Nevada Board of Regents official leaves search committee

The vice chair of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents has resigned as the leader of a search committee seeking a new chief of staff and special counsel after an applicant alleged he was unlawfully rejected.

Patrick Carter, who was among two board leaders named in a hostile work environment complaint by Chancellor Melody Rose last month, announced his decision to withdraw from the search committee in a letter Monday. He also recommended the current search process be canceled and an outside search firm be hired instead.

Carter, who remains vice chair of the full Board of Regents, declined to provide any additional comment Wednesday.

It’s unclear what will happen next with the search process to replace Dean Gould, who retired in December after facing criticism for telling a female regent last year to stop with her “child speak.”

Keri Nikolajewski has been filling the chief of staff job on an interim basis.

Last month, Las Vegas attorney James Dean Leavitt, who served as a regent for 12 years, including a stint as board chairman, alleged his application for the job wasn’t lawfully reviewed and called on the board to halt the search process.

Leavitt said in a statement Wednesday that the position “plays a vital role in the effective functioning of the Nevada System of Higher Education between the chancellor and the Board of Regents,” but did not address Carter’s resignation from the search committee.

His attorney, Christian Gabroy, sent a letter Oct. 14 to select NSHE officials expressing disbelief that Leavitt, who has 29 years of legal experience, was deemed to not meet minimum qualifications for the job.

The job listing says the position has a starting salary of $180,000 to $220,000. It lists minimum qualifications as a Juris Doctor degree, current membership in the Nevada Bar and at least five years of “progressive experience directly applicable to the position,” all of which Leavitt possesses, according to Gabroy.

In August, the search committee voted 5-1 to “fail” the search process in order to broaden the applicant pool. Regent Jason Geddes opposed the motion.

Another member of the search committee, Regent John Moran, raised concerns at a September meeting that the search process had been tainted and alleged Open Meeting Law violations. He made a motion to discontinue the search, but no-one seconded it, and he recused himself from voting. Shortly thereafter, he packed up his belongings and left the meeting.

The remaining search committee members voted to select four finalists for the position.

NSHE has canceled or postponed board meetings since Rose’s hostile work complaint was made public, including a special counsel search committee meeting last month. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the full board is Dec. 2-3.

An independent third party is leading an investigation into Rose’s complaint.

In an Oct. 4 memorandum, Rose, who has been on the job since September 2020, outlined allegations against Carter and Board Chair Cathy McAdoo, saying she has experienced “abusive treatment” since late June when they assumed board leadership roles.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.