Influential Women of the Sierra Nevada (formerly Powerful Women of the Sierra Nevada) is in its fourth year of successfully bringing together leaders from around the region for celebration of the great contributions women make to our personal and professional communities.
We are looking forward to gathering again on October 27 at the Atlantis Casino Resort for networking, professional development, and celebration as we unveil the latest group of women to be honored as Influential Women of the Sierra Nevada!
Check back frequently for more news about our upcoming event.
Influential Women is a program from Breaking Ground Institute, the national conference division of Swift Communications. Our mission is to connect, develop, and celebrate women leaders making positive impacts in their professions and in their community.
Our Team
Sarah Day Levesque
Managing Director
Sarah is a firm believer in the power of learning and enrichment experiences to bring communities of all kinds together for positive change.
Before joining Swift Communications in late 2016, Sarah played a key role in the development of successful event and media brands, including Women In Agribusiness. Sarah holds an M.S. in Agriculture and Resource Economics and an M.S. in International Agricultural Development from University of California, Davis.
When she’s not working, you can find Sarah running, cheering on the New England Patriots, volunteering in local agriculture education or playing ball with her family.
Keri Hayes
Director of Operations
Keri has been producing professional conferences in both domestic and international markets since 2006. Her mix of experience in planning, publishing, marketing, negotiation, writing, budgeting, and sales allows her to handle all of the back end needs that make for a successful event.
Prior to joining Swift Communications in 2018, Keri spent 25 years producing and growing events and publications including Women in Agribusiness.
Keri lives on the coast of Maine with her two teenagers and her dog. She is an elected School Board member and Trustee of her local high school, board vice president of Acadia Community Theater, and a member of her town’s Solar Committee. In her free time she enjoys hiking, kayaking, sports, photography, gardening, and time around a campfire.
Influential Women of the Sierra Nevada
2021 Board of Advisors
Cortney Young
Cortney Young is a Mediator at Blanchard, Krasner & French. Her approach to dispute resolution combines years of litigation experience with a pragmatic problem-solving style. She has resolved disputes ranging from hundreds of dollars to hundreds of millions of dollars.
In addition to her work in dispute resolution, she founded the Children’s Cancer Classic which was a charity basketball game played between the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office and the Washoe County Public Defender’s and Alternate Public Defender’s Office. Proceeds from the event went to the Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation. In addition to the Cancer Classic, Cortney served two years on the board to grow the Sierra Arts Foundation endowment which aimed to return arts and culture to our students. She also facilitated a local growth effort for K9’s for Warriors, an organization that provides access to service dogs for our veterans who are suffering from PTSD.
Cortney is the President of the Nevada Dispute Resolution Coalition, and the Secretary of the Washoe County Law Library Board of Trustees. Cortney was appointed to the Reno Human Rights Commission by Councilman David Bobzien in 2018, and was reappointed for a second term by Councilwoman Naomi Duerr in 2020. She currently serves as Vice Chair to the Commission.
Erin Oksol
Dr. Erin Oksol is an award-winning international speaker and trainer, high performance sales and business strategist, psychologist, 5x #1 best-selling author, and a top producer in the world’s leading company in DNA health and wellness.
Dr. Erin has taken the world by storm with her high-energy events, science-backed business coaching, and training seminars, working with companies across the United States, including Microsoft and Facebook.
Awarded the 2018 Saleswoman of the Year and Nevada’s Top 20 Most Powerful Women, Dr. Erin helps individuals and organizations be the best.
With 15 years and over 15,000 hours of clinical experience as a psychologist and coach, she brings her expertise in human behavior and the neuroscience of high performance to help individuals and organizations supercharge their sales, income, and impact.
Dr. Erin is married to Garth and they have three children--Grace (18), Emily (15), and Zachary (9).
Clara Andriola
Clara Andriola is the Executive Director of the Reno Rodeo Foundation. Prior to being with the Foundation she served as the Regional CEO of the American Red Cross, the President and CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors and owned Productivity Point - a technology training company. She is committed to the community and has served in leadership roles on several nonprofit boards including Dress for Success Reno-Northern Nevada and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, as well as her current participation as a board member of the Influential Women of the Sierra Nevada.
Clara has been recognized as Northern Nevada’s 2020 Best in Business High Profile Leaders to Know, received the Women of Achievement award, and was recognized as one of the Sierra Nevada’s Top-20 Powerful Women. Clara has served on many Governor appointed committees including the Commission on Postsecondary Education and the State Apprenticeship Council. She also helped found the Nevada Board of Plumbing Examiners. She is currently a Commissioner for the City of Sparks Planning Commission. Clara graduated with high distinction from the University of Nevada Reno with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, a minor in Cultural Anthropology, and a M.B.A. She has been an adjunct college professor teaching organizational behavior and leadership.
Clara loves riding horses, going on the annual Reno Rodeo Cattle Drive, attending the Reno Rodeo, skiing, gardening, dancing every week with her husband, and hanging out with her family. She has lived in Northern Nevada for over 30 years. Clara is married and has two adult children.
Tiffany Banks
As an attorney, facilitator and mentor, Tiffany Banks is passionate about cultivating leaders by identifying their unique gifts and empowering them to share their stories in a way that impacts others.
Tiffany’s experiences as a beer school graduate, NASCAR pit spokesperson, PGA tour liaison, production assistant on a major TV show and a secret service staffer who helped guard President Bush, Sr., have served her well in identifying that everyone has a story; it is how you use it to make an impact for others that really matters.
Tiffany has served in various leadership roles, and volunteers at a number of non-profits across Nevada. In 2019, she was a recipient of the Reno/Tahoe Young Professional 20 under 40 Award and The Sierra Nevada Most Powerful Women Awards (now Influential Women of Sierra Nevada.) She is a proud wife to Garrett, a third generation building contractor, and mom to two toddlers, Beckett and Brooklyn.
Kathleen Colombo
Kathleen Colombo is a native Nevadan, raised in Fallon and living in Reno the past 20+ years. As a resident of Northern Nevada for decades, she brings an appreciation for local female business leaders and how they have influenced the advancement of our community. She feels fortunate to have worked jointly with exceptional women in her career, collaborating with female directors and managers at the Reno Gazette-Journal, where she held multiple positions over 20 years' time, to her current position at OnStrategy, a local, woman-owned business. Her roles have been primarily in client service management and business development/sales. Throughout, she has kept an objective view and an open mind and heart to listen, analyze and apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to any situation. Kathleen earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 2008 as a full-time mom and careerwoman.
Mariluz Garcia
Dr. Mariluz Garcia is a native Nevadan, born and raised in Elko, and has lived in Reno for 23 years. She has a deep appreciation for the small, rural mining town that she grew up in, as well as the urban, college town where she is raising her two children. Like many Nevadans, she is both first-generation to be born in the United States, as well as first-generation to go to college. The term “life-long learner” often gets thrown around when folks are describing themselves, but after 21 years attending college, she can honestly make that claim and received her doctorate in 2019. Since 2012, she has served as the Executive Director of Dean’s Future Scholars at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is passionate about giving back to her community and is currently a board member for the Children's Cabinet, Sierra Nevada Journeys, and the Education Alliance of Washoe County.
Bridget Robb
Judge Bridget Robb is a fourth generation Nevadan. She graduated from the University of Nevada in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. While at Nevada, she played on the women’s basketball team, was in the marching band and was a Senator for the College of Arts and Sciences. She graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1987 with a Juris Doctorate, cum laude. Judge Robb was admitted to practice in Nevada in both State and Federal Courts in 1987 and before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1993. In 2006, Governor Kenny Guinn appointed Judge Robb to the Second Judicial District Court. She returned to private practice with the regional firm of Lewis & Roca in 2007, then returned to the Bench in 2009 as Presiding Judge of the Family Division. She has volunteered her time and services to provide legal assistance to people with low incomes and to help victims of domestic violence. She also works with both elementary and high school students regarding the Constitution and in competition classes such as Mock Trial and We the People. Bridget is currently a board member with Children’s Cabinet, Girls on the Run, and Washoe Legal Services.
Lidia Stiglich
Justice Lidia Stiglich currently serves as a Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court - a position she has held since 2016. Prior to her current position, she served as a District Judge in the Second Judicial District Court in Reno, Nevada and before that as a Partner in a law firm based in California and Nevada where she practiced State, Federal and Administrative Law. She is a member of the Washoe County Bar Association, the Northern Nevada Women Lawyers Association, and the National Association of Women Judges. Justice Stiglich graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, emphasis in Finance. While at UC Berkeley, she was a member of the intercollegiate softball team. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.
Connie Wray
Connie Wray has been in the Northern Nevada Media for over 22 years. Connie is a radio & TV host, voice-talent, podcast producer, and emcee. Connie hosted a highly successful morning radio show "Bill and Connie in the Morning" on Alice 96.5 for over 17 years. She is currently the host of the Docu-Series The Next Stage, featuring people, businesses, and organizations who are taking their passions & innovations to the next stage. The Next Stage can be found on YouTube as well as on KRXI's Mornings on Fox 11 every Monday Morning. She was inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2012. She was also the TV Host for KRXI Fox 11's
What Women Want and Living Local. She is the producer of VitaKinetics Vitamin Supplement podcast: Radically Resilient Health. She is also the Vice President of Marketing & spokesperson for Brain Health Restoration- a brain health and wellness center that uses break-through technology to revolutionize brain health.
Connie Wray has emceed many major events throughout Nevada including the Governors Global Tourism Summit in Las Vegas, The Reno Philharmonic’s Pops on the River, Northern Nevada Nurses of Achievement Gala, Renown Hospitals Salute to Service, and our own Influential Women of the Sierra Nevada event. Connie is active & dedicated in the the fight against suicide. She is active with Crisis Support Services of Nevada and is the host of CSSNV monthly web series Talk It Out Tuesday which can be found on their website at CSSNV.ORG