Wine, Dine, and Mastermind

Jon Ralston

Jon has been covering politics in Nevada for more than 35 years. His blog, Ralston Reports, was founded in 2012 and now lives on The Nevada Independent website. Jon wrote for the Las Vegas Review-Journal for 15 years, the last seven as a freelance columnist. In 1999, Greenspun Media Group purchased his political newsletter, The Ralston Report, and hired him as a columnist for the Las Vegas Sun where his byline appeared until September 2012. He was also a columnist for the Reno Gazette-Journal from January 2015 until November 2016, when he left to start The Indy.

Over the years, Jon has hosted several TV programs, including "Ralston Live" on Vegas PBS and "Ralston Reports" on KSNV News 3. He also writes and publishes a Nevada-centric email newsletter called "Flash" that frames the political agenda for the day, breaks news and offers analysis and snark. In 2012, Politico named Jon one of the Top 50 "Politicos to Watch." He frequently appears on MSNBC, FOX News, and PBS, and he has also appeared on NBC's long-running "Meet the Press."

Tom Burns

Governor Joe Lombardo appointed Tom Burns as the Director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) on January 30^th, 2023.

Burns started his career by attaining his Certified Public Accountant designation with Deloitte and was subsequently the Assistant Corporate Controller at United Gaming, the predecessor of Light & Wonder. For more than 30 years he was an insurance executive in Southern Nevada, specializing in commercial insurance surety.

Burns has served on numerous professional boards, including charitable organizations and government-appointed committees. He served on the Government Affairs Committees and Board of Trustees for numerous civic and trade group organizations including: the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce where he also served as chair for two years beginning in 2020. He was named to the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance Board in 2023.