Our Mission |
Giving hope to individuals and families in Nevada affected by neurodevelopmental disorders, including but not limited to autism, by providing education, support and/or opportunities that will have a meaningful impact.
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Our Staff
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Maricela Gutierrez Rodriguez | Executive Director
Maricela was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She is a first-generation Mexican-American fluent in Spanish and functional American Sign Language. Maricela graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in Communication Disorders in 2014. Maricela has worked in community-based organizations for over five years specializing in program management, education and training. She has been working with families and individuals with disabilities both locally and worldwide for the past eight years. Maricela brings her passion for community engagement and inclusion to the JUSTin HOPE Foundation. |
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Brian Vasquez | MSW Student Intern
Brian Vasquez grew up in Southern California and relocated to Reno after graduating high school. He graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a BA in Psychology in 2019 and is now pursuing his Master of Social Work. Brian has a passion for helping others and has worked as a Registered Behavior Technician where he provided treatment to children and teenagers diagnosed with autism, and volunteers as a crisis counselor. After graduating, he plans on working with families to provide mental health services and implement strategies to tackle any barriers they encounter. Brian is excited to intern at JUSTin HOPE because of its dedication to supporting families, providing education to build a more inclusive community, and most importantly bringing hope. |
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Yasmin Rodriguez | BSW Student Intern
Having relocated to the Reno area is 2018, learning about community resources and support available was challenging. The JUSTin HOPE Foundation does just that, connect individuals and families to community resources and support. As a first-generation Mexican-American, I understand the importance of having functional services in Spanish in order to reach a broader community. I am excited to intern with the JUSTin HOPE Foundation to provide community training and education in both Spanish and English. |
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Carla Hernandez | Community Outreach Intern
Carla, was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She will be graduating with her degree in Sociology and a minor in Communications. She is a proud first-generation Mexican-American and hopes to ultimately have a career in community outreach and to be able to help others. “Having volunteered with nonprofits in the past, I have developed such a strong passion for the work they provide to people with many diverse backgrounds and needs.” Carla is extremely eager to intern with the JUSTin HOPE Foundation because of its desire to create an overall better community regardless of differences or obstacles. |
Board of Directors
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Mitch Laughton | Chair
The Laughton Co. Mitch is the president of The Laughton Company, an insurance brokerage and investment advisory firm. Mitch has spent more than 30 years specializing in advising businesses and individuals on their Health and their Wealth. His goal is to assist in designing a blueprint for success with business owners as they build their financial fortress. With his unique experience in Employee Benefit, Executive Benefit, and Retirement Benefit planning , the team at the Laughton Company delivers programs that can combine sponsored programs with individual planning to meet personal goals. Mitch graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's of science in business. Mitch and his wife Galen have been married for 29 years. They have two sets of twins: Carter, Kelsey, Sydney, and Shayna. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, golf, skiing, fishing, music, and sports |
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Darrell Plummer | Past-Chair
Sierra Nevada Properties Darrell is an owner/broker of Sierra Nevada Properties. A fourth-generation Nevadan. Darrell is a 1984 graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in business administration with a special emphasis in finance and a minor in economics. Darrell has been the past president or chair of numerous professional boards and is currently the chair for the Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce. He is the recipient of the 1992 College of Business Outstanding Alumnus Award and the 2017 recipient of the Nevada Alumni Association Professional Achievement Award, which is awarded for outstanding records of distinguished career accomplishments and contributions to their profession. |
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Beth Farley | Treasurer
Eide Bailey Beth is a partner at Eide Bailey LLP, a national top 25 CPA firm. Beth is an experienced accountant who specializes in nonprofits, churches, governments, contractors, and small businesses. Beth works with her clients to make sure they understand their financials and develop tools that strengthen their business or organization. She prides herself in making sure clients receive professional service and valuable information. Outside of work, Beth is married to Mike, and they have two daughters. As a family, they enjoy spending time with family and friends camping, hiking, and relaxing. Beth has lived in Northern Nevada since 1997 and is a UNR graduate. |
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Carol Reitz | Co-Founder
Sierra Nevada Chocolates Carol grew up in Southern California, where she met Art nearly 30 years ago. She graduated from Lee College of Court Reporting in 1999, and now would never leave "home." She completed the Nevada Leadership Education in Neurodevelopment Disabilities, Partners in Policymaking, and is a certified Nonviolent Crisis Intervention instructor. She is also the owner of Sierra Nevada Chocolates. The business was purchased so that Justin and others can be trained to become contributing members of our society. Carol enjoys running and hanging out with her four extraordinary boys: Kyle, Justin, Riley, and Art. Her passion is to continue to build a community of support and engagement for all individuals and families with special needs. |
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Art Reitz | Co-Founder
Reno Fire Department Art is the co-founder of the JUSTin Hope Foundation. He is Justin's father and has been married to Carol for almost 20 years. He has been employed with the City of Reno Fire Department for the past 17 years. He is the recipient of the 2014-2015 Community Service Award from Firehouse Magazine and the Northern Nevada Red Cross Real Heroes Community Impact Award for 2014. |
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Ray Pezonella
Pezonella Associates |
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Karen Purcell
PK Electrical, Inc. Karen Purcell, P.E., is the founder, owner, and president of PK Electrical, Inc., an electrical engineering, design, and consulting firm with offices in Reno, NV and Denver, CO. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Widener University in Pennsylvania. Ms. Purcell has more than 30 years of experience in electrical engineering. She draws on her successful engineering experience to inspire young women to enter into and remain in science, technology, engineering and math related careers with full confidence, knowing that she did it, other women have done it, and that they are unquestionably our leaders of tomorrow. Ms. Purcell is a Nevada Women’s Fund board member, served as the Event Chair for the 2016 Salute to Women of Achievement, and has received numerous awards in her profession. |
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Meredith Williams
United Federal Credit Union Market Vice President for United Federal Credit Union, responsible for growing the Nevada Market through engaging and developing her employees and the community. Meredith has over 23 years of financial service industry experience in the Reno and Carson City, NV area and also serves the community as a board member and Big Sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern NV. |
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Brandon Gottier
BDG Web Design Brandon is the founder and owner of BDG Web Design, a web development firm in Reno, NV. BDG’s main focus is custom web development and mobile applications. Brandon enjoys being able to work with other small businesses in the area to develop systems and create solutions to help his clients succeed. Brandon grew up in Washington state and moved to Nevada to play baseball at the University of Nevada Reno in 2002. In 2005, Brandon graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in Business Information Systems. In his spare time, he enjoys playing sports, camping, hiking and spending time with his wife and two daughters. |
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Lindsay Diamond
University of Nevada, Reno Dr. Diamond is an Assistant Professor of Special Education in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Diamond teaches courses at the graduate level and is the Project Director for The Nevada Collaborative: Interdisciplinary Training to Improve Educational Opportunities for Young Children with Autism (NVC). NVC is an interdisciplinary personnel preparation program funded by the United States Department of Education (USDOE) through the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to address state-wide shortages of qualified personnel serving young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have high-intensity needs by training Early Childhood Special Educators (ECSE) and Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) scholars. Prior to this position, she worked with young children with high and low incidence disabilities at the elementary level as a teacher and a new teacher mentor. Her current research interests are surrounding the availability of quality early childhood and special education services for young children, interdisciplinary training programs, instructional approaches to teaching problem solving, both in school and out of school supports for families and children, and disability awareness among police officers. |
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Meagan Noin
MN | G Partners, Inc. |
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Ryan Gaumer
Lead Dog Brewing Co. |