The four-year term of Nevada Gaming Control Board member Brittnie Watkins expires at the end of January, and Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office will be naming her replacement.
Watkins announced her departure at the beginning of Wednesday’s meeting. “This will be my final Board meeting, and I want to provide that I am honored to have served in this position,” she said. “I have learned so much and grown so much personally and professionally. The friendships that I have gathered here are going to last a lifetime.”
Watkins has served since she was appointed by former Gov. Steve Sisolak in 2021 to replace Terry Johnson as the gaming industry was emerging from COVID, with a backgroundas a lawyer who had practiced complex commercial litigation with a background in gaming.
The three-member Board makes recommendations on licensing and other gaming policy matters to the Nevada Gaming Commission.
“The opportunity to see the gaming industry from this perspective has been absolutely priceless,” Watkins said. “I want to thank both Gov. Sisolak and Gov Lombardo for their support of my service in this position. I am truly grateful. I want to thank Chair [Kirk] Hendrick and Board member [Judge George] Assad. Sitting at the table with you two has truly been eye opening. Our perspectives from different walks of life and collaboration and comradery, discussions and deliberations have truly helped me to see different perspectives and have different understandings. I am very grateful for that.”
Watkins thanked the Board staff and division chiefs for helping her understand the industry and praised their professionalism. She also thanked the Gaming Commission along with the gaming industry for its collaboration, innovation, and willingness to bring new ideas to the forefront.
“I leave the Board entirely fulfilled by the challenges and rewards and learning,” Watkins. “There is no other opportunity like this, and I’m truly grateful for it.”
Hendrick thanked Watkins for her service and pointed out that the day he assumed his role she walked into his office and asked what she could do to help. “I greatly appreciate that,” Hendrick said.
Assad echoed those comments and that he appreciated her reaching out to him when he assumed his role on the Board and helped him “hit the ground running.” He said the good news is she gets to spend more time with her new child and how he expects her to land in the industry.
Watkins earned two bachelor’s degrees from Michigan State University and holds a masters in criminal justice, a Doctor of Philosophy in educational psychology, and a Juris Doctor and Master of Laws in gaming and regulations from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She was the first black woman elected to the State Bar of Nevada Board of Governors in 2020. She served as a judicial law clerk to former Nevada Supreme Court Justice Michael L. Douglas.