Rick Darnold

Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

As the newest member of our senior leadership team, Rick directs the financial affairs of the organization and oversees Information Technology, Human Resources and Ticketing.

Prior to joining The Smith Center, Rick held diversified senior leadership positions for Boyd Gaming Corporation, most recently as Senior Vice President of Business Improvement. While there, he stewarded significant operational and structural improvement initiatives which touched almost every aspect of Boyd’s corporate support and property operations. He also had responsibility for many of Boyd’s acquisitions in the Midwest and the South. During his time with Boyd, the company grew from four properties in Nevada to 29 properties in ten states.

After leaving Boyd, Rick worked as a consultant with Province, a leader in reorganization and restructuring services, where he was Head of its Performance Improvement practice. In this capacity, Rick developed a diverse client base which included manufacturing, development, procurement and food services, as well as gaming and hospitality.

Rick spent many years teaching at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) and UNLV’s Lee Business School. At UNLV, he participated in creating a new curriculum course around business communications and professional branding. He was honored with Adjunct Faculty of the Year at CSN and was Alumnus of the Year for the Lee Business School.

Rick has served as a member of the Clark County School District’s Oversight Panel for School Facilities, a past chair and trustee for the Culinary Union Pension Trust and a past chair of the American Gaming Association’s Finance and Tax Committee. He is also a graduate of the Las Vegas Chamber’s Leadership Las Vegas program.

He is active in the community, supporting The Smith Center’s original capital campaign and other organizations, including UNLV, the Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada, Teach for America and the United Way of Southern Nevada.

Rick is a Certified Public Accountant and has both undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. A published author, Rick is also an inventor and currently has three U.S. patents around water savings devices.