Events

Neoma joined the DRP as Executive Director in August of 2022. Prior to that role, voters first elected Neoma to the Reno City Council in 2012 and she served in that role, as well as a Vice Mayor position for 10 years. While on City Council, Neoma represented an area of Northwest Reno that includes the Old Northwest, University of Nevada, Somersett and Verdi neighborhoods as well as parts of downtown Reno.

Neoma is putting her years of experience to work to help improve Downtown Reno.

Achievement Beyond Obstacles is a joint youth program with four Area 8 Rotary Clubs.  High School counselors and Principals select seniors who are on track to graduate despite enormous challenges in their life.  In this program, students spend a Leadership Weekend with professional coaches Dean and Rochelle Whellams, receive financial aid education and college mentoring, and guidance to help them with their next step in life. Every student who attended Leadership Weekend is invited to attend a Rotary meeting and bring a guest. We will hear a 3-minute presentation from them about their journey and what their plans are post high school. 

Dr. Caplovitz is a cognitive neuroscientist who researches the principles and neural mechanisms that underlie how humans (and octopuses) visually experience the world. He received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Dartmouth College and did post-doctoral training at Princeton University. He has nearly 30 years of pre-graduate, graduate and post-graduate experience researching the brain using a combination of behavioral and non-invasive neuroimaging techniques. In addition, Dr. Caplovitz has formal training in computational mathematics with a Master’s degree from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and has completed internships at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, AT&T Bell Laboratories and Lucent Technologies. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed empirical papers and has received funding for his research from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. He is currently a Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada Reno where he directs the C-Vision Laboratory and teaches classes on Statistics, Perception and the History of Neuroscience.

Nick Tscheekar leads fundraising for Volunteers of America’s programs in Northern Nevada, which are dedicated to moving people from homelessness to independence. 

Travis Sandefur is the VOA Regional Vice President of Northern Nevada. Prior to joining VOA’s staff, Travis served on the VOA Board of Directors for four years as a member and as the Vice Chair. He is a local business owner of Pangolin Café, and a dedicated advocate for the community.

Volunteers of America Northern California and Northern Nevada (VOA) moves people from homelessness to independence with love and dignity. VOA houses and shelters more than 1,000 people on any given night in the Reno-Sparks Area.

VOA offers a unique continuum of housing options and services for people who are experiencing homelessness or are struggling. Supports range from conducting outreach along the Truckee River in the downtown corridor to build rapport with people sleeping outside, to operating the Nevada Cares Campus emergency shelter, offering case management, and providing more than 400 units of affordable housing.