Former Nevada Assemblywoman Irene Bustamante Adams is the new Chief Strategy Officer for Workforce Connections, Southern Nevada’s Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB).
In the role, Bustamante Adams will oversee the One-Stop Career Centers expansion in local libraries, while creating an integrated workforce system to support the growth of in-demand industries as identified by Nevada’s Economic Development Plan.
Bustamante Adams has a strong history in both hospitality and politics. She worked 18 years at MGM Resorts International, working her way up from clerk to corporate. In addition, Bustamante Adams represented District 42 in the Nevada Assembly from 2010 to 2018, serving as Speaker Pro Tempore in her last leadership role.
Education is important to Bustamante Adams. She was raised in the farming community of Kerman, California and worked the agricultural fields along side her siblings. She was the first in her family to attend and graduate college, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from California State University, Fresno. In 2007, Bustamante Adams became the first Latina in Nevada history to earn an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degree from UNLV.
Bustamante Adams currently serves on the boards and councils of the Nevada Commission on Service, United Way of Southern Nevada and Uplift Foundation of Nevada.
She is married to Army Sergeant Brad Adams, and has two daughters, Olivia and Alaina.
About Workforce Connections (WC): WC convenes the public workforce development system in Southern Nevada. As the Local Workforce Development Board, WC connects employers to a ready workforce through a network of One-Stop Career Centers that provide education, training and employment opportunities. For more information on these resources visit: www.nvcareercenter.org.