Outstanding Alumnus: Dan Tuntland

There is no truth to the rumor that whenever he suffers a cut, Dan Tuntland bleeds Rebel red. Although it is easy to understand why such a rumor would surface.

Since earning his marketing degree from UNLV more than three decades ago, Tuntland has consistently, passionately, and generously supported the institution that provided him the tools to build an enormously successful commercial real estate career.

Most importantly, Tuntland’s support has positively impacted the university from one end of the campus to the other (and, frankly, beyond).

The high-level highlights: 

• Tuntland is vice-chair of the UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees, a volunteer board that oversees the university’s premier philanthropic entity (and he’s set to elevate to chair for the 2028-29 term). As part of his Foundation duties, he serves on a half-dozen committees.
• Tuntland is the chairman of the Board of Governors for the UNLV Research Park, a 122-acre master-planned economic development space for research, collaboration, and tech innovation, as well as the future home to the Intermountain Children’s Hospital.
• He serves on the UNLV Lied Center for Real Estate’s Board of Governors, through which he has helped strengthen the bond between the classroom, Southern Nevada community, and the commercial real estate industry via mentorship, strategic guidance, public outreach, and funding. 
• And through his longtime financial support of both the UNLV Foundation and UNLV Alumni Association, Tuntland backs up his belief in the transformative power of higher education and the work UNLV does to create life-changing opportunities for students and graduates.

Toss in all the work he does to help advance his professional industry, and Dan Tuntland’s selection as UNLV’s Outstanding Alumnus for 2026 makes perfect sense.

In fact, the honor seems inevitable now. Which is pretty crazy, considering Tuntland didn’t start his college career as a Rebel. Rather, the lifelong Nevadan initially chose … The School Up North.

“It’s true, I first attended UNR,” says Tuntland, who was born in Reno but raised in Las Vegas, where he graduated from Bishop Gorman High School. “And I enjoyed my experience there, especially living in the dorms and pledging a fraternity. But Las Vegas was where the action was.”

It also was where his older brother Ray was studying for his MBA (which he earned in 1991, three years after completing his UNLV undergraduate degree). His sibling’s presence certainly was a factor in Tuntland’s decision to pack up and move south prior to the 1989-90 academic year.

As for what convinced him beyond a shadow of a doubt that he made the right decision? 

“That 1989-90 year on campus — and really, throughout the entire community — was magic, with everything centered around and everyone focused on the Runnin’ Rebels basketball team,” Tuntland says. “That team was the glue and talk of the whole community. 

“I went to every game at the Thomas & Mack Center.”

While Tuntland’s UNLV passion was first sparked by the excitement swirling around the national championship-winning basketball team, it were the enriching experiences that followed — both as both a student and alumnus — that kept the Rebel fire burning.

On the academic front, Tuntland says he pursued a marketing degree because he believed it was the best route to fulfilling his goal of becoming a Las Vegas business leader. 

Soon after graduating in 1994, he secured his real estate license. A year later, Tuntland embarked on a lengthy career with Tiberti-Blood, a local real estate and development firm. 

Then in 2007, Tuntland struck out on his own, founding DJT Real Estate Co., which specializes in land acquisition and investment, brokerage, and development.

“My father was a banker, and when I was 10 or 11, he showed me a couple of buildings that a close family friend owned and explained that the businesses that occupied those buildings — a restaurant and a record store — paid that friend’s monthly rent,” Tuntland says about his first introduction to his future profession. “It was not lost on me that he also had a nice house and car. 

“I won’t say that was the day I wanted to be in real estate or even understood what it was, but I definitely found it intriguing, and in time I recognized real estate had a cool factor.”

It goes without saying that much time, effort, and money is required to build and sustain a successful business, particularly in a field like commercial real estate. But whereas some driven business owners are singularly focused on plowing forward — and never think to peek in the rearview mirror — Tuntland was never wired that way.

He’s someone who not only tells you how much he appreciates those who helped him get to where he is today, he backs it up with his deeds. Hence his numerous civic and philanthropic commitments.

Asked to pinpoint what inspired his passion for community involvement, Tuntland unsurprisingly rewinds to his days as a student.

“Even back in 1990, I recognized that UNLV was the hub of the entire Las Vegas community,” he says. “That left a lasting impression as something I wanted to contribute to long after I left campus.

“So over the years, it has been important that I do my part to elevate the university. Because when UNLV flourishes, so too does everyone and everything around it.”

Spoken like an Outstanding Alumnus.

Going back to your time as a UNLV student, what academic course did you lean on most to set you up for early-career success?

An upper-level business class with professor Larry Barton. He told me that next to honesty, communication is the most important trait to develop if you want to be successful in business.

I still remember his instruction pertaining to communication: Be clear, concise, and honest in both the spoken and written word. And remember, not everything has to be said — good or bad.

Beyond academics, how did your UNLV experience help mold you into the person you are today? 

UNLV created a sense of community that stressed the importance of trust, accountability, and honesty. 

For all of its growth, Las Vegas is still a small town and a place where your reputation is paramount. That reputation is the reason real estate deals big and small get done here. It’s the reason charities want your help, whether through time or treasure. It’s how you become a part of the Las Vegas community rather than exist as an outsider. 

As you began your career, who was one of your early mentors?

Tom Wiesner, for sure. After moving from Wisconsin, he founded Big Dogs Hospitality Group here in Las Vegas and became a longtime supporter of UNLV, including serving as chair of the UNLV Foundation. He was even elected to the Nevada Board of Regents.

I actually started working for Mr. Wiesner in college, and did everything he asked. Soon he started taking me “inside the ropes” — inviting me to meetings and events that I frankly didn’t belong in.

As I got to know him and other local businessmen, I noticed how their business, personal, golf, and community lives appeared to overlap and intertwine. It was something that greatly appealed to me. In a nutshell, I saw through them the Las Vegas life that I wanted for myself.

Your father worked as a banker in town. What sort of lessons did he impart to you as you set out to build your own business?

Funny enough, when I was growing up, my dad always told me before signing off on any loan he gave, he demanded personal guarantees — no exceptions. 

Then when I was arranging for one of my first commercial developments — which ended up being the award-winning Boot Barn building on Warm Springs Road and Las Vegas Boulevard — my dad asked me about financing. Then he specifically told me to not sign a personal guarantee.

I said, “Dad, you told me you never lent money without one!” He replied, “I’m your father, not your banker.”

The UNLV Foundation is a vital component to the current and future health of the university. What does it mean to represent the Foundation’s Board of Trustees as an alumnus? 

Being invited to join was one of the great honors of my life. I’ll never forget my first meeting — I call it my “Joyce Mack moment.” 

There I was, sitting at a conference table next to Mrs. Mack and I’m thinking, “Her name is literally on the Thomas & Mack Center — the place I spent so much time and had so much fun as a student — and I’m in a UNLV Foundation meeting with her?” It was surreal.

But the UNLV Foundation really is the pinnacle; it’s the gold standard. And it’s the perfect venue for me to contribute to. 

You also serve as chairman of the UNLV Research Park Board of Governors. How did you get involved with this entity?

My fellow UNLV Foundation trustee Steve Comer, who is director of the UNLV Research Park, asked me. I immediately said yes and asked questions much, much later. Plus, I knew that the board also included David Ross [UNLV alumnus and Foundation trustee] and Don Snyder [former UNLV interim president and Foundation trustee emeritus]. So the vetting was done.

It is a dream job. I get to use my real estate skills to guide the university on the development of the 122 acres of prime, free-and-clear real estate that UNLV secured through the federal government. And under Mr. Comer’s leadership, we will soon have the Intermountain Children’s Hospital and, in time, the Research Park is going to be at the forefront of tech innovation.

The UNLV Research Park is a game-changer and something for which Las Vegas will be very proud.

Finally, what was your reaction upon learning you were receiving the 2026 Outstanding Alumnus honor?

Honestly, it was just like my “Joyce Mack moment.” Like, “Is this really happening?” And I don’t say that in a self-deprecating way. 

When I was notified of the award, I went and looked up the past honorees. It’s an incredibly impressive list. And I am beyond grateful to now be part of it.