Distinguished Nevadan Award

The Distinguished Nevadan award recognizes prominent individuals who have made significant contributions to the cultural, economic, scientific, or social advancement of Nevada and its people.

Hannah Brown

In January 1945, six-year-old Hannah Brown and her mother relocated to Las Vegas. She became a reservations sales agent for Western Airlines in 1968, where she broke new ground for on-the-job cultural diversity, before eventually returning to Las Vegas in 1994. Brown was elected president of the Urban Chamber of Commerce (UCC) in 1999, a position she successfully held for eight years. With her guidance, the Asian, Latin, and Urban Chambers began hosting combined luncheons, setting attendance records. In September 2007, the UCC Board of Directors named Brown president emerita in recognition of her 10 years of service, and in 2009, she was honored with the creation of a 501(c)(3) named the Hannah Brown Community Development Corporation. She worked with the Las Vegas Centennial Commission in 2010 to garner a $4 million grant to refurbish the Historic Westside School. In October 2020, CCSD’s School Naming Committee voted to name an elementary school in her honor. The Hannah Marie Brown Elementary School will open in August 2021. Brown has been the recipient of many prestigious honors and awards for her tireless work.