Nevada Boys' State Staff

Nevada's Premier Civic Leadership Staff

The American Legion Nevada Boys' State staff is a volunteer team with combined experience totaling more then 200 years. We would like to extend a special thanks to the staff that works to make American Legion Nevada Boys' State one of the best summertime experiences in the nation. The staff also include a number of legionnaires that attend the program and and represent the foundational support provided by the American Legion.

Craig Huntington Executive Director [email protected] Craig Huntington became the Executive Director in 2007. He attended American Legion Boys' State and American Legion Boys' Nation, and he has served as a Director at Nevada Boys' State for nearly ten years. Craig currently lives in Los Angeles and works at Western Alliance Bank (NYSE: WAL). He graduated from Georgetown University. Website: Craig Huntington

Jay Hansen Endowment Director Jay Hansen is a graduate of Occidental College and the University of Southern California where he received a Master's Degree in Public Administration. After working for the Speaker of the California Assembly, Jay was recruited to oversee the legislative interests of the Building and Construction Trades Council of California. He is now the Chief Strategist at the California Medical Association. He is has been a delegate and Executive Director at Boys' State. He now manages the program's endowment and oversees major fundraising efforts.

Ryan Hamilton Staff Director [email protected] Ryan Hamilton is a graduate of the Catholic University of America and is currently a Master's student at the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He was a delegate from Chaparral High School in 2003 and returned as a staffer in 2005. As Program Director, he oversees the design and implementation of the full week long program and ensures all program elements deliver a fun and enjoyable experience to delegates. Ryan has worked on several campaigns in Southern Nevada and also for Mark Prisk, a member of the the UK Parliament. In addition to his work as a graduate research assistant, Ryan assists with the media research efforts of a Las Vegas-based government affairs shop. He is an avid traveler, CrossFitter, is scuba certified, and enjoys Star Wars.

Andrew Valdez Admissions Director Andrew attends the College of Southern, where he studies business. Andrew has been on staff for what will be his fourth year this 2017 program. While not at school or with friends, Andrew enjoys reading, running and martial arts. Nevada Boys' State has been his favorite week of the year since he was a delegate in 2013.

Julian Phillips Director [email protected] Julian has been with NBS for over a decade. He is currently working to increase the funds available to sponsors delegates at NBS. He graduated from Arizona State University in 2005 with a degree in Industrial Engineering. He currently works as an industrial engineer at American Express. Julian enjoys spending time and traveling with his loving wife, Yuki.

Noah Wheatley Director Noah has been with NBS for nearly ten years. He is a Fire Fighter with the Clark County Fire Department and acts as the Emergency contact at NBS. Noah was the Senior Counselor for the 2006 Honor City.

Tait Ecklund Counselor [email protected] Tait has been with American Legion Nevada Boys' State for almost ten years. He recently received his Masters in Public Administration from University of Kansas and is working in the City Managers Office in Reno, Nevada. Tait is bringing a fresh look to the NBS Admissions Process and is working to increase the number of delegates that attend Nevada Boys' State

David Omara Counselor David has recently returned to NBS after moving back to the Reno area in 2006. David is currently a partner in The O'Mara Law Firm, P.C., were he practices in the areas of juvenile defense, litigation and government affairs. David graduated from the University of Nevada, located in Reno in 1999, and received his law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 2003.

Andrew Moschetti Director of Nevada Boys' State Alumni Association Andrew currently serves as the Director of the NBS Alumni Association. He attended Nevada Boys' State in 2000 from Elko High School. He graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with degrees in Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Japanese Language and Literature, and Architecture. He is the Operations Division Chief at Boulder Emergency Squad / Boulder County Fire-Rescue, a fire/rescue department in Boulder, Colorado, and also works as the Director for JointFire, a fire and EMS training program serving over 20 local agencies.

Zach Zaragoza Senior Counselor Zach Zaragoza has been with the American Legion Nevada Boys' State since 2001. After graduating from Green Valley High School he attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he earned a degree in Political Science and a minor in Communications. While attending UNLV he was the President of the College Democrats and wrote for the student newspaper. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Nevada Democratic Party.