The Golden Apple Gala
January 4, 2025
Thank you to the donors, community members, and educators who joined us at the Public Education Foundation’s Golden Apple Gala!
Our 2025 Honorees!
Bo Bernhard, Ph.D.
VP of Economic Development and Professor, UNLV
Bo Bernhard
VP of Economic Development and Professor, UNLV
A fifth-generation Nevadan, Dr. Bo Bernhard happily calls Las Vegas home, but he works often in jurisdictions as diverse as South Africa, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Macao, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Portugal, Albania, Austria, Greece, England, Mexico, and Canada – as well as dozens of states in the U.S.
Dr. Bernhard began his research career at Harvard University, where as an undergraduate he completed a double major (sociology and psychology) magna cum laude thesis on the socio-economic impacts of the Las Vegas Strip – while captaining the baseball team, winning the Louis G. Williams outstanding player award on the nationally-ranked soccer team, earning honorable mention All-America status, and garnering “Academic All-Ivy League” honors in the classroom. The foundations of Bo’s undergraduate thesis have since been extended worldwide, and by the age of 30, Dr. Bernhard had delivered major research addresses on six continents.
After earning his doctoral degree in 2002, Dr. Bernhard was named the inaugural Research Director at the UNLV International Gaming Institute (IGI), and he was awarded a dual professorship in hotel management and sociology. In 2013, he was named Executive Director at the IGI, where he developed and oversaw all academic and business functions. Under his leadership, the organization grew from two employees to 51, with four “centers of excellence” in areas of strategic need in the gaming-hospitality-tourism sector (innovation, policy/regulation, diversity in leadership, and problem/responsible gaming).
In 2021, he was named a university vice president in charge of UNLV’s economic development functions, including the new Harry Reid Research and Technology Park campus, its Black Fire Innovation hub, and the UNLV Incubator (UNLV INC), powered by the Hughes Center and Blackstone.
Representing the university in these roles, Dr. Bernhard has delivered over 300 keynote addresses in government, business, and policy settings. His projects have been prominently featured in local and national media outlets (including The New York Times, The Discovery Channel, The Australian Broadcasting Channel, The History Channel, CNN, PBS, NPR, and all three major US networks). These efforts have earned him several awards: in 2007, his focus on globalization earned him the World Affairs Council’s International Educator of the Year award; in 2008, he was given the UNLV Hotel College’s top research award, the Boyd Award for Research; in 2009, he was given the Hotel College’s top teaching award; in 2010, he was named a Lincy Fellow at Brookings Mountain West; and in 2013 he was given the university-wide Barrick Scholar Award and the hotel college’s Denken Career Award for research. After winning the university-wide Spanos Teaching Award, in 2017, he was also awarded the university’s top research distinction, the Harry Reid Silver State Research Award, making him the only individual in the history of UNLV to win these top research and teaching awards at UNLV. In 2022, the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA), the region’s economic development agency, gave him the “Leadership Award” for excellence in economic development. Since 2016, Dr. Bernhard has held the University of Nevada, Reno Philip G. Satre Chair, the most prestigious chair in the gaming field, giving him faculty status at both of the state’s major research universities. Most recently, ESPN and the New York Times both profiled Dr. Bernhard for his rare research-based academic impact in helping bring the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas, in a manner that effectively countered long-harbored doubts about the city’s viability and integrity.
A highly sought-after speaker and business consultant, Dr. Bernhard has also worked for more than two decades with Fortune 500 CEOs and leaders throughout the hospitality and entertainment industries. These engagements include projects that span six continents for clients like Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, IGT, Hard Rock International, Caesars Entertainment, the Las Vegas Raiders, and MGM.
Dr. Bernhard is bilingual (English and Spanish), and spends his spare time playing sports and watching games with his daughters Audrey and Ava.
Adrian Gonzalez
Founder, Country Bars
Adrian Gonzalez
Founder, Country Bars
Adrian Gonzalez was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2024, he graduated from Northwest Career and Technical Academy, having also attended Dr. Claude G. Perkins Elementary School and Lied Middle School.
Adrian’s journey into entrepreneurship began with a middle school candy business, where he first learned about profit margins and customer demand. This foundation set the stage for his high school senior project, which became the launching point for his first official venture: Country Bars, a natural soap brand. Country Bars was born out of a desire to provide an alternative to store-bought soaps filled with harmful chemicals, offering a product made from natural oils and goat milk, a key ingredient derived from Adrian’s own goats.
Adrian credits his family, particularly his father and his two grandfathers, Heriberto and Miguel, as his role models. Adrian’s father exemplified hard work and sacrifice, inspiring Adrian to pursue his dreams and give back to his family. Heriberto’s journey from Mexico to the U.S. at 16 and his success in building a carbide-cutting tool business taught Adrian the power of knowledge. Meanwhile, Miguel, a farmer in Mexico, taught Adrian everything he knew about animals and instilled his love for them.
Though Adrian initially viewed tasks like feeding and caring for animals as a chore, he grew to appreciate their role in his life and cherish their presence. His family’s goats not only sparked his business idea but also became an integral part of his life, fueling his mission to create products that are good for both people and the planet.
Despite facing challenges such as spreading awareness of Country Bars, Adrian has embraced social media marketing and craft shows, offering samples to win over customers. Currently, he is on a mission to increase sales, expand into retail and e-commerce, and enhance his brand’s online presence. In the long term, Adrian envisions owning a ranch to supply milk for Country Bars, creating jobs through a small factory, and achieving financial independence to support his family and community.
Adrian’s hard work and determination have not gone unnoticed. His senior project earned first place at Northwest CTA, awarded by his peers and staff. He has also been honored by the Public Education Foundation as the Emerging CCSD Alumni of the Year awardee at the prestigious Golden Apple Gala.
Adrian Gonzalez is not only a young entrepreneur but an exemplification of the values of hard work, innovation, and family dedication.
Alex Bybee
Founder and Principal, Bybee Co.
Alex Bybee
Founder and Principal, Bybee Co.
Alex Bybee has over a decade of experience in strategy, electoral campaigns, advocacy, communications, and stakeholder engagement. He blends these skills to drive positive change in people’s lives across Nevada. As the founder and principal of Bybee Co., he consults with a variety of clients focused on issues ranging from public education, mass-violence recovery, climate and environment, and social services.
He most recently served as the Chief Strategy Officer for Communities In Schools of Nevada, where he worked for over four years, and with whom he continues to consult. Alex leads with compassion, authenticity, and integrity, aligning his actions with his core values while fostering cultures where individuals and teams thrive. This approach has helped him drive meaningful, lasting impact, including:
- Leading a turnaround political campaign that began with highly unfavorable
polling to win 57% of the vote, securing a new, permanent revenue stream to
build and repair public school buildings in Washoe County, generating $1 billion
in the first decade. - Securing $25 million in funding for Communities In Schools of Nevada, across
local, state & federal jurisdictions, supporting the tripling of the organization’s
budget to expand its evidence-based Integrated Student Supports programming
to more high-needs schools. - Building and participating in diverse coalitions to advocate for bipartisan laws in
Nevada, including the implementation of a weighted student funding formula and
the preservation of the use of student outcomes in teacher evaluations.
Alex also leads more broadly across the nonprofit sector, having served on the committee for Nonprofit & Philanthropy Day at the Legislature during the 2021 and 2023 sessions, advising the United Way of Southern Nevada on convening the nonprofit sector and government agencies during the pandemic, and organizing the coalition of partners who successfully won the competitive U.S. Department of Education Full- Service Community Schools grant.
In addition to his professional work, Alex is deeply engaged in his community through board service, including with the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities, the nonprofit newsroom The Nevada Independent, and the LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada.
Alex is a graduate of Bonanza High School in the Clark County School District and the University of Nevada, Reno where he received his B.A. in Political Science and served in student government.
A proud Nevadan, Alex enjoys the natural beauty of Red Rock Canyon, the architectural wonder and performing arts of The Smith Center, and the vibrancy of the Las Vegas Strip. He is married to his husband of three years, C.J. Neff, where they reside in Summerlin with their German Shepherd, Cody.
2025 Valedictorian Level
Thank you to our 2025 sponsors
