Black and White Ball Committee

 

President

Jack Owens, RN BSN

CEO/President

A Doggie's Dream

Jack Owens, President  of the Black and White Ball of Northern Nevada holds a Bachelors of Nursing Degree from Brigham Young University.

Jack's involvement in the world of HIV/AIDS began in the early 80's .  His 8 year old nephew, Jason, a hemophiliac, was infected with the disease through a blood transfusion, which progressed to full blown AIDS.  Jason passed away at the age of 16 in 1989. 

Over the years Jack has worked in many areas of nursing, with a focus on helping men, women ,and children to live a "Positive" life with HIV/AIDS.  Jack began his career in the field of HIV medicine in 2005 at Northern Nevada HOPES.  He served as a community outreach nurse and later worked in the Northern NV HOPES clinic. While at HOPES clinic Jack began managing the "Consumer Advisory Panel".  This panel was given the task of being a voice for the clients of Northern NV HOPES.  Proudly this small group approached the Board of Directors with a request to take over a then defunct fund raising opportunity.  This was the beginning of the Black and White Ball of Northern Nevada.  Currently Jack works for Critical Care Systems. 

Vice-President

Lynda Murdock

Manor Care

A native of England and a proud American, Lynda has lived and worked in the Reno/ Sparks area for the last 19 years. In her current role as Corporate Education Liaison, Lynda helps adults to overcome barriers that stop them from reaching educational goals. "As a committee member, I am honored and excited to be part of a great group of people with a passion for a cause that is often overlooked in our community. We have a lot of opportunity to make sure that the many faces of AIDS, of all generations that live in our community, receive the help and support they desperately need."

Treasurer

Victor C. Rogers

Account Rep Manager, Sealed Air Corporation

Vic has been a long time supporter of the Black and White Ball of Northern Nevada.  His life has been affected through friends and loved ones who have contracted and lived with HIV/AIDS.  He is a native to Reno Nevada and has a degree in Business from the University of Nevada Reno.

Secretary

Richard Dalton

Originally from Los Angeles he participated in the first AIDS Walk LA in 1984. That same year he began working with the late Rev Sylvia Pennington ministering/giving pastoral support and care with people in the glbt communities our families and friends. Through Sylvia he met a new friend Mark Wilson who was living with HIV/AIDS. Mark was the first friend to die of AIDS in January, 1986.After moving to San Francisco in 1990 it was back to school to complete a BA in Philosophy & Religion from San Francisco State University. Richard worked with several glbt Christian organizations which ultimately lead to pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Pacific School of Religion in Berkley. He served as a Chaplain at Summit Medical Center downtown Oakland and later completed 4 units of Chaplain program [Clinical Pastoral Education] for one year at Stanford Medical Center serving at Packard Children’s Hospital on the Oncology & Hematology units and both hospitals when on-call.In 2003 Richard came to Reno to be the Interim Pastor MCC of the Sierras. Two years later he was installed as the pastor of the congregation. After the church closed, Richard continued to be involved with the community. One of his joys is working with Latino Pride New Generation the inspiration of his dear friend Nedy Tollerstad providing support to the lgbt Latino community family and friends.

Community Liaison

Ron Luschar

Mr. Luschar’s background includes 20 years in Sales and Marketing, 20 years in Construction including as a contractor, and 20+ years in the Emergency Medical Response field. Along side his 3 careers Ron has given thousands of hours of volunteer service. His focus with the Black & White Ball is bringing new patrons to the event. Ron is married to Dr. Trudy Larson.

Leonard Daigle