Brittnie T. Watkins
Courtesy Photo
On April 20, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced the appointment of Brittnie T. Watkins to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, effective May 3.
“I am confident Brittnie is the right person for this crucial appointment,” Sisolak said in a statement. “Brittnie's impressive educational background and legal experience in the gaming industry will make her an excellent addition to Nevada’s Gaming Control Board and to our State.
As Nevada’s gaming industry continues to recover from the pandemic, it’s critical that we remain the gold standard and operate with the highest integrity, and I am confident Brittnie will help us achieve that goal.”
Watkins joins the board after practicing commercial litigation as an attorney with Pisanelli Bice PLLC since 2016, according to an April 20 press release.
Her practice areas include various forms of hotel and gaming litigation at the trial and appellate levels. In 2020, she became the first Black woman to be elected to the State Bar of Nevada Board of Governors, which oversees the legal profession.
Before earning a place in The Best Lawyers in America as a practicing attorney, Watkins served as a judicial law clerk to Justice Michael L. Douglas (Ret.) of the Supreme Court of Nevada.
Watkins earned two bachelor’s degrees from Michigan State University. She also holds a master’s in criminal justice, Doctor of Philosophy in educational psychology, juris doctor, and Master of Laws in gaming and regulation from UNLV.
Her academic honors include selection to the Nevada Law Journal, the Dissertation of the Year Award, the Barbara Buckley Community Service Award, and the Roosevelt Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Scholarship and Leadership.
Watkins will replace Terry Johnson, who was originally appointed to the Nevada Gaming Control Board on Nov. 12, 2012, and was reappointed in 2017.
“I am grateful for Terry Johnson’s valued contributions, his longtime service, and for his willingness to lend his expertise to our great State,” Sisolak stated. “His dedication and continuity to this position has aided the Nevada Gaming Control Board in their efforts of working alongside the gaming industry throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I cannot thank Terry enough for his service to Nevada.”
