Program for life

     EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is the first in a series of articles profiling the people who run Summerlin.
     
     By Scott Gulbransen
     View staff writer
      It's hard to catch Lezlie Barnson-DeNardin without a smile on her face.
      As director of programming for the Summerlin Council, the master-planned community's residents' association, Barnson-DeNardin, 29, qualifies as one of the busiest young professionals in the area. Yet, somehow she remains positive and upbeat despite her heavy workload.
      "Look around you," said Barnson-DeNardin, pointing at the area surrounding the Trails Community Center. "I not only work in Summerlin but I also live here, so it's a very personal job for me."
      Barnson-DeNardin, a 1987 graduate of Clark High, attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. After graduating in 1991 with a degree in public relations, she landed her first job with Ross Perot's former high-tech company, EDS in Dallas, Texas.
      While at EDS, Barnson-DeNardin worked in the community relations department coordinating the company's volunteer program. She found the work to be gratifying and educational.
      "We had over 12,000 employees right there in Dallas," Barnson-DeNardin said. "That made it very easy to get volunteers and we were involved with all the corporate-sponsored events and also rounded up volunteers for other good causes."
      Barnson-DeNardin was thrilled to be able to work in the community and make it better while at EDS, but she eventually decided to leave corporate America for the challenge of nonprofit organizations.
      Barnson-DeNardin moved back to Las Vegas and worked as development coordinator, and later as the executive director, of the Arthritis Foundation in Nevada. She also met John DeNardin, head football coach at Silverado High, and the couple were married soon after she returned to Las Vegas.
      The involvement with the nonprofit side of community relations was so enjoyable, Barnson-DeNardin found it hard to leave.
      "I had seen the corporate side of community relations and then the nonprofit and I really enjoyed both," she said. "Then my mind got to thinking and I really began to search for something in between when they created this job."
      Once Summerlin decided to hire a director to plan its community events, Barnson-DeNardin suddenly found her dream job.
      "Through my various experiences I had worn several different managerial hats and this one seemed to fit so well," she said. "It was such a happy medium between the massiveness of corporate America and the community-awareness of the nonprofits."
      Three years have passed since Barnson-DeNardin joined the Summerlin community and she likes what she has seen. Planning events in the community has not been easy but the Summerlin Council has had unheralded success under the always energetic Barnson-DeNardin.
      "I am very happy with the events they are holding, particularly for the kids," said Heather Rowe, a Summerlin resident who frequents the Trails Pool. "I've lived here since 1992 and the events have been increasing and that's great for families. Summerlin always talks about being like a small town and thanks to these events, it feels that way."
      While it's not always positive, Barnson-DeNardin is used to hearing feedback like that of Rowe.
      "We're real proud because we have diversified the programs we offered and they have been attended successfully," Barnson-DeNardin said. "We still have areas to improve on but I think overall we're happy, and most importantly the residents are happy with what they are seeing."
      One of the unique programs offered by the Summerlin Council was a summer screening of the classic film "Jaws." What made the event different was it was held at the Trails Pool. Viewers floated on rafts and treaded water watching the movie about a massive shark terrorizing an East Coast tourist town.
      "In that case we had a pool to use and we had to figure a new way to draw people to the pool while still making it fun," Barnson-DeNardin said. "That's what I mean when I say we have to be unique when we plan events."
      Considering Barnson-DeNardin had no guide to use and no previous events to build on, she has far exceeded any expectations people may have had.
      "Lezlie and the Summerlin Council have been at the forefront of making the community a family-oriented place," said Joe Watz, executive director of the Northwest YMCA. "Without her guidance and the cooperation of the entire Summerlin Council, Summerlin wouldn't be the place it is today."
      Watz can speak from experience. When the YMCA approached Summerlin about working together to create more activities in the Northwest, Barnson-DeNardin jumped at the chance.
      "We truly are a community here and I was excited about working with the YMCA to create even more events for our residents," Barnson-DeNardin said. "We could have been petty and selfish and wanted to do things on our own but that wouldn't be in the best interest of the Summerlin community. The YMCA has resources we don't and the addition of their staff and their programs has only strengthened Summerlin as a community."
      It's Barnson-DeNardin's lack of selfishness and her willingness to take feedback from all members of the community that has propelled the Summerlin Council's activity schedule success.
      "The key is communication and we're trying to improve that within the community every day," Barnson-DeNardin said.
      The council prints several different brochures highlighting programs by season and maintains an Internet site at www.summerlincouncil.com. It's communication that Barnson-DeNardin said will take the council into the next century.
      "The bottom line is people have to know about the events in order to be a part of them," Barnson-DeNardin said. "We will improve that line of communication as the community grows because we want to but also because we have to."
      The incredible growth within Summerlin is exciting to Barnson-DeNardin. While it can create logistical nightmares for an event planner, the excitement far outweighs the negative.
      "The population here will double very soon and that is daunting for us," Barnson-DeNardin said. "But that drives us and I think it allows us to excel. It's great to be part of such an exciting time in the development of the community.