New chairman for Nevada Gaming Commission

Nevada Gaming Commission chairman Pete Bernhard is to step down at the end of June after serving for over a decade, and will be replaced by the regulator’s current commissioner Dr. Tony Alamo.

Announcing the changes, Nevada governor Brian Sandoval said that Bernhard had informed him that he did not wish to seek reelection.

Alamo is a Las Vegas doctor and has been a board member since 2008. Replacing Bernhard on the board is Pat Mulroy, the recently retired general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

Bernhard is a Harvard and Georgetown-educated lawyer who was appointed to the Gaming Commission in 2001, replacing Sandoval, who at the time resigned his chairman’s seat to run for Nevada attorney general.

“I respect the decision of Chairman Pete Bernhard to leave the Nevada Gaming Commission,” Sandoval said Thursday in the news release. “Pete has served the commission with great distinction for over 12 years, and his unmatched knowledge and expertise will be sorely missed.”

Alamo joined the commission in 2008 and was reappointed by Sandoval in 2012. Prior to joining the commission, he served first as a member then as chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission from 2001 to 2007.

“Tony’s background and experience chairing several state commissions will ensure a smooth transition for the Gaming Commission and its effective regulation of the gaming industry,” Gov. Sandoval said.

Mulroy will begin her term effective July 1. She served as general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority from 1993 until retiring in February this year. She also served as the general manager of the Las Vegas Valley Water District from 1989 until her retirement.

“Pat has shown exceptional leadership skills throughout her career, most recently in her capacity as general manager of the SNWA,” Sandoval said.