Fred C. Albrecht Outstanding Alumnus of the Year Jeremy Aguero (’97 BA Hospitality, ’04 JD) is a principal analyst with Applied Analysis, a leading economic, fiscal and policy research firm based in Southern Nevada. He is generally regarded as a leading expert on economic, fiscal and policy issues in Nevada and he is routinely asked to speak on current and forecasted economic conditions and at events like the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliances’ annual Las Vegas Perspective event and the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce annual Preview event.
Tell us about a moment when someone showed you unexpected kindness. How do you pay it forward?
There have been several instances during my life where I have benefited from unexpected kindness. Most often, this has come in the form of mentorship although, as I have gained experience, I have come to understand that countless acts of kindness – large and small, overt and obscured – have made all the difference in my life.
One that stands above the rest is the kindness shown to me by professor Shannon Bybee. Like many young college students, my undergraduate career was marked by uncertainty. After taking a class or two with Bybee, he invited me to his office. He asked me about what I wanted to get out of college and what I wanted to do after it. We talked for hours. He shared his successes and his failures, unabridged. He helped me find a path and then paved it with encouragement and expectation. He never let me forget that ability is a gift and opportunity is borne more from hard work than circumstance. His infectious laugh, which I can still hear today, reminded me that happiness is a choice. Shortly after I graduated, Bybee made me promise him that I would go to law school. I fulfilled that promise. He was right. It has made all the difference in my career.
Paying it forward is simple. The lessons professor Bybee shared with me I now share with my children, interns and colleagues. This may very well be the greatest gift he gave me. I’m guessing he knew that too.
Helping pave the way for the stadium
Aguero’s 20-year work history demonstrates a wide range of abilities. He has performed countless economic and fiscal impact assessments for projects of local, regional and national significance. Some of his major projects include The Hospitality Industry’s Impact on the State of Nevada, delivered to the Federal Gaming Impact Study Commission in 1998. In 2003, he chaired the Governor’s Task Force on Tax Policy’s technical working group, co-authoring its 1,400-page report and ultimately receiving a Good Government Award from the Nevada Taxpayers Association.
In 2014 and 2015, Aguero worked with Gov. Brian Sandoval and legislative leadership to reform Nevada’s tax structure in support of the Governor’s education reform program. And, since 2016, he worked as the lead staff to the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Task Force, and then, the Las Vegas Stadium Authority. In doing so, Aguero was credited as playing a key role in both the $1.8-billion Las Vegas Stadium and the $1.4-billion Las Vegas Convention Center Renovation and Expansion Project.
Aguero has taught hotel law as an adjunct professor at UNLV and, as a distinguished professor of practice, has also taught classes about using data in research for UNLV’s College of Urban Affairs. He currently serves on the board of advisors for Nevada State Bank, is a member of the R&R Foundation Board, the former president and current treasurer of Nevada Child Seekers, and immediate past chairman of Opportunity Village’s ARC Board.
