Opportunity Village Promotes Bob Brown to President and Chief Executive Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2016

Opportunity Village Promotes Bob Brown to President and Chief Executive Officer
Former CEO of Opportunity Village, Ed Guthrie, appointed to CEO Emeritus

LAS VEGAS – Las Vegas’ favorite charity, Opportunity Village, announced the promotion of Bob Brown to president and CEO, while former CEO Ed Guthrie has been appointed to CEO Emeritus. Opportunity Village’s long time Senior Executive Vice President of Development, Linda Smith, will continue to lead the Opportunity Village Foundation’s fundraising efforts.

Brown is a long-standing Opportunity Village board member, past chairman of the ARC board and current member of the National Council on Disability. In his new role of president and CEO, Brown said, “I am determined to help every OVIP reach their fullest potential by developing their skills and placing them in meaningful jobs, while making Opportunity Village the best workplace possible for its dedicated staff and volunteers.” Brown is dedicated to furthering the organization’s mission of assuring every person with an intellectual disability has the chance to live, work and play in their community. He is dedicated to the continued growth of Opportunity Village as a sustainable business model that will serve the Southern Nevada community for decades to come. Prior to joining Opportunity Village, Brown was publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and is a past chairman of the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce.

“Opportunity Village is fortunate to be guided by the knowledge and experience of both Bob Brown and Ed Guthrie. As an organization, we have ideal leadership in place for our journey into the future,” said Bill Oakley, Opportunity Village Foundation Board Chairman. Jeremy Aguero, Opportunity Village’s ARC Board Chairman, added, “Because of Ed Guthrie’s leadership over the past 21 years, Opportunity Village is now a national model for how communities should not only care for people with disabilities, but enhance their lives. As Ed transitions to his new role as CEO Emeritus, we express our gratitude for his tireless efforts, knowledge, skill and leadership that will continue to benefit the organization and the state of Nevada.”

As Opportunity Village prepares for the next chapter in its history, its goal is to retain the wisdom, insight and passion of Guthrie who has been with Opportunity Village since 1994. Guthrie’s new role of CEO Emeritus will enable him to spend more time working with elected officials, regulatory agencies, volunteers, fellow nonprofit agencies and other advocates to promote legislative and regulatory policies that encourage a healthy community and address the issues and concerns of Opportunity Village and people with intellectual disabilities. Currently Guthrie serves on the Interagency Transition Advisory Board for the State of Nevada and is on the Nevada Community Health Charities Board. He is also a member of the Las Vegas Southwest Rotary. Before joining Opportunity Village in 1994, Ed served as the executive director of similar organizations in upstate New York and Maryland for nearly twenty years.

Photo 1: Bob Brown, Opportunity Village’s newly appointed president and CEO, spends time getting to know OVIPs daily in order to understand their wants and needs from the services offered at the organization.

About Opportunity Village
Mission: Opportunity Village is a not-for-profit organization that serves people within our community with significant intellectual disabilities, to improve their lives and the lives of their families.

Opportunity Village was founded in 1954 by seven families who were determined to give their children with disabilities the best lives possible. Now, more than 60 years later, Opportunity Village is one of the most recognized and respected organizations of its type in the United States.

Nevada’s largest employer of people with disabilities (who we call OVIPs), Opportunity Village serves nearly 3,000 individuals annually, providing vocational training, employment, habilitation and social recreation programs and services that make their lives more purposeful and interesting.

Opportunity Village citizens – individuals who were previously considered unemployable – work at Opportunity Village’s Employment Resource Centers and in jobs throughout the community, collectively earning wages amounting to more than $3.9 million in 2014.  They are hard-working and diligent, proudly paying taxes and happily leading more fulfilling lives.

Primarily a self-funded organization, Opportunity Village generates the majority of its operational funding through its employment contracts and fundraising efforts such as the Magical Forest and Great Santa Run, saving Nevada taxpayers nearly $35 million annually.

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