Emily Stevens

Emily Stevens is a member of the Clark County School District Board of Trustees in Nevada, representing District A. She assumed office on January 6, 2025. Her current term ends on January 1, 2029.

Stevens ran for election to the Clark County School District Board of Trustees to represent District A in Nevada. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Stevens completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Emily Stevens was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. She earned a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University in 2021. Her career experience includes working as a vice president. She has been affiliated with RIZE Credit Union.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Clark County School District Board of Trustees District A

Emily Stevens defeated Karl Catarata in the general election for Clark County School District Board of Trustees District A on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Emily Stevens (Nonpartisan)	58.2	82,451
	Karl Catarata (Nonpartisan)	41.8	59,322

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 141,773
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Clark County School District Board of Trustees District A

Emily Stevens and Karl Catarata defeated Mercedes McKinley, Anna Binder, and Rachel Puaina in the primary for Clark County School District Board of Trustees District A on June 11, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Emily Stevens (Nonpartisan)	25.7	10,818
✔		Karl Catarata (Nonpartisan)	24.8	10,457
		Mercedes McKinley (Nonpartisan)	17.8	7,472
	Submit photo	Anna Binder (Nonpartisan)	16.9	7,131
	Submit photo	Rachel Puaina (Nonpartisan)	14.8	6,211

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 42,089
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

To view Stevens's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Stevens in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Emily Stevens completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Stevens' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a mom, I am a professional, and I am a passionate member of the Southern Nevada Community. I am a proud mother of 2 boys. My oldest just graduated high school and is now serving in our United States Army. My youngest son is a senior in high school and is a musician and a wrestler. In my career, I am the Vice President of Business Development at Rize Credit Union. I oversee multiple departments and budgets and have the awesome opportunity of working with an amazing team! I love my community and try to give my time and energy where I can. I currently chair the board for the Academy of Finance at Clark High School, I sit on the advisory committee for Communities in Schools SNV, and I sit on a financial literacy committee at UNLV.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

School safety is a huge priority. This doesn't just mean keeping our facilities safe (though that is part of it). Our school district has weak policy on student discipline and accountability. As a result, disruptions turn into chaos and the students involved have learned that they can continue this poor behavior with little to no consequences. This makes for an environment that is not conducive to learning or teaching. There are more incidents of violence year after year and now we're seeing it more in our middle schools. CCSD Police is already stretched, and this is with 2 officers per high school (with none being able to permanently help in our middle schools). Investing more resources in this area would also be helpful.
Another major priority is educator retention. I believe if we can solve the "school safety" challenge, more educators would stay. Most teachers and support staff don't get into their career field with the expectation that they're going to be rich. They do it because they want to make a difference... they want to help our kids. When the school district doesn't provide a reasonable environment for them to do this, it can be very discouraging, and many end up leaving.
We have got to take a "deep dive" in the budget. Our school district carries the second largest budget in the state. Increasing support for safe schools and educator recruitment costs money. We need to ask the right questions, have audits performed, and be better stewards of taxpayer dollars.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education and Healthcare

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

There is a successful businessman in my community that I look up to. He once told me that he could get business by taking potential clients to the golf course, or he could serve on multiple community boards and be there for his community. He explained how serving his community was a better way to meet likeminded individuals while at the same time, becoming more passionate and engaged with the community he lives in. That's the kind of human I hope to be - a servant leader.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have business acumen. I am professional, I understand budgets and know what questions to ask, I manage teams of people, so I understand how to work with different personalities. I also know how to both encourage and provide accountability for those that I manage. These are necessary skillsets for this office. I am also a mother, and I can empathize with the families of the students that the school district serves.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11. I was a senior in high school. My parents had left for work, and I was downstairs grabbing a bit to eat while waiting for my ride. The TV was on... I remember just sitting there in silence, not fully understanding what had just happened or why. I will never forget it.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I got my first job at 17 years old. I was a courtesy clerk at Smith's. I did this for 2 years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Four Agreements. It's one of those books that you can read over and over again, because while the principles seem simple - living them daily is challenging. It's good to be reminded, so I try to read it often.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

Someone elected to this office must have experience in business and management. The Board of Trustees provide oversight of the school district. This includes working closely with the Superintendent, strategizing, and creating metrics to hold him/her accountable. This also includes knowing how to read a budget and understanding what questions to ask.

Who are your constituents?

The folks that reside in District A - Boulder City, Laughlin, Searchlight, and most of Henderson.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

Accountability is the biggest principle that drives my policies for safety in schools. Our classrooms have become chaotic. The students are running the classroom and there is no accountability. We do our kids a disservice when we teach them that their actions don't have consequences. That needs to change. When the school district can clearly define what the rules are and then enforce them consistently, classrooms will be less chaotic, our teachers can teach, our students can learn, and everyone will feel safer. We have to teach our students that accountability matters.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency and government accountability are a MUST. Our community is filled with hardworking families who give so much of their paycheck to the government. They deserve to know and understand where that money is going, and that the officials representing them are being financially responsible with those funds.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

External links

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Candidate

Clark County School District Board of Trustees District A

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2024

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2024

[1]

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Emily Stevens

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Clark County School District Board of Trustees District A

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Clark County School District Board of Trustees District A

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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Public Policy

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Get Engaged

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