12/29/2022
Discovering The Smith Center
Rick Darnold can say with confidence that he knows The Smith Center well.
A Las Vegas native, Darnold participated in the original capital campaign to fund The Smith Center’s development. His wife Krista further helped open The Smith Center, as its director of corporate partnerships.
“I’ve had a long relationship with The Smith Center,” Darnold says, adding that he regularly attends shows with his daughters. “I’ve known the place since day one.” So, it’s more than fitting that he will now play another key role with The Smith Center, as the nonprofit’s new Vice President of Administration & Chief Financial Officer.
In his new position, Rick will direct the center’s financial affairs, in addition to overseeing its information technology, human resources and ticketing support activities.
He’s more than equipped for the task, hailing from 30 years of experience with corporate finance, supply chain, mergers and acquisitions, and business improvement.
“Ultimately, my job is to position The Smith Center for the next 10 years,” Darnold says. “How can we work smarter as an organization? We will be working to build a platform for continuity of the business, one that keeps improving over time.”
A Business and Community Leader
Darnold brings years of nuanced business acumen to The Smith Center.
A Certified Public Accountant and graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) with a Master of Business Administration, Darnold held many senior leadership positions with Boyd Gaming Corporation.
During his years there, he launched significant operational and structural improvement initiatives, helping expand Boyd’s footprint from four to 29 properties.
“I touched every function (at Boyd), from food and beverage and showrooms, to finance and security,” he says. “I understand organizations and how they work as different parts and contribute to the collective whole.”
He also served as Head of Performance Improvement with Province, a leading company specializing in reorganization and restructuring services. Drawing from his business expertise, he taught for many years at the College of Southern Nevada and at UNLV’s Lee Business School. He is also a graduate of the Chamber of Commerce Leadership Las Vegas program where he met his wife Krista, who previously worked at the Smith Center.
Darnold further offers a long history with community organizations.
He served as a member of the Clark County School District’s Oversight Panel for School Facilities, as chair and trustee for the Southern Nevada Culinary and Bartenders Pension Plan, and as chair of the American Gaming Association’s Tax and Financial Policy Working Group.
He has also worked closely with nonprofits such as the United Way of Southern Nevada, Teach for America and the Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada.
All of this experience lends itself well to working with The Smith Center.
“I like to engage people as stakeholders, and get them to have a seat at the table so that they own change and improvement initiatives,” says Darnold, also a published author and inventor with three patents for water-savings devices. “I believe strongly in treating everyone equally, with empathy,” a trait he learned working for Bill Boyd for many years.
Plans for The Smith Center’s Future
As a top priority in his new role, Darnold aims to implement strategies ensuring that The Smith Center thrives for many years to come.
“Looking at things and trying to make them better is something I want to focus on, and implicit in that is making things simpler for everyone involved,” he says. “I want to help people to look beyond how they’ve always done things.”
Darnold strongly supported The Smith Center’s development because he knew it would provide cultural experiences previously unavailable in Southern Nevada.
“Before The Smith Center (existed), I’d take my daughters to see Broadway (musicals) and other shows in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco,” he says. “The Smith Center is local, and offers something completely different than what the Strip offers.”
He has personally made many memories watching Smith Center shows, he adds, most recently the Broadway hit “Hadestown.”
“I especially loved watching my daughter enjoy it so much,” he says. “She laughed, she cried, she was animated. I’m not sure which was more fun, the show or just watching my daughter.”
He intends on working hard to help provide that same delightful experience for all Smith Center guests.
“We want to provide an exceptional value to all of our patrons and make sure they have a good experience,” Darnold says. “Long term, we want to maintain access to the arts for all levels of the community.”