Welcome to the first of many updates on your Nevada System of Higher Education. Our state's public colleges, universities, and research institute are a critical component of our economy, culture, and well-being. In the weeks ahead, I will share news on our progress and challenges as we work to meet the needs of a 21st century Nevada.

For starters, I'm excited to welcome the newest member to our team, Frank Woodbeck. Frank is NSHE's executive director of the Nevada College Collaborative and has the daunting task of starting and leading a new System-led initiative that focuses on helping our state's community colleges work together and share services to build more sustainable budgets. In this capacity, he will also assist in strengthening NSHE's efforts toward better alignment with the state's workforce and economic development plan. 

The Nevada College Collaborative is a critical new effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness among our community colleges. Areas to be explored include centralizing business functions, as well as sharing talent and purchasing power. 

Frank joins the NSHE team with nothing but a weekend of rest from his previous position as director of the Nevada Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation (DETR). There, he served with me as a member of the Governor's Cabinet. Before joining DETR, he was director of Las Vegas operations and workforce initiatives for the Nevada Commission on Economic Development. He spent several years as an executive in the broadcast industry with ABC Radio and The Washington Post Company. 

His rich leadership experience and solid reputation throughout the state is indeed an asset for our community colleges and will help us focus even more on their critical role in Nevada.

If you have any questions or suggestions for future topics, please click this link to send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you.