Meet Nancy Brune

A Voice of Reason for Ward 6 and the Las Vegas City Council.

The early years

Nancy was raised in a close-knit family of modest means, full of hope. Nancy’s family valued faith, service to our country and to others, and the virtue of hard work. Her dad served in the U.S. Air Force and her mother was a U.S. Department of Defense civilian employee for almost twenty years. Her step-dad served in the National Guard for 25 years. Her parents, who were the first in their families to graduate from college, emphasized the importance of education.

Nancy began working at the age of 14 to help support her family. Through these experiences, Nancy learned the importance of family, character, hard work, and the commitment to shared goals.

Nancy earned her B.A. and Master’s degrees in Public Policy at Harvard University and received her Ph.D. from Yale University. Like many in our community, she worked while taking classes to pay for tuition and books.

Nancy’s preparation launched her into a successful career in both the public and private sectors, serving in various capacities and working at the following organizations: Guinn Center, Sandia National Labs, Center for a New American Security, UNLV Institute for Security Studies, JPMorgan Chase, and Harvard School of Public Health.

A voice of reason

Like many in our community who are seeking a new way of solving community problems, Nancy founded and became the Executive Director of the Guinn Center, a nonpartisan, data-driven policy center. The highly regarded Guinn Center conducts research on many public policy topics such as education, tax policy, and health care. Legislators from both parties, businesses, and community organizations consistently praise the Guinn Center as a “trusted resource” and rely on the Guinn Center for its research and guidance.

A researcher and a renowned policy expert, Nancy managed the administrative, financial, and external relations of the organization, establishing this start up and growing it into a fiscally sound entity (with revenues exceeding $1 million). Nancy left her legacy project because of her commitment to Ward 6 and plans to be a full-time City Councilwoman. She is currently the CEO/ Principal of Luz Development Institute, a small business that provides data analysis and research, policy development, needs assessments, and grant writing services.

She has written on the following topics:

Demographics, Enrollment, and Performance in Nevada Schools
Strategies for Increasing Higher Education Attainment
Post-Secondary Transitions for Students with Disabilities
Impact of COVID-19 on Housing
Integrated Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities
Strengthening Heat Resiliency in Southern Nevada
Community Policing
Economic and Financial Security for Nevada’s Families

School Board Governance
Worker Dynamics in a Post-COVID Economy
Political and Economic Gains of Asian Americans, African Americans, and Latinos in Nevada
Investments in Higher Education and Workforce
Federal Grants and Innovation

A call to serve Ward 6

Like many residents of Ward 6, Nancy is very involved in our community. She and her family make volunteering together a priority. Nancy has served as either an advisor or member of the board of directors of many organizations and commissions including:

College of Southern Nevada Institutional Advisory Council, Nevada Commission on School Funding, English Mastery Council, Task Force on Financial Security, CCSD School Justice Partnership Committee, Nevada Children’s Commission, Jobs for Nevada’s Graduates, Goodwill Industries of Southern Nevada, Get Outdoors Nevada, Nevada Humanities, Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada, Preserve Nevada, Hispanic Scholarship Fund Las Vegas Advisory Council, and Democracy Prep. She is also a volunteer animal foster momma. Nancy was a bilingual CASA volunteer and bilingual mediator with the Neighborhood Justice Center.

Today, Nancy offers herself as a candidate for City Council to continue to serve the interests and needs of our community. Nancy has the practical experience and policy knowledge needed to help us move forward in a post-pandemic world. Nancy believes that common sense solutions to most problems and situations are possible, whether it’s related to personal safety, housing, education, economic development, senior care, and fiscal responsibility. Nothing is easy, but the right collaboration, preparation, and practical approaches often succeed. Nancy believes that Ward 6 is special – where neighbors take care of each other!

In recognition of her ability to lead and bring people together and listen to diverse interests, Nancy has been invited to participate in the following programs and/or received the following awards:

Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce Leadership Las Vegas program
“Woman Who Means Business,” Las Vegas Business Press
“One the 15 most influential Hispanics in Nevada,” El Concilio Hispano Media
“Influential Woman of the Sierra Nevada,” Influential Women of the Sierra Nevada Awards
Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative/National Hispana Leadership Institute

Nancy is committed to listening to the residents of Ward 6 to take your concerns to City Hall!