NSHE Board of Regents Re-Elects McAdoo as Chair and Elects Carvalho as Vice Chair

The Nevada Board of Regents on Thursday re-elected Cathy McAdoo as chair and elected Amy J. Carvalho as vice chair of the 13-member board that oversees the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE).

“Serving in this leadership capacity continues to be a great honor,” said McAdoo, who represents District 8, which includes Clark, Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Lincoln, Nye, and White Pine counties. “I look forward to continuing my work with the Board and NSHE leadership as we strive to continuously improve student access and success.”

Carvalho, who represents District 12 in Clark County, said she is grateful for the opportunity to take on this new leadership role as the Board pursues its student-centered agenda.

“I am delighted to work with our Board and to help ensure that Nevada’s strategic priorities keep pace with the state’s rapidly changing education landscape,” she said.

About Chair Cathy McAdoo

Regent Cathy McAdoo was elected in 2016 to serve on the Board of Regents as the representative for District 8. She is serving her second term as Board chair. She is the vice chair of the Academic, Research and Student Affairs Committee and the Audit, Compliance and Title IX Committee.

Governor Brian Sandoval appointed Regent McAdoo to serve as the Nevada System of Higher Education’s representative on the State Board of Education in January 2018. In January 2020, she was reappointed to the position by Gov. Steve Sisolak.

McAdoo was born in Oklahoma and raised in Kansas, eventually moving to Nevada with her late husband Kent, who had accepted a graduate research study with the University of Nevada, Reno. While living in the outback of rural Nevada for 13 months, trailing a band of sheep for her husband’s research project, the couple found rural Nevada irresistible and has called it home ever since.

McAdoo served as the founding executive director of PACE Coalition. This nonprofit organization educates students in Elko, Eureka, and White Pine counties about healthy living choices. This position afforded her 14 years of board experience at PACE and the opportunity to serve on other boards.

McAdoo’s interest in serving Nevada as a regent stems from her passion for life-long learning. Through her career pathway, volunteer activities, love for people, and commitment to healthy communities, education remains at the core of what she does and who she is.

About Vice Chair Amy J. Carvalho

Regent Amy J. Carvalho was elected to serve District 12 on the Board of Regents in November 2018.

She currently serves as chair of the Business, Finance and Facilities Committee and the ad hoc Strategic Planning Committee. She previously served as vice chair pro tempore of the Board (Nov. 2021-Feb. 2022).

Regent Carvalho is a long-time small business owner in southern Nevada.

Regent Carvalho is actively involved in community service. She was appointed to the Boulder City Library District Board of Trustees, from May 2006 through May 2014 and served several years as chairperson. She was also appointed to serve two terms on the Nevada Department of Education’s Council to Establish Academic Standards, from May 2009 through May 2015 and served as chairperson during her term. Regent Carvalho is also a past president of the Boulder City Sunrise Rotary Club.

Regent Carvalho is a graduate of Rancho High School and graduated from the College of Southern Nevada in 1993 and began attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. After taking a break from school to start a family, she returned to UNLV and earned a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology in 2001. Regent Carvalho earned her Master of Business Administration from WGU in 2009.