Exciting Times for Liberty, Nevada and NPRI

Sharon Rossie

Every week, NPRI President Sharon Rossie writes a column for NPRI's week-in-review email. If you are not getting our emails, which contain our latest commentaries and news stories, you can sign up here to receive them.


The end of the year is quickly approaching, and it’s a time of change – both in the state of Nevada, and at NPRI specifically. In the last year the liberty movement has seen its share of disappointments, but we’ve also seen some tremendous gains.

NPRI’s Karen Grey will be discussing the biggest of these gains when she joins a panel of education reform advocates for the Nevada Innovative Education Coalition on November 17, in Las Vegas. Hosted at the National Atomic Testing Museum from 6pm to 8pm, the panel will be discussing the vast opportunities Nevada’s Education Savings Accounts will bring to students in the Silver State.

I hope you’ll be able to join her.

Implementing the country’s most comprehensive school choice program does bring challenges, but the strong level of support we’ve seen from taxpayers, parents and elected officials like Treasurer Dan Schwartz has been terrific.

We’ve had our share of news internally at NPRI as well. We were sorry to say farewell to Development Officer Kyle Hanlin when he accepted an opportunity with Young Americans for Liberty. Chantel Lovell, our former communications director, also moved on from NPRI, taking up a position with the Mackinac Center in Michigan. Of course, all of us at NPRI are excited to see how Chantel and Kyle continue to advance freedom in their new endeavors, and we wish them the best. Their skills and their talents will be missed, but we’re also very pleased to welcome two new members to the team.

Megan Heryet joined NPRI in October as our new development officer. As a third generation Nevadan with a strong sense of independence, Megan’s ambition promises to be a great asset for NPRI’s mission. Michael Schaus came aboard in November as our new communications director. A former national columnist and talk radio host, Michael’s unique ability to advocate for free market reforms will be essential. I look forward to working with Michael and Megan as we head into 2016 and I know you’ll enjoy hearing from them as well.

The legislative session of 2015 proved to be a mixed year for free market principles. Our excitement over passing the country’s most universal school choice program was somewhat subdued by Nevada lawmakers agreeing to the largest tax hike in the state’s history. Our 2015 Legislative Session Review and Report Card has plenty of information on all of the good, the bad and the ugly from the last legislative session, and is now available for your review.

I’m looking forward to discussing all this, and more, with you at our upcoming open houses. Our open house in Reno on November 19 will be a lot of fun, with KKOH host Dan Mason broadcasting his show from the event. We have a new office in Reno, so please be sure to check the address here. And if you’d like to visit our open house in Las Vegas, mark down December 16 on your calendar. With the mixed results from the last legislative session, there will be plenty to talk about as we wrap up the year.

As I said, it is an exciting time for the liberty movement, for Nevada, and for NPRI. I’m looking forward to what comes next and am grateful for your support which makes it possible.

Warm regards,

Sharon J. Rossie
NPRI President


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