Presentations by USC Associate Athletic Director and Associate VP of Capital Construction
Reno – The USC Northern Nevada-Lake Tahoe Alumni Chapter will host its second Scholarship Gala on Friday, April 21, 2017 at Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, Nev.
Keynote speaker, Ron Orr, senior associate athletic director at USC will deliver an update on USC athletics. John Harmer, associate vice president of capital construction at USC and part-time resident of South Lake Tahoe, will provide a special presentation on new capital developments at USC.
Orr is the Founder of Swim with Mike and has served as the organization’s executive director for more than 36 years. Swim with Mike is an annual event to raise scholarship funds for physically challenged athletes, which has raised more than $18 million since its inception. Orr was an elite level, nationally ranked swimmer for El Monte Aquatics and San Gabriel High School when he was recruited by USC along with his best friend and teammate, Mike Nyeholt. Orr is a 6-time All American, USC record holder in the 1650 and was on three NCAA Championship teams. Orr handles annual giving operations, major gifts and Coliseum renovation fundraising for USC Athletics.
Harmer has more than 50 years of experience in design and construction of complex civil, infrastructure and building projects. He commenced his professional career as a design engineer and continued in this position for 25 years, progressing to become a Director of Macdonald Wagner and subsequently Connell Wagner, one of the most prestigious engineering consulting firms in Australia. For the last 25 years, Harmer has managed the programming, design and construction of domestic and international, public, private sector and institutional projects. At USC, he manages buildings currently under construction with a total cost of $1.4 billion.
In 2015, the USC Northern Nevada-Lake Tahoe Chapter raised $10,000 for local-area scholarships for USC students. The Scholarship Gala begins at 5:30 p.m. with social hour, and dinner starting at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $55 per person. There will be a live auction with Trojan memorabilia such as a USC football helmet signed by Head Coach Clay Helton, autographed USC footballs and premium game tickets for Texas, UCLA and Stanford. A silent auction and raffle for a coveted USC-University of Texas Game Weekender, which includes hotel, a $400 travel voucher, a pre-game party at the LA Coliseum and premium game tickets will also be held that evening (a $1,500 value). Raffle tickets are $50 each and the winner need not be present. Kristen Remington, KTVN news anchor and USC alumnae will host the event. For more information, visit EventBrite.com and search for USC in the Reno, Nev. section or visit the Chapter’s Facebook page at facebook.com/groups/USCNNVLT.