EDUCATION
• From serving as an instructor to help Nevadans maintain good health as they age to overseeing a multimillion-dollar federal nutrition grant, Macy Helm has consistently stepped up to meet the moment and support the mission at the University of Nevada, Reno Extension.
She now steps into a newly created role as Extension’s director of statewide program initiatives, a position designed to strengthen alignment across programs and better demonstrate Extension’s impact throughout Nevada.
Helm joined Extension in 2020 as an instructor with the Healthy Aging Initiative and steadily advanced through a series of leadership roles. As the federal nutrition education coordinator, she oversaw $4 million annually in federal-funded programs that teach people how to make their federal food assistance benefits stretch further, how to shop for and cook healthy meals, and how to stay physically active. This included programs under the umbrellas of SNAP-Ed and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Program, both federal programs that serve these purposes and administer funds to states.
In her new role, Helm will provide strategic direction and administrative oversight to sharpen evaluation methods and reporting systems and to create a data system that provides better program insights in order to help guide future programming that supports communities. The role also adds administrative capacity to pursue collaborative, large-scale initiatives that benefit communities across Nevada.
Jake DeDecker, Extension director, said Helm’s leadership makes her a natural fit for the role.
“Macy brings leadership, operational coordination and a deep commitment to our mission,” DeDecker said. “Her ability to connect community impact with statewide systems makes her incredibly valuable to Extension and to Nevada.”
Prior to her roles at Extension, Helm worked as a nutrition educator with Three Square Food Bank in Southern Nevada, and before that, in financial services in New York City. She credits those experiences with building transferable skills in budgeting, administration and partnership development. Helm holds two undergraduate degrees: one in the history, philosophy and social studies of science and medicine; and a second in nutrition sciences. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary health sciences at UNLV.
The University of Nevada, Reno is a public research university. As a Nevada land-grant university founded in 1874, the University serves 21,000 students. The University is a comprehensive, doctoral university, classified as an R1 institution with very high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Additionally, it has attained the prestigious “Carnegie Engaged” classification, reflecting its student and institutional impact on civic engagement and service, fostered by extensive community and statewide collaborations. More than $800 million in advanced labs, residence halls and facilities has been invested on campus since 2009. It is home to the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and Wolf Pack Athletics, maintains a statewide outreach mission and presence through programs such as the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Small Business Development Center, Nevada Seismological Laboratory, and is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education. For more information, visit unr.edu.
MARKETING
• The Firm Public Relations & Marketing (The Firm) Senior Vice President Jasen Woehrle has earned a digital marketing science certification through University of Nevada, Las Vegas Lifelong Learning program. This credential strengthens the agency’s ability to deliver data-driven results in an increasingly technical media landscape.
The digital marketing science coursework focuses on the intersection of traditional brand awareness and modern data analytics. The curriculum covers search engine optimization, search engine marketing, web analytics and consumer data insights. Woehrle intends to use these technical takeaways to refine the agency’s multi-channel marketing efforts and guide internal professional development initiatives.
As part of the accreditation, Woehrle also secured certifications for Google Ads Search, Google Analytics and Hubspot Email Marketing.
Woehrle has been a member of The Firm’s leadership team for nearly 20 years. He joined the agency in 2006 as a senior public relations specialist and rose to vice president in 2008. He has served as senior vice president since 2013. Throughout his tenure, he has managed comprehensive communications strategies for clients across the nonprofit, gaming, real estate and health care sectors, among others.
The Firm Public Relations & Marketing specializes in strategic planning, corporate communications and public affairs, media and influencer relations, media and public speaking training, social media and digital marketing and event management for industries including health care, hospitality and food/beverage, education, casino/gaming, luxury and retail, mining, real estate and development and nonprofit. Founded in 1993 and based in Las Vegas, The Firm is a founding member of PR Consultants Group, a national affiliation of public relations firms. For additional information about The Firm and its services, visit thefirmpr.com, follow and interact with The Firm on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
REAL ESTATE
• NAIOP Southern Nevada, the commercial real estate development association in the Las Vegas area, recognized industry excellence recently at its 29th annual Spotlight Awards.
The organization’s signature event was held Feb. 28 at Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa, celebrating outstanding achievements in office, industrial, retail and mixed-use real estate during 2025. The entertainment-themed gala drew hundreds of industry leaders and guests.
NAIOP honored the following 2026 Spotlight Award recipients:
— Retail Tenant Improvement: Prowl Cocktail Bar, Neon Fabulous, LLC
— Retail Building: Ashley at the Curve; Hodgdon Group, developer; Ashley Furniture, owner
— Retail Center: Downtown Summerlin Grocery Anchored Retail Center, Howard Hughes Communities
— Hospitality Tenant Improvement: Bob Marley Hope Road Experience at Mandalay Bay, Trenchtown Productions Entertainment
— Healthcare Building: Culinary Health Center Craig, Culinary Health Fund
— Multi-Family Project, Ainsley @ Paradise Apartments, The Calida Group
— Special Use, city of Las Vegas / CSN Historic Westside Education and Training Center , city of Las Vegas
— Special Use — Special Recognition: Credit One Bank Navigation Center, operated by Family Promise , Grand Canyon Development Partners
— Office Tenant Improvement Under 20,000 Square Feet: MidFirst Bank, MidFirst Bank
— Office Tenant Improvement Over 20,000 Square Feet: Snell & Wilmer, Snell & Wilmer
— Industrial Tenant Improvement: Cosentino North America Las Vegas Center, Panattoni Development Co.
— Industrial Building Build to Suit: Desert Inn Distribution Center, Prologis
— Industrial Building Spec Under 150,000 Square Feet: Southwest Beltway Commerce Center - Building B , Schnitzer Properties
— Industrial Building Spec 150,000 to 300,000 Square Feet: Nellis Commerce Center, Panattoni Development Co.
— Industrial Building Spec Over 300,000 Square Feet: Oasis Commerce Center, Panattoni Development Co.
Industrial Park
— Windsor Commerce Park: Lincoln Property Co.
— Financial Firm of the Year: First Savings Bank
— Engineering Firm of the Year: Kimley-Horn
— Brokerage Firm of the Year: CBRE
— Property Management : CBRE
— Architecture Firm of the Year: EV&A Architects
— General Contracting Firm of the Year: Martin-Harris Construction
— Broker of the Year - Industrial Higgins Toft Zaher Industrial Team | CBRE
— Broker of the Year - Office, Martin Gottesman Team | CBRE
— Broker of the Year - Retail, CNR Retail | CAST
— Developing Leader of the Year, Megan McInerney
— Developer of the Year, Prologis
— Ellie Shattuck Award, Kevin Buckley (awarded posthumously)
— Associate Member of the Year, Gitana Cafasso
— Principal Member of the Year, Phillip Dunning
— Lifetime Achievement, Jay Heller
NAIOP Southern Nevada is a chapter of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, and it comprises more than 800 members serving the Southern Nevada market. NAIOP is the leading organization for developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial, retail and mixed-use real estate, with more than 21,000 members in North America. NAIOP advances responsible commercial real estate development and advocates for effective public policy. For more information, visit naiopnv.org. For more information on NAIOP corporate, visit naiop.org.
