Kenny Guinn began actively campaigning for governor of Nevada in 1996.

It continues a tradition of service to the people of Nevada that began 34 years ago. In that time, Kenny has been a leader in education, business and his community. It is this experience of result-oriented leadership that Kenny will draw upon in his candidacy for Nevada's top statewide office.

Kenny, 61, spent his boyhood in the small Central Valley town of Exeter, California where he met Dema, his wife of 42 years. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Physical Education from Fresno State University and later obtained a doctorate in Education from Utah State University in Logan. Kenny, Dema and their oldest son, Jeff, moved to Las Vegas in 1964

where Kenny went to work for the Clark County School District as a planning specialist. Within five short years, Kenny was named Superintendent of Schools in Clark County and served with distinction in that position until 1978. During Kenny's tenure with the school district, the Guinn's second son, Steve was born.

In his work in Clark County's school district, Kenny was recognized as an effective administrator committed to educational excellence at a time when the county was experiencing exponential student growth. His service to Clark County students was honored when Kenny C. Guinn Junior High School was named for him.

In 1978, Kenny began applying his management skills in business as Administrative Vice President for PriMerit Bank in Las Vegas. At PriMerit, he quickly advanced through management ranks and, in 1987, was appointed as Chairman of the Board

of Directors of the Las Vegas-based bank. Soon thereafter, Kenny was recruited to the energy business as the President of Southwest Gas Corporation and eventually became Chairman of the Board of Directors of that utility in 1993.

In 1994, Kenny was recruited by the University of Nevada Board of Regents to serve as interim President of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. During that challenging year, working for a salary of $1.00, Kenny restored credibility to the university's prestigious basketball program as well as instituting administrative and policy initiatives to enable the school to continue its growing success as an urban university.

In addition to his one-year stint at UNLV, Kenny served the state in leadership roles on a variety of committees and commissions, including the Clark County Community College Advisory Committee, the UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees, the White House Conference on Children and Youth, the Las Vegas Citizens Advisory Committee on Downtown Development, the Governor's Commission on Government Reorganization, the Metropolitan Police Fiscal Affairs Committee, the Nevada Educational Development Council and the Advisory Group for Civil Justice Reform.

Kenny has also worked in his community in a variety of volunteer roles, ranging from involvement in the Boy Scouts and Pop Warner Football to the United Way of Southern Nevada and the Southern Nevada Independent Youth Athletic Association.

Kenny and Dema have two sons, Jeff and Steve, and four grandchildren.

Kenny Guinn can be reached at 528 S. Decatur Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada 89107.