Ben Kieckhefer - President
Service. Experience. Success. Ben Kieckhefer epitomizes all three.
Chief of Staff to Governor Joe Lombardo. Nevada Gaming Commissioner. Nevada State Senator. Ben has spent most of his adult life in service to the state as a policymaker, regulator, and chief of staff. In those roles, he has developed an in-depth understanding of state government, policy-making, and politics. Most importantly, he knows how those three areas intersect and how to work them to advance an idea.
A native of Chicago, Ben moved to Nevada in 2003 to cover the Legislature for the Associated Press and stayed in journalism for several more years as a City Hall reporter for the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Ben quickly moved into state government as the press secretary and later communications director for Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons before spending two years inside a state agency as the public information officer for the Department of Health and Human Services.
Elected to the State Senate in 2010 and reelected twice, Ben spent nearly 12 years in the Legislature, focusing primarily on budget and tax policy, economic development, business issues, and education. In his six full legislative sessions, Ben sponsored and passed more than 35 pieces of legislation, despite being in the minority party for most of that time. During his tenure, Ben was chosen by his colleagues as Assistant Majority Leader and Assistant Minority Leader, as well as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
Following his legislative service, Ben was appointed by Governor Steve Sisolak to the Nevada Gaming Commission, the chief regulatory body overseeing Nevada’s largest industry.
After his election in 2022, Governor Joe Lombardo tapped Ben to be his first Chief of Staff, charging him with building out the office and cabinet, overseeing Legislative strategy, and managing all operations of the state during his first year in office. In that year, Governor Lombardo grew to become one of the country’s most popular governors.
Following his year as Chief of Staff, Ben opened BRK Nevada LLC to put his deep knowledge of state government to work for good people doing good things for Nevada.
Ben is married to the lovely April. They have two sets of boy-girl twins, as well as a couple of pugs, just to keep things interesting.
Tim Robb- Director of GSD
Public-sector strategist. Governor’s Office senior advisor , two administrations, different political parties. Homeland Security Advisor to Governor Joe Lombardo. Director of Strategic Initiatives. Director of the Governor’s Cabinet. Tim has built his career helping teams navigate Nevada’s policy, regulatory, and stakeholder landscape to get complex work done, especially when the stakes are high, the timelines are short, and the issues are public.
Most recently, Governor Lombardo tapped Tim to serve as Director of Strategic Initiatives and Homeland Security Advisor. In that role, Time led policy and operational coordination across the public safety, emergency management, information technology, cybersecurity, and the Nevada National Guard. He also worked extensively with critical infrastructure agencies and their regulators, including energy, water, and natural gas utilities, and managed state and local engagement with federal law enforcement and intelligence partners.
Before taking on the homeland security portfolio, Tim managed agencies spanning natural resources, wildlife, tourism, Native American affairs, and environmental regulations. Those portfolios required the same core skill set Nevada’s most import projects demand: credible process, durable relationships, and a clear understanding of how decisions move through the state.
Under Governor Steve Sisolak, Tim helped lead components of Nevada’s COVID-19 response and recovery. He later served as Director of the Governor’s Cabinet, coordinating cabinet-level policy discussions with state agencies and aligning cross-departmental priorities to keep government moving in one direction.
Tim has also been entrusted with statewide leadership roles outside the day-to-day operations of the Governor’s Office. He continues to serve as Chair of the Governor’s Cybersecurity Task Force, Chari of the Governor’s Interagency Advisory Council and Homelessness to Housing, and Nevada’s representative to the Rocky Mountain Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact. Previously, he served and governing and executive boards tied to Nevada’s fusion centers, federal task forces, and advisory boards, work that sharpened his ability to coordinate across jurisdictions, agencies, and sectors.
Tim is completing a Mast of Arts in Security Studies at the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security. His coursework focuses on the evolving homeland security and homeland defense landscape, and his research examines national security implications of the constraints int eh U.S. critical mineral supply chain. He remains engaged with NPS through a multidisciplinary publications and network examining homeland security and national security challenges in today’s geopolitical environment.
Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno with an emphasis on strategic communications, public relations, crisis communications, marketing and advertising. That foundation reinforces his public-sector leadership experience, helping clients shape clear narratives, engage stakeholders effectively, and communicate with credibility during high-visibility projects, legislative hearings, regulatory proceedings, and fast-moving issues.
