Our Team and Board

As the fourth generation of his family to call Nevada home, Joe Kennedy’s (He/Him/His) journey has truly come full circle, culminating with his choice to return to Las Vegas after more than a decade away. More than anything else in the past few years, Joe has been most grateful for the opportunity to rediscover his roots and find a renewed sense of purpose in proclaiming that home means Nevada.

Driven by a profound love of the outdoors, Joe is on a mission to help foster deeper connections between people and nature, believing that it is a crucial element needed to support the growth of healthier individuals and communities. His robust background in education underscores his belief in the transformative power of knowledge, a primary connection point he plans to explore as he embarks on the work of bringing more Nevadans into the outdoors.

Shelly Kopinski (She/Her/Hers) has called the Silver State her home for over 25 years and has chosen to raise her family here.  Nevada’s outdoor resources have provided a unique and beautiful space that has allowed her three boys and two large dogs to grow and explore.  Even though Shelly loves to travel, she always makes it back home to Nevada!

With nearly a decade of experience at Get Outdoors Nevada (GON)—beginning as a part-time AmeriCorps member and advancing to coordinator, manager, and now director—Cheresa (She/Her/Hers) has been extensively involved in shaping environmental programs that connect communities with nature. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and a Master of Arts in Urban Leadership from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and is a Certified Interpretive Guide recognized by the National Association for Interpretation.

Jennifer (She/Her/Hers) grew up riding horses, hiking, and vacationing around the country with her family. She has been passionate about nature from a young age. However, this passion really took off in high school when she became an avid birder. Birding led to her leading bird walks, teaching classes on birds, participating in bird banding, working on a variety of field jobs volunteering as a nature guide at a lodge in the tropics, and learning to identify other living organisms. She loves to spend time outside, where every outing is like a giant game of I spy and you never know what you are going to find.

Mihaela (She/Her/Hers) was born in Bulgaria and relocated to Las Vegas at a young age. She always felt a strong connection to animals and outdoor spaces, prompting her to turn her passion into a career by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Earth and Environmental Science with a minor in Political Science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Constance (She/Her/Hers) moved to Las Vegas in 2018 and works as a Volunteer Coordinator for Get Outdoors Nevada. From catching frogs in streams as a little girl to volunteering at an endangered wolf sanctuary as a teen, Constance has always had an interest in the natural wonders of the world. Constance graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2022 with a Bachelors in Psychology and Human Services. She hopes to use her knowledge in environmental psychology and role as Volunteer Coordinator to enhance cultural and environmental resources in the Las Vegas community!

Iris (She/Her/Hers) has been a resident of Nevada since she was five years old. Growing up in the Las Vegas Valley, she has always loved the local scenery and community. She is from a small family that loves animals and national parks. Many of her childhood days were spent enjoying scenic views and admiring wildlife. To this day, she is an avid lover of zoos and aquariums.

Lydia (She/Her/Hers) has lived in Las Vegas since 2009 and has always had an interest in learning about culture and connecting to nature. One way that she was able to do this was to major in Anthropology at UNLV where she is graduating with her bachelor’s degree in December 2022 with a minor in American Indigenous Studies. Currently she also interns with IndigenousAF Inc. and volunteers with The Cupcake Girls.

Emma (she/her/hers) grew up taking autumn trips to the Shenandoahs where she floated sticks down the river and hiked on crunchy fall leaves. During her time studying education at Loyola University in Maryland, she ventured to Spain to pursue her goal of traveling as well as minoring in another language. This experience also compelled her to take a one year trip to teach abroad in Thailand after graduation.

A Las Vegas resident since 2020, Shannon is dedicated to building connections through education, storytelling, and the natural world. As a licensed English educator and environmental advocate, she thrives on creating meaningful experiences that inspire learning and bolster community engagement.

Diana keeps her inner child happy by saying “sorry” to plants she accidentally bumps into and “excuse me” to birds in her path. She loves Joshua Trees because they look like they’re dancing and hopes to be one in her next life.

Zan (she/her/hers) has deep roots in New York, where she split her time between Brooklyn and Long Island. The sea and the city were her constant companions in her youth, so transitioning to the desert landscape of Nevada has been a profound and eye-opening experience—especially in her 20s, when she first stepped into this chapter of her life. It’s only been about a year and a half since she made the move to Las Vegas, but it’s already been a journey of discovery and firsts, reshaping her connection to self and her connection to the land.

Tayler (She/Her/Hers) is an avid advocate for the outdoors and has a interest in wildlife conservation, sustainability, and reducing waste. With a background in communications, Tayler developed a passion for sustainability during college, which inspired her to educate others on eco-conscious living through social media. Now, she is focused on encouraging people to change how they engage with the outdoors.

Board Chair, Kevin Lang (He/Him/His), is the Director of Engineering Services for Southwest Gas Corporation based in Las Vegas. Kevin has been with Southwest Gas since 2003. He has held various engineering and operations positions at the Company’s Southern California division and in the corporate headquarters in Las Vegas. He grew up moving around various parts of the United States and has called Nevada home since 2011.

Vice Chair, Mike Shohet serves as President for Compass Development. Prior to that he served as the Executive Vice President of Real Estate for Nevada HAND, a mission-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to the development, construction, and management of quality affordable housing for low-income Nevadans.

Treasurer, Justin Cohen (He/Him/His) is the founder of BTV Marketing Group, a Las Vegas-based Marketing & Advertising Agency. With over 20 years spent growing organizations, Justin possesses a unique collection of marketing, strategy and leadership skills. He joined the Get Outdoors Nevada board in 2015, and is currently serving as Treasurer.

Secretary, Rob Levrant (He/Him/His) has been at UNLV since 2015 where he serves as the Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), a nationally recognized, volunteer-based learning community of retired and semi-retired adults. Previously, Rob served the city of Las Vegas in a community engagement and outreach role for the Office of City Council, where he worked closely with Get Outdoors Nevada in improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods, trails, and parks. Rob is completing his Ph.D. in educational psychology in May of 2022, and volunteers with Scouts BSA and enjoys spending time outdoors with his family.

Greta Seidman  is Director of Public Affairs activities at Opportunity 180, a nonprofit that is committed to ensuring every kid has access to a great school in their neighborhood that puts them on track to be college and career-ready, regardless of their zip code.

Prior to joining the Opportunity 180 organization, Greta was directing public affairs with Brightline West, the proposed high speed rail connecting Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.  She also had served as the Director of Communications for Nevada HAND, Nevada’s largest nonprofit affordable housing developer and manager, creating and implementing strategic messaging campaigns and leading media relations, crisis management, stakeholder awareness, and government affairs activities for the organization.

Jessica Stanley (She/Her/Hers) has worked in education in Las Vegas for the last 10 years. She is currently the Managing Director of Teacher Leadership Development at Teach for America Las Vegas, a mission-driven non-profit organization that focuses on ensuring every child in our community has access to an equitable and excellent education.

John Curran is the Senior Vice President of Development for Prospect Street Capital, a local commercial real estate firm that has acquired or developed over one million square feet of space and invested over $200 million into southern Nevada . Prior to that, he served in a similar role with Dapper Companies, and also as the Real Estate Portfolio Manager for Downtown Project, the $350 million private redevelopment effort founded by the former Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh.

Peter Guzman, President of the Opa Group, is an accomplished small business owner, real estate investor and developer. Having lived most of his life in Nevada, his work has been recognized nationally by major real estate organizations with over $600 million in sales. Guzman has advised and worked to transition many publicly-traded companies as well as privately-held companies in all facets of business from real estate to contract procurement. Mr. Guzman has been recognized by numerous senators and congressmen for his creative and impactful contributions to public policy around affordable housing that increase minority home ownership and business entrepreneurship.

Rory Kay is a partner in the Las Vegas office of McDonald Carano LLP. Rory handles all aspects of commercial and complex litigation, including representing clients before the Nevada Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Originally from Nebraska, Rory attended the University of Nebraska for his undergraduate degrees and the University of San Diego School of Law for his juris doctor. For his legal work, Rory has been named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers, one of Nevada’s best appellate lawyers by Best Lawyers, and Legal Elite by the Nevada Business Magazine in employment and labor law, commercial and complex litigation, and appellate law.

Susie Black-Manriquez is Manager of Communications at Cox Las Vegas. As part of the Cox Las Vegas Public and Government Affairs department, she has responsibility for internal and external communications and media relations and serves as the Cox Conserves Employee Engagement Chair for Cox’s Southwest Region. She joined the company in 2019 after more than two decades at the former Faiss Foley Warren Public Relations and Public Affairs agency (now The Warren Group).

Zaniah Jordan is an Associate at Greenberg Traurig in the Corporate Practice Group, which includes the areas of corporate governance and compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and securities offerings for public and private companies. Originally from California, Zaniah attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for her undergraduate degree and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Williams S. Boyd School of Law for her Juris Doctorate.