MARK ALDEN (The Loose Cannon)
Regent Since: 1995
Replaced: Dr. Lonnie Hammargren
District: Green Valley, Henderson, Paradise Valley
Real Job: CPA
Allies: Howard, Rosenberg, Sisolak
Nemesis: Anthony, Bandera, Nichols
Best Known For: Calling Linda Howard an "orangutan"
It all starts and ends with Mark Alden. He's the most passionate of the regents and certainly the most vocal. But even he'd admit that he's often found apologizing for having his foot in his mouth. Alden is always criticizing somebody—in order, Howard, UNLV President Carol Harter, Anthony, Nichols—but usually makes up with them eventually.
STAVROS ANTHONY (The Cop)
Regent Since: 2003
Replaced: New seat
District: Centennial Hills, Lone Mountain, Mesquite
Real Job: Metro Vice Captain
Allies: Bandera, Schofield, Whipple
Nemesis: Alden, Howard, Rosenberg, Sisolak
Best Known For: Being in charge when CCSN's president was demoted
The chair of the board, was recruited by Mark Alden, who has become his archnemesis. Dr. Anthony or Capt. Anthony or Regent Anthony, depending on when you ask him, has been the bane of the "Hard Four" in his attempts to speed up the agenda, allegedly at the expense of dissenting discussion.
MARCIA BANDERA (The Cow County Rep)
Regent Since: 2002
Replaced: Dorothy Gallagher, career regent
District: Cow counties
Real Job: Educational consultant
Allies: Anthony, Whipple, Schofield
Nemesis: Alden, Howard, Rosenberg, Sisolak
Best Known For: Being the vice-chair
Dr. Anthony's right-hand woman, the board's vice chair came to the regents with a refreshingly cheery attitude, but some associate her too closely with Anthony.
JILL DERBY (The Gab Queen)
Regent Since: 1989
Replaced: Jo Ann Sheerin, WNCC trustee
District: Carson City metro
Real Job: Lecturer
Allies: Seastrand, Dondero
Nemesis: Alden
Best Known For: Being the board's senior member
From the Carson City suburb of Gardnerville, Derby is, well, verbose. A reporter at a regents meeting in Carson City last year, attempting to transcribe Derby's remarks, wound up taking more than three pages of notes before giving up.
THALIA DONDERO (The Matriarch)
Regent since: 1997
Replaced: Joseph Foley, attorney
District: Paradise Valley
Real Job: Retired county commissioner
Allies: Kirkpatrick, Seastrand
Nemesis: None
Best Known For: Being a buffer regent, sitting between Alden and Derby
After 20 years as a Clark County Commissioner, Dondero "retired" to the Board of Regents. She often sides with the "Hard Four" but can also be a wild card.
DOUG HILL (The Wild Card)
Regent since: 1999
Replaced: James Eardley, former TMCC president
District: Sparks, north Reno
Real Job: Lawyer
Allies: Kirkpatrick, Seastrand
Nemesis: Alden
Best Known For: Randomly standing up for minutes at a time when his legs fall asleep
Doug Hill can be a wacky one. He usually is fairly methodical in his decisions but can sometimes be wacky away from the board. A former Rebel Yell editor said he was once asked by Hill if his large camera was "compensating for something."
LINDA HOWARD (The Minority Voice)
Regent since: 2001
Replaced: David Phillips, attorney
District: West Las Vegas, North Las Vegas
Real Job: Teacher, consultant
Allies: Alden, Rosenberg, Sisolak
Nemesis: Anthony, Bandera
Best Known For: Standing up for minorities
Linda Howard supports her West Las Vegas community to a point that it sometimes costs her credibility with her fellow regents. Proposals such as a UCCSN outreach center in West Las Vegas and opposition to raising UNLV's minimum entry GPA did not gather the support she hoped for from her fellow board members.
THOMAS KIRKPATRICK (The Cowboy)
Regent since: 1999
Replaced: Shelley Berkley, congresswoman
District: Spring Valley, Anthem
Real Job: Retired professor
Allies: Hill, Dondero
Nemesis: None, really. Tends to play the wild card.
Best Known For: Filling Shelley Berkley's seat
Kirkpatrick's trademark Tennessee accent and cowboy wit would tend to indicate he's a maverick on the board. Instead, he tends to be a moderate who usually evaluates the impact on students more than anything.
JANE NICHOLLS (The Boss)
Chancellor since: 2000
Allies: Anthony, Bandera
Nemesis: Alden
Best Known For: Her hair. How does it stay up!?
The system's chief administrator has worked for UCCSN in various capacities since 1997, and was a UNR professor for 13 years before that. Some regents claim she runs the show behind the scenes, others say she's done a fine job in a tough spot.
HOWARD ROSENBERG (The Art Professor)
Regent since: 1997
Replaced: Daniel Klaich, attorney
District: Reno
Real Job: Art professor
Allies: Alden, Howard, Sisolak
Nemesis: Anthony, Bandera
Best Known For: His accent. Perhaps the only person on the planet who makes "Nevada" with the long "ahh" sound good.
Rosenberg, the only regent who works on a university campus, could either be blessed or cursed because of his employment. He often speaks of how glad he is to be able to go back to the university environment, but after his election, ethical questions were raised as to whether he could actually be a regent.
JACK LUND SCHOFIELD (The Elder Statesman)
Regent since: 2003
Replaced: New seat
District: Central Las Vegas
Real Job: Teacher
Allies: Kirkpatrick, Hill
Nemesis: Alden
Best Known For: Possibly forgetting how he meant to vote at a December meeting
Schofield, a veteran Nevada lawmaker, is a new arrival to the board. He tends to side with the other newer members and likes to talk about his grandchildren and how old he is.
DOUG SEASTRAND (The Sound of Silence)
Regent since: 1999
Replaced: Nancy Price, former congressional candidate
District: Sunrise Manor, East Las Vegas
Real Job: Software executive
Allies/Nemesis : Seastrand doesn't
play favorites
Best Known For: Silence
Doug Seastrand is the anti-Derby. Seastrand said he prefers to save his remarks for when he feels they're most needed.
STEVE SISOLAK (The Fiscal Conservative)
Regent since: 1999
Replaced: Madison Graves, former board chair
District: Summerlin
Real Job: Small businessman
Allies: Alden, Howard, Rosenberg
Nemesis: Anyone who wants to raise tuition
Best Known For: Standing up for students who overpaid tuition
Sisolak won a surprise victory in 1998 and immediately focused on two things—funding equality for northern and southern schools (UNR and TMCC got more money per student than their southern counterparts, according to Sisolak) and keeping tuition low for the average student.
BRET WHIPPLE (The Rising Star)
Regent since: 2003
Replaced: Laura Hobbs
District: Las Vegas' near west side
Real Job: Public defender
Allies: Anthony, Bandera, Schofield
Nemesis: Alden, Sisolak
Best Known For: Too soon to tell
If there's a Shelley Berkley on this board, Whipple's likely it. He has the look and sound of a politician. The former Lincoln County resident and Penn football player tends to side with Anthony and Bandera on hot issues.