Meet the Board of Trustees

Sheila Moulton was appointed to the Library District's Board of Trustees by the Clark County Commission. She previously served as a trustee on the Clark County School District Board. Ms. Moulton loves to share books that she enjoys with friends and family. Some of her favorite types of books include autobiographies, biographies, and historical novels. Her term will run through August 2019.

 

 

Mr. Felipe A. Ortiz is Special Assistant to Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Coffin. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico, and a Master of Public Administration from UNLV. A retired federal probation officer, Mr. Ortiz was appointed by the Las Vegas City Council and his term expires in April 2021. He enjoys reading presidential biographies and crime fiction.

 

 

Elizabeth Foyt's family moved to Las Vegas in 1957. As a young girl in Las Vegas, some of her fondest memories are family trips to the local library. Her life's careers as a librarian, editor, writer, and consultant have been bolstered by the concept of free access to information and resources. Ms. Foyt is a voracious reader and great believer in the value of public libraries. She adores the books about horse racing written by the late Dick Francis. Appointed by the Clark County Board of Commissioners, her term expires March 2021.

 

 

Ms. Wadley-Munier was appointed by the City of Las Vegas to fill the unexpired term of M. Frances Barron. The liaison to Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian, Ms. Wadley-Munier is a lifelong library user and is passionate about books and reading. She enjoys biographies of American history-makers, and her favorite author is John Grisham. Her term will run through April 2021.

 

 

Kelly D. Benavidez is liaison to Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly. Having previously served as chair on the Library Board, her other community involvement has included work for the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce, Hispanics in Politics, and the Latina Network to name a few. Ms. Benavidez is a fan of Chicano writers, and her favorite book is Rain of Gold by Victor Villaseñor. She was appointed by the Clark County Board of Commissions and her term expires in March 2021.

 

 

Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod was appointed by the Clark County Commission. She brings to the Board a passion for education and a commitment to service to others. She loves to learn about different time periods by reading Historical Fiction, and Jane Austen is one of her favorite authors. Her term will run through March 1, 2021.

 

 

Mrs. Drake has served 30 years as an academic school librarian in Las Vegas. She was born and raised in Iowa and has lived in Las Vegas for 32 years. Her favorite books growing up were Wuthering Heights and The Count of Monte Cristo, and she enjoys young adult series as well as humor by authors like Fanny Flagg. Pictures books are her weakness, as they combine her love of art (she began as an art teacher) and literature. Her terms ends in 2021.

 

 

Mr. Meléndrez was appointed to the Library District's Board of Trustees by the Las Vegas City Council in March 2015. He is the Executive Director for Community Partnerships at the UNLV School of Community Health Sciences and he received a Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan. His term will run through March 2019.

 

 

Geno Withelder was born and raised in East Central Pennsylvania. While serving in the U.S. Navy, he lived in several states, including California. Once discharged, he returned to California and entered the hospitality industry, working in a high-profile French restaurant. Since moving to Mesquite in 2002, he has been very active in the community, and served on the city council for 10 years. Geno has been a licensed realtor since 1981 and a real estate broker in Nevada since 2005. He loves to read cookbooks and has about 1,000 in his personal collection. Appointed by the Clark County Board of Commissioners, his term expires March 5, 2019.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Ronald R. Heezen comes to the Library District from Shreve Memorial Library where he was Executive Director since 2009. Among his leadership positions were Director of the Frisco Public Library in Frisco, Texas, and the Executive Director of the Omaha Public Library. Dr. Heezen has been recognized with numerous honors and awards, and has been published in many professional journals. Dr. Heezen enjoys reading history, mystery, and science fiction and includes among his many favorite authors J.R.R. Tolkein, Sue Grafton, Robert Heinlein, Dean Koontz and Thomas Kuhn, and Malcolm Gladwell.