Jeffrey S. Downs, Ph.D.

Vice Chair

Regent Jeffrey S. Downs was elected in November 2022 to serve on the Board of Regents as the representative for District 11.

He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board.

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 for 2.5 years from 2019 to 2021.

Regent Downs is very active in Scouts BSA, 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 and sharing scouting skills with youth. 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.

Regent Downs is a proud parent of three children and grandparent of one.