Jeffrey S. Downs, Ph.D.
Humboldt, Pershing, and Washoe Counties
About
Regent Jeffrey S. Downs was elected in November 2022 to serve on the Board of Regents as the representative for District 11.
He served as Vice Chair of the Board from January 2024 through June 2025.
Regent Downs and his wife moved to Nevada in 2000. In that time, they have raised three wonderful children in Northern Nevada. Regent Downs has been an employee of NSHE since 2001, beginning at UNR as a Visiting Lecturer in Mathematics and becoming a tenured Community College Professor at WNC in 2008. Since then, Regent Downs has served as the Faculty Senate Chair twice, representing the interests of the faculty to the Board of Regents. Regent Downs has also served as an interim Vice President of Student Success and Support Services for 2.5 years from 2019 to 2021.
Regent Downs was a very active leader in Scouts BSA in Northern Nevada, having served as a Den Leader, Cubmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, and Scoutmaster. In 2015, Regent Downs won Scoutmaster of the Year for Sierra District. Like his son and daughter, Regent Downs earned his Eagle Scout when he was a young teenager. He still enjoys camping in good and bad weather. Regent Downs has also served his community by being a member of the Old Northwest Neighborhood Advisory Board and being a Lead Ambassador for Rancho San Rafael.
Regent Downs earned a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from CSU San Bernardino in 1994, a master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from CSU Fullerton in 1998, and a Ph.D. in Education with a focus in Instructional Design and Technology from Liberty University in 2024.
The topic for Regent Downs’ dissertation was Student Success through the First Year Experience program. He was inspired to explore student success from his time both as a faculty member and a vice president at WNC. His passion is to promote policies that increase student success throughout NSHE.
Regent Downs is a proud father of three children and grandfather of two. You can often find Regent Downs out hiking in the hills and mountains around Reno with his two huskies.