Commission For Women

Marla Turner is a native of Las Vegas who was raised in a musical family. A gifted classical pianist, she began performing at the age of six and teaching at the age of eleven. Although music was in her blood, community service was her calling. She began volunteering in the community at the age of nine and hasn’t stopped since.

She enjoyed a professional career as an oncology researcher and consultant for nearly 25 years. During that time, she served on the Nevada Cancer Coalition, which made the recommendation to use Nevada’s share of a national tobacco award to create the Millennium Scholarship. The scholarship program was enacted into law in 1999 and remains a staple for Nevada students to this day.

She has worked on many projects including women’s rights, reproductive rights, health care reform, marriage equality, the arts, education, public health, and more. In 2008 she co-founded Nations for Change, a grassroots training program that provided free or low-cost training/mentoring in the art of activism. She spent seven years as a volunteer for Aid for AIDS of Nevada “Buddy” to someone living with HIV/AIDS.

Marla is past-President of Emerge Nevada which trains women to run for public office. One hundred percent of her students won their legislative races in 2017, allowing Nevada to become the first female-majority legislature in the nation. She has worked on more than 100 political campaigns and helped the bill's sponsor secure Nevada’s passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in March 2017 and Equal Pay for Equal Work Act in March 2019. Additionally, Marla has served on numerous boards for both Clark County and the State of Nevada.

Today she is a Victim’s Advocate for Signs Of Hope, (formerly known as the Rape Crisis Center of Las Vegas), where she works with victims of sexual assault/harassment and provides them with the resources for healing, compensation, and prosecution.

Marla is the mother of two children and Grammy to three grandchildren. She loves music, crafting, gardening, photography, and dogs. She lives with her husband in North Las Vegas.

Emmy-nominated journalist, Jennifer Rogers Markwell, changed gears in her television career when she realized the need to help women and their finances. It started at home for Jennifer after her grandfather passed away and she wanted to help her grandmother make sense of investing.

Jennifer launched Platinum Wealth Management; a woman-run and women-led wealth management firm. She regularly hosts educational workshops to empower women to take charge of their investments. Her financial pedigree includes formerly being key financial advisor to more than $300 million under management. She is also very active in both state and local communities.

In addition to acting as President for Platinum Wealth Management, Jennifer currently serves as a State Commissioner for the Nevada Commission for Women and volunteers on the board for Girls Scouts of the Sierra Nevada. Jennifer Rogers Markwell was voted Sierra Nevada’s Top 20 Most Powerful Women by Northern Nevada Business Weekly in both 2018 and 2019.

Dionne is a Senior Human Resources Business Partner for Southern Glazer’s Wine, Spirits and Beer. During her time at Southern Glazer’s, she has advocated for and participated in community relations partnerships and Diversity and Inclusion initiatives nationwide. She is a founding member of CHEERS to Diversity, Nevada Chapter and CHEERS to Black Excellence, National Chapter. Prior to joining Southern Glazer’s in 2014, Dionne held similar roles at Downtown Grand & Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The foundation of Dionne’s professional background comes via an extensive career in retail sales management.

Dionne attended The George Washington University and was born and raised in our nation’s capital, Washington, DC. Dionne has been a proud resident of Las Vegas since 2000 and married her hometown sweetheart here in 2002. Since relocating to Las Vegas, Dionne has been an active member of our community most recently participating in Leadership Las Vegas class of 2020 and joining the Dress for Success Southern Nevada Board of Directors. As a proud mom of two teenage girls, she considers education and elevating women in the community as not only her passions, but her legacy.

Fun Facts: Dionne enjoys sports and music. She can be heard cheering our Vegas Golden Knights from afar and has an ongoing game of music “tag” with several fellow music lovers.

While attending the University of Arizona and Pima Community College, Celena began her career in the funeral profession in 1999, in Tucson, AZ. She quickly fell in love with the gratification of serving families in all capacities. She was promoted to General Manager of South Lawn Mortuary and Cemetery in 2002. During this time, she volunteered in many areas of her community.

In 2004, Celena found herself traveling a new path. She had recently divorced and become a single mother. With the intentions of providing a better life for herself and her son, she moved to Las Vegas, NV, allowing them both to be closer to family. She followed her passion for service in the funeral industry. She worked for Carriage Services from 2004 until 2011 as the Cemetery Manager. In 2011,
Celena was ready for a change, for growth. That year, Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries offered her an amazing opportunity to run their Affordable Cremation and Burial Service location. In 2013, upper management approached her with another opportunity to lead Palm Eastern Mortuary and Cemetery as their funeral home manager. In 2017, she was invited to manage Historic Palm Downtown Mortuary and Cemetery. And in 2019, she received the honor and responsibility to be the President of Palm Mortuaries and Cemeteries. As a Hispanic female, she feels immense pride for her contributions that helped diversify a historically male-dominated profession.

During her journey in Las Vegas, she became passionate about so many aspects of the Las Vegas community. In 2007, she began volunteering at her church, Green Valley Baptist, teaching Sunday school until 2020. She had a heart for the homeless community and participated in homeless outreach with the City of Las Vegas, Hope of Southern Nevada, LVMPD, and local business owners in the Corridor of Hope in 2008 and 2009. In 2012, she began volunteering for Nathan Adelson Hospice, the only non-profit hospice organization in Southern Nevada and in 2017, she began volunteering for youth centers in the Sherman Gardens and Marble Manor Westside neighborhoods, supporting and educating children from the ages of 5 to 18.

She currently serves on the Las Vegas Executive Association Board of Directors and supports and believes strongly in many organizations such as Nevada Donor Network, TIP of Southern Nevada, Jewish Nevada, Candlelighters of Southern Nevada, Nathan Adelson Hospice, Nevada Ballet Theatre, and the NAACP.

As an attorney specializing in government affairs, Erin brings a strong political background and several years of experience to Boyd Gaming’s government affairs team. She is responsible for the state and local policy that impacts the company in Nevada, California and Hawaii. She has lobbied full time at the Nevada legislature since 2005 and has developed a sophisticated understanding of the political process at both the state and local level.

Prior to joining Boyd Gaming, Erin was the Director of Government and Public Affairs for R&R Partners in Las Vegas, where she oversaw the development and execution of legislative agendas for the company’s Nevada clients, which covered a diverse set of policy issues, ranging from healthcare, telecom
and energy, to gaming and general business initiatives.

Before her time at R&R, Erin served as an associate attorney with the government affairs group of Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P. in Las Vegas, where she specialized in governmental affairs; political lobbying; and administrative and regulatory law for clients in the insurance, health care, energy, banking, taxation, and general business arenas.

From 2003 to 2005, she worked as a legislative correspondent for U.S. Senator Harry Reid in his Washington, D.C., office. In this role, she served as a liaison between the senator and his constituents, assisting Nevada residents with a wide variety of policy issues and legislation related to taxes, budget, labor, and housing.

Erin is a proud fifth-generation Nevadan who earned her B.S. in linguistics from Georgetown University in 2003, and her J.D. from California Western School of Law in 2008. She is a member of the State Bar of Nevada and the American Bar Association, and a City Council appointed member of the City of Henderson Charter Review Committee. She currently serves on the Board of the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities and the R&R Partners Foundation and is a member of both the Nevada Resort Association and Vegas Chamber’s Government Affairs Committees. Erin has provided pro bono lobbying and advocacy services to a variety of organizations, including Communities in Schools of Nevada, Nevada Humanities, and Three Square. Erin was recently named one of Vegas Inc.’s 40 under Forty honorees for 2021 and is an adjunct professor at the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law teaching advanced advocacy and legislative policy. She also enjoys spending time with her husband, Eric Midby, and their daughter, Mia.

Ms. Taylor’s impact in the government arena features her involvement with state, federal, and local organizations such as the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, Nevada Department of Transportation Advisory Working Group, the Nevada Women’s Business Center, U.S. Department of Labor-Women’s Bureau region 9, and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) southern Nevada chapter.

Her role as a state-appointed Commissioner for the Nevada Department of Business and Industry Commission on Minority Affairs demonstrates her ability to lead collaboratively and support initiatives that highlight the contributions of diverse communities for Nevada’s economic, business, and workforce
development sectors. Ms. Taylor applies a strategic, analytical, and creative approach to impact the growth and development of new and established woman-owned businesses in Nevada with her role at the Nevada Women’s Business Center and as a Board member with the National Association of Women Business Owners Southern Nevada chapter. She co-hosts the Urban Chamber of Commerce 88.1FM broadcast of the Commerce First Radio show to promote resources in Nevada’s small business communities.

To enhance her leadership skills, Ms. Taylor completed an in-depth leadership program at Harvard University to develop organizational leadership principles and practices. She is a Magna cum Laude graduate of Grambling State University with a bachelor’s degree in biology.

Victoria Ruiz-Marin is an organizing specialist under the Raiz program at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. Planned Parenthood is a nationwide trusted provider of reproductive and sexual health care, sex education, and a passionate advocate for policies that enable people to access lifesaving health care. In Las Vegas, the Rocky Mountains affiliate serves approximately 17,000 patients every year.

In her role as a Raiz organizing specialist, Victoria works with the Las Vegas community to bring attention to the issues that affect Latinxs, the barriers they face in accessing health care and sexual education, and to push public policies that protect access to health care for the vast identities within the Latinx community. This includes education through electoral, legislative, and local advocacy efforts.

Victoria grew up in the coastal state of Veracruz, Mexico, and has called Nevada home since her arrival to the United State at the age of eight. She is a student at the College of Southern Nevada studying to become a registered nurse.

In her spare time, Victoria enjoys taking her dog on hikes and spending time with her family and close friends.