Three named to economic forum

Appeal Capitol Bureau

Gov. Jim Gibbons Monday appointed John Restrepo, Linda Rosenthal and Cathy Santoro to the Nevada Economic Forum, the commission responsible for forecasting state general fund revenues for each budget cycle.

The Economic Forum consists of five appointed members who cannot be employees of state government. Three members are appointed by the governor, one by the Senate Majority Leader and one by the Speaker of the Assembly. They serve two year terms.

John Restrepo is a resident of Las Vegas and the Principal for Restrepo Consulting Group LLC. He is the 2008 President of the National Association of Industrial and Office Professionals and holds a Master of Arts in Economics and Latin American Studies from the University of Louisiana, Baton Rouge.

Linda Rosenthal of Reno is Director of Treasury Operations for International Game Technology. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Treasury Professional.

Cathy Santoro of Las Vegas is Senior Vice President and Treasurer at the MGM MIRAGE. She is responsible for managing the company's overall treasury operations and is involved in all capital market processes and related financing activities and transactions.

Prior to joining MGM MIRAGE, Santoro was a Vice President for Wells Fargo Bank in the Gaming Division. She holds both a Master of Arts in Economics and Master of Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The three replace outgoing members Paul Cary Fisher, Bill Martin and Deborah Pierce whose terms expired on Jan. 31.

The other two members are Leo Seevers, the Senate appointee, and Michael Small, the Assembly appointee.

The forum was created by the governor and 1993 Legislature to provide the state with unbiased projections of state general fund revenues by a group of economic and financial experts. State law requires the state's budget be built within the total amount of revenue projected in those forecasts.

• Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.