Foundation

From the Executive Director

I hope the Nevada Broadcasters Foundation will be your favorite nonprofit to support.

The Tony and Linda Bonnici Scholarship Fund began with a simple but powerful belief: that talented young people in Nevada deserve the opportunity to learn, create, and lead, regardless of financial barriers, all with the hope of graduating with as little debt as possible. Today, that belief has grown into an opportunity not only for aspiring broadcasters, but also for digital content creators, graphic designers, media specialists, and marketing professionals.

This year, 21 students will proudly call themselves Nevada Broadcasters Foundation Scholars. Together, they will receive nearly $200,000 in tuition funding for the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 semesters. None of this would be possible without a community that believes in the power of education and investing in the next generation’s higher education.

We are especially grateful to those who have stepped forward to make additional scholarships possible by underwriting the cost of one student’s tuition each year:

Chet Buchanan (Chet Buchanan Scholarship, ~Recipient: Thomas Gobbo)

Colin Cowherd and Lotus Broadcasting (Colin Cowherd Scholarship, ~Recipient: Calvin McDonald),

Geary Company (Mike Geary Scholarship, ~Recipient: Kristen Dallas)

Deanne Sheehan (Deanne Sheehan Scholarship, ~Recipient: Audrianna Reed),

Carter Powersport (Carter Powersports Scholarship, ~Recipient: Hunter Perkins),

In closing, I’d like to leave you with this thought:

Imagine if everyone donated just $27 per month in 2027; Together, that could generate an estimated $1.5 million in additional tuition funding for Nevada students.

I believe we can.

Together we’re making dreams of higher education come true.

With gratitude and pride,

Eric Bonnici

Executive Director

From the Foundation’s Namesakes

We are incredibly excited to celebrate our 16th year of the Nevada Broadcasters Foundation Scholarship Fund—and to share that we have now awarded an amazing 343 scholarships!

Our mission is simple: to help talented, motivated students pursue their education and their dreams. Students need to be enrolled full-time, meet our eligibility requirements, and we will cover the cost of up to 15 credits per semester at UNLV, UNR, or CSN. Students can apply beginning their freshman year and continue through their senior year, and while we encourage a focus on broadcasting, our scholarship recipients are pursuing a wide range of careers in media and communications.

Our scholars are interested in reporting, anchoring, content creation, marketing, production, promotion, sports, digital media, and much more.

So, the next time you are reviewing job applications, keep an eye out for a Nevada Broadcasters Foundation scholarship recipient—and consider putting them at the top of your list! 😊

These students are smart, enthusiastic, creative, and passionate about Broadcasting, Media & Marketing. They are the next generation of our industry—and they will be a great hire!

We can award so many scholarships because of the incredible generosity and support of the Nevada Broadcasters Association, proceeds from our highly successful Northern and Southern Nevada Golf Tournaments, our Broadcast Alumni Community events, and, of course, the generosity of everyone supporting tonight’s Silent Auction.

We are also incredibly fortunate to have dedicated scholarship committees in both Northern and Southern Nevada, along with the leadership and support of Amie Chapman of Sinclair Broadcasting Group in Reno, Holmes Pooser of Audacy Las Vegas, and Amberly Quaintance.

And we are deeply grateful to our wonderful Board of Directors for their continued commitment to helping the next generation of media professionals:

• Dr. Gi Woong Tun, Reynolds School of Journalism at UNR
• Dr. Kevin Stoker, Hank Greenspun School of Journalism at UNLV
• Jim McKusick, Partner, The Geary Company
• Amie Chapman, Sinclair Broadcasting Group—Reno
• Kristine Anderson, Richard Harris Law Firm
• Venus Hammel, Audacy Las Vegas
• Misty Morgan-Yousfi
• Monica Schmidt, KVVU FOX 5
• Ray Fletcher, The Raiders & Caesars Palace
• Aiden Higgins, KOLO Reno
• Maia Perez, Golden Knights
• Mitch Fox, President, Nevada Broadcasters Association
• Eric Bonnici, Vice President, Nevada Broadcasters Association & Executive Director, Nevada Broadcasters Foundation

Thank you for believing in these students, investing in their futures, and supporting the Nevada Broadcasters Foundation Scholarship Fund.

With our deepest appreciation,

Tony & Linda Bonnici
Founders, Nevada Broadcasters Foundation Scholarship Fund