Lauri Perdue - Chairman of the Board

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts - Human Development

University of Nevada, Reno

Master of Arts - Organizational Management

University of Phoenix

CAREER

Campus & Academic Director for University of Phoenix

BIO

Lauri Perdue has spent 25 years in higher education in the State of Nevada at multiple institutions. She is currently the Campus & Academic Director for University of Phoenix. Lauri represents over 75,000 students nationally and is a partner and consultant for industry leaders and national organizations, addressing higher education needs, opportunities, and workforce development.

Lauri joined Serving Our Kids after hearing Founder Dale Darcus share his story while she was participating in Leadership Las Vegas. She quickly connected with Dale to learn more about how she could support his mission and ensure that SOK could scale with the growing needs of the community and be a sustainable solution for food insecure children. Lauri spent her first 6 months supporting as a volunteer making weekly deliveries to two elementary schools on her lunch break. She experienced first-hand working with the school staff, students, and seeing the excitement when a child who is a receiver of a SOK bag sees her show up with the delivery. She is committed to supporting the powerful work Dale Darcus & Marissa Corbin created through their daughters.

CHARACTERISTICS

• Higher Education Leader

• Wife & Mother of 5

• Workforce Development Advocate

• College & Life Skill Mentor

CURRENT VOLUNTEER ROLES

• Serving Our Kids Board Member

• LVGEA Executive Committee Board Member

• Board of Examiners, State of Nevada MFT Board Member

• Professional Women Rising Mentor

OTHER VOLUNTEER ROLES & ACTIVITIES

• Leadership Las Vegas Class of 2022

• Volunteer Youth Basketball Coach

• Active Las Vegas Chamber Member

Gregory Hogan - Vice Chairman and Treasurer

EDUCATION

BS of Business Administration

Caldwell College

CAREER

United States Air Force 1976-1980

Vice President US Operations - Bank of NY/Mellon 1980-2015

BIO

Gregory Hogan began his work career at the age of 18 in the USAF in 1976 where he served for 4 years and left with an honorable discharge and the rank of Sergeant. Greg then began his Wall Street career in 1980 with Brown Brothers Harriman, moved on to Bradford Trust, and then finally to The Bank of NY/Mellon where he retired after 27 years of service totaling 35 years of financial expertise on Wall Street. During his 27 years at The Bank of New York Mellon Greg managed multiple Operational departments in US Settlements. Greg completed his BS degree going to night school while working at BNY/Mellon and graduated Cum Laude in 2001. Towards the end of his career, Greg managed a Worldwide control group, a Worldwide business Continuity Planning team, and developed Custody banking systems for The Bank of NY/Mellon. Greg was also a survivor of the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and managed a team effort to recover/balance billions in funds related to the disruption of the attack.

CHARACTERISTICS

• Libertarian values

• Strong supporter of education and sports

• Community Service supporter

CURRENT VOLUNTEER ROLES

• Board of Directors and volunteer for Serving our Kids

• Board of Directors of the Legacy Men’s Golf Club

OTHER VOLUNTEER ROLES & ACTIVITIES

• Board of Directors Junior Achievement of Central New York

Greg Bortles - Secretary

EDUCATION

Some College

Pierce College, WA

CAREER

Insurance Industry 2000-Current

BIO

Gregory Bortles has worked in the insurance industry for over 20 years. It helps him get others involved in being a part of the passion of helping others in need. Has been a part of several charities in the Las Vegas area with helping with Inventory, Fundraising and Deliveries. His area of expertise including Operations/Process Improvement, Fundraising and Partner Relations. Greg has been a part of numerous projects over the years with product improvement and customer service.

Greg has been a part of Serving Our Kids for over 9 years helping with operations, volunteering and fundraising with the yearly events.

He enjoys a great weekend of fishing and camping to relax and look up at the stars and be thankful of the great beauties the world offers.

Seeking one day that every child is free of the burden of knowing where their next meal will come from.

CHARACTERISTICS

• High worth individual

• Passionate with helping the community in need

CURRENT VOLUNTEER ROLES

• Board of Directors & Volunteer - Serving Our Kids

OTHER VOLUNTEER ROLES & ACTIVITIES

• Volunteer- The Salvation Army

• Volunteer- Helping Hands

Michael S. Alires

EDUCATION

BA, General Ministry, Lincoln Christian University

MA, Org. Leadership, Lincoln Christian University

JD, William S. Boyd School of Law, UNLV

CAREER

2003-2006: Insurance Sales, American Family Ins.

2006-2008: College and Young Adults Pastor, South Hills Church Community

2008-2012: GIS Analyst, CCSD

2012-2015: Attended Law School

2014-2022: Real Estate Attorney

• Ballard Rawson Chartered

• Snell & Wilmer LLP

• Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

BIO

As a born and raised Las Vegas native, I have seen firsthand the immense need across the Las Vegas

valley. Having worked as a pastor and in the educational sector, I sought to structure my educational and professional opportunities around the ability to help and support churches and nonprofits with their organizational and legal matters. I have formed numerous nonprofits and have advised the same in achieve tax exempt status under 501(c)(3). I regularly advise clients on commercial real estate and corporate matters and have been named a top attorney in Real Estate law for Southern Nevada.

In my personal life, my wife of 14 years, Natalie, and I have sought to raise our three young sons to be hardworking and conscious stewards with what we have been blessed. I hope to continue to grow them to men of integrity who seek to help others.  

CHARACTERISTICS

• Las Vegas native and Clark County School District Graduate (Valley High School 2001)

• Donor for Sharon Dattoli Memorial Scholarship with Public Education Foundation in honor of late mother-in-law supporting children from single-family households.

• Supporter of education and literacy

CURRENT VOLUNTEER ROLES

• None

OTHER VOLUNTEER ROLES & ACTIVITIES

• Leadership Las Vegas Class of 2022 with Vegas Chamber

• Student Attorney at Nonprofit Legal Clinic during Law School

• Former Vice President of Graduate and Professional Students Association

• Student Bar Association Representative for 3 years

• Gaming Law Journal Staff

Connie Anderson

EDUCATION

BA, Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno

MBA, Johns Hopkins University

BIO

Connie Anderson is an experienced marketing professional. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, Connie has built a reputation for creating impactful and strategic communications programs for a range of clients across various sectors. Currently, Connie is the Chief Strategy Officer and Partner at The Abbi Agency where she leads integrated strategy for clients including the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, also known as Nevada Health Link, as well as Governor’s Office of Economic Development and the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance. Connie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from University of Nevada, Reno and a Masters of Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University.

She is also actively involved in her community, volunteering her time to causes she is passionate about. When she's not working, Connie enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time with her fur babies.

Kelii Chock

EDUCATION

BS Biology – USAF Academy

MBA – Trident University

Army Command and Staff College

Leadership Las Vegas

CAREER

USAF 2001-2022

Co-Founder Picture Clean

Consulting, LLC, 2021-Present

BIO

Kelii Chock grew up in Northern California. Kelii grew up playing all sports. He excelled at soccer where he played in college and would often coach youth soccer teams. He attended the United States Air Force Academy and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 2001 following graduation. A career F-16 pilot with over 2,000 flight hours and 180 combat hours, Kelii served just under 21 years in the United States Air Force. During his time, he moved 12 times and served as a Flight Commander, Director of Operations, Squadron Commander, and Deputy Group Commander. Following his retirement from the United States Air Force in April 2022, Kelii Co-Founded Picture Clean Consulting, LLC where he serves as the Chief Executive Officer. Picture Clean Consulting provides management consulting services to the Department of Defense. Kelii is married to his wife, Colleen from Boise, Idaho, whom he met while stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. Kelii and Colleen have twin boys, Kalani and Kyan who were born in Las Vegas and returned with their parents for Kelii’s last assignment with the United States Air Force.

CHARACTERISTICS

• Problem Solver

• Collaborative Leader

• Organizational Culture

• Process Improvement

CURRENT VOLUNTEER ROLES

• Boy Scots of America Pack Treasurer

OTHER VOLUNTEER ROLES & ACTIVITIES

• Youth Soccer Coach

David Shultis

EDUCATION

BS International Business, EMBA

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

CAREER

President, Partner at RedPanda Systems (2015 - Present)

BIO

Dave is the President and Partner at Red Panda Systems. While he’s not a native, he was raised in Las Vegas the majority of his life, where he attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and obtained his bachelor’s degree in International Business. Dave began his IT career in 1999, where the Internet and technology had begun rapidly expanding. Fascinated with the release of Google in the prior year, Dave was inspired to pursue a career in IT, which first started with an 8-week technology course at Microsoft. Here, he would begin building experience, leading to him obtaining a career with a dial-up internet service provider. He worked all over the United States, installing telephone systems back when the internet was still evolving. Since then, he has been certified by numerous organizations, ranging from the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Certification, CompTIA A+ Certification, and the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Certification.

Prior to starting the business, he was a freelancer offering his IT services to small businesses. Due to the struggle of working alone, he decided to work with Keith, who was a fellow competitor with the same issue at the time, merging their own companies into the Las Vegas IT Consultancy. Realizing this name excluded businesses outside the city, he and his partner decided to rebrand the company to Red Panda Systems, where they would continue to offer their services, including cybersecurity, IT support, and much more.

CHARACTERISTICS

• Over 20 years of IT experience, technology fanatic

• Family man with a passion for cooking, hiking, watching movies

• Actively involved in giving back to the community, especially in educating the youth.

• Served volunteer religious mission in Brazil from 1993 - 1995

CURRENT VOLUNTEER ROLES

• Volunteer at The Just One Project’s Youth Leadership Academy Program

• Guest speaker at various classes and on the Cyber Board for UNLV

• Guest speaker for Southwest Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas.

OTHER VOLUNTEER ROLES & ACTIVITIES

• Sponsored for CLE Class for the Latin Board

• Sponsored for American Marketing Association

Carolyn Streva   

CAREER

Realtor, ABR, SFR, MRP

BIO

Carolyn Streva started her real estate career in the title/escrow industry in 1991 and after moving to Henderson she obtained her real estate license in 2002. She has an extensive background in administration, marketing and customer service. She views the real estate profession as a service oriented career and not a sales business. Her business is based on referrals and repeat clients.

Her true passion is volunteering and she has been volunteering since she was in her teens. She started volunteering and raising funds for Serving Our Kids in 2014 and is now on the Board of Directors. She is currently the Las Vegas Chapter Leader for Fabulous Shoe Night, Vice President for the Las Vegas Alumni Association (501c3), and serves on the Las Vegas Realtor Community Outreach Committee and Professional Standard Committee. She co-chaired the Las Vegas Prom Closet by Project 150/Zappos for several years and was a member of Young Men’s Service League with her son. Few of the charities she has helped/volunteered for since she moved to Henderson; Joy Prom, Three Square, Dress for Success, Project 150, Just One Project, Go Red for Women, Wreaths Across America and LVMP Santa Cops just to name a few. She continues to look forward to serving her community.

Laurie Tanakaya

EDUCATION

BS Business Management, Arizona State University

CAREER

Vice President, Retail 1984-2021

BIO

Laurie Tanakaya is the former Vice President of Retail for Opry Entertainment, a division of Ryman Hospitality, home of the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium and Ole Red.  A retail executive for more than 35 years, Laurie has managed businesses as large as $1.5 billion in sales.  Laurie has held various executive roles over the years across Merchandising, Marketing and Operations with major national retailers.  Her areas of expertise include Strategic Planning, New Business Development, Operations/Process Improvement, Financial Planning and Analytics, Vendor Partnerships and Team mentoring and development.  Laurie led a company initiative developing a new store format that ran a 24% increase in sales and an event that produced the single highest sales day in the 94-year history of the venue.

In conjunction with her executive roles, Laurie has also held fundraising & volunteer roles.  During her tenure as President of the Pamida Foundation, a 501c3 that supported education, wellness and helping families in need, the foundation raised $1.4 million in a single event to help local communities across 11 states.

CHARACTERISTICS

• Strong business and fundraising background

• Passionate about supporting and helping children and families in need

• Avid and strong supporter of student education & leadership development

CURRENT VOLUNTEER ROLES

• CEO - Serving Our Kids Foundation

• Board of Directors & Volunteer - Serving Our Kids

• Website Development & Operations for Russell Tanakaya Photography

• Pacific Crest Advisory Board and photography website coordinator

• Volunteer for Heritage at Cadence – Henderson

OTHER VOLUNTEER ROLES & ACTIVITIES

• President, Pamida Foundation

• Co-Chair Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter Fundraiser

• Volunteer Food Bank – multiple cities

• Volunteer – Senior Living Center

• Volunteer - Habitat for Humanity

Sham Gad

EDUCATION

Stanford Graduate School of Business

CAREER

Chairman/CEO of Paragon Technologies Inc.

BIO

Hesham "Sham" Gad, age 44, is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Paragon Technologies, Inc. (OTC: PGNT), a diversified holding company with businesses including automation, distribution, and real estate. From 2013 to 2017 Mr. Gad was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SED International Holdings, Inc., a distributor of information technology products and solutions, computer systems and mobility devices ("SED") prior to Paragon's acquisition of SED.

From 2008 to 2020 Mr. Gad was also the founder and managing partner of Gad Partners Fund, a value-oriented investment partnership, launched in 2007 and modeled after the 1950's Buffett Partnerships.  Mr. Gad is the author of the internationally published book, The Business of Value Investing: Six Essential Elements to Buying Companies Like Warren Buffett

He has been extensively published on topics including investing, financial statement analysis, and security valuation on some of the most highly regarded financial websites, including The Motley Fool, Investopedia, and TheStreet.com. Mr. Gad is a graduate of the University of Georgia and the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education Program.

CURRENT VOLUNTEER ROLES

• Advisory Board of Directors for Serving our Kids

OTHER VOLUNTEER ROLES & ACTIVITIES

• From 2018 to 2021, Mr. Gad served as a director and Treasurer of CityCenter Luxury Unit Homeowners Association in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

• Sham enjoys being a chef, running, playing guitar, practicing yoga, reading, and traveling. 

Laura-Marie Long

EDUCATION

BS Psychology

University of Nevada,Las Vegas

CAREER

Resort Services Quality Assurance

Treasure Island, 2007 - 2014

Financial Industry 2014 - Current

Director of Marketing & Client Experience, Diazo Wealth

BIO

Laura-Marie Long is a Director of Marketing & Client Experience at Diazo Wealth, and a graduate of University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a degree in Psychology. Prior to joining Diazo, Laura spent nearly ten years in the hospitality industry in Las Vegas, working in Resort Services, Training Development, and learning about people from across the globe.  Laura is passionate about creating meaningful human connections with individuals and families as they navigate life’s most financially impactful milestones and empowering them to achieve financial independence. Outside of work, Laura enjoys cooking, yoga, playing baseball with her two sons, and walking her Cane Corso, Knight and Yellow Lab, Aspen.

CHARACTERISTICS

• Creative

• Strong networker

• Financial Literacy Advocate

CURRENT VOLUNTEER ROLES

• Company sponsor for the Ogden Family Foundation

• Company sponsor for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

OTHER VOLUNTEER ROLES & ACTIVITIES

• Crochet for a Cause Participant

• Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity

Fran Sarkett

EDUCATION

Business Courses

Lakewood High School

CAREER

Consumer Finance 1972 - 2019

BIO

Fran Sarkett has worked in the consumer finance field during her entire career. She started as an office clerk at a finance company directly out of high school. Fran was promoted to various positions being transferred from a local branch in Cleveland, Ohio to a division office Milwaukee, Wisconsin to the Executive Vice President office in Columbus, Ohio. She conducted computer training classes in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the management staff 3 weeks of each month for 14 months. The last week of each month she worked directly with the Executive Vice President. While the company was in the process of being sold, Fran traveled to San Antonio, Texas each week overseeing the sale of the Recovery Unit. After working for them for 23 years, the company was sold. Fran’s final position was Vice President ofRecovery Operations. She relocated to Atlanta, Georgia working in a newly created position with an up-and-coming finance company. Fran held various positions with this company creating proceduralguidelines, implemented expense control policies and procedures for their new branch computer system.When that company was sold, she relocated to Las Vegas. Fran worked at two major banking institutions inLas Vegas until she retired in 2019.

CHARACTERISTICS

• Developed strong managerial and problem solving skills

• Self-started, well organized with analytical background

CURRENT VOLUNTEER ROLES

• Company sponsor for the Ogden Family Foundation

• Company sponsor for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

OTHER VOLUNTEER ROLES & ACTIVITIES

• Volunteer Coordinator – Serving Our Kids Foundation

• Volunteer with Green Valley Kiwanis