First woman named chair of Nevada Gaming Control Board

Gov. Brian Sandoval has appointed Republican state Sen. Becky Harris as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

She’s the first woman to hold that chairmanship.

Sandoval said Harris has served two terms as a senator from Southern Nevada and worked on legislation to codify the e-gaming decision by the Gaming Policy Committee and has helped spur innovation in gaming.

“I am grateful for the trust and confidence Gov. Sandoval has placed in me,” said Harris.

To take the position, she will have to resign her seat in the Senate.

Harris’s appointment was praised by Republican Senate Leader Michael Roberson, who described her as “one of the brightest minds in the state of Nevada.”

Harris earned a law degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU and a master’s degree from UNLV.

She currently serves as treasurer of the National Council of Legislators From Gaming States.