Nevada Humanities to feature state’s young elected officials

Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill, state Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, West Wendover Mayor Daniel Corona and state Sen. Ben Kieckhefer will discuss what brought them to politics in an event sponsored by Nevada Humanities.

From local races to seats in the state Legislature, Nevada has seen an unprecedented number of young candidates running for and holding elected office. Nevada Humanities will host a conversation with these elected officials across the state as they discuss what it means to them to serve their communities, how local and state politics work and what makes politics in Nevada unique.

“Why It Matters: Why I Showed Up: A Conversation with Nevada Elected Officials on How They Came to Politics” will be offered 6-7 p.m. Feb. 18 on Zoom. This event is part of a national initiative about civic and electoral engagement entitled, “Why It Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation.” Register for this event at nevadahumanities.org.

“Many of us feel the call to public service as a lifelong need to serve our communities,” said Nevada Humanities Executive Director Christina Barr. “Our ‘Why It Matters’ panelists have each come to public service in their own unique and inspiring ways. We are excited to share their experiences. I hope these stories show that public office is accessible to anyone and that they inspire other Nevadans to chart similar paths.”

“Why It Matters” includes a special series of online conversation programs through April around the topics of voting, electoral participation and civic engagement, featuring academics, journalists and community leaders working in the field. These events are meant to bring people together to talk, share, learn and listen using the humanities to promote understanding through historical context and conversation.