education in grades K-12. To accomplish this, training and resources will be provided to undergraduate preservice educators and those already in the classroom, with a focus on Nevada’s rural communities.

Share This