Greg and Dana Lee

The start of a new year is a time of reflection…of where our lives have taken us and where we intend to go. So, if someone asked you what you would attempt to do if you knew that you could not fail, what would be your answer?  It’s a question that Las Vegas resident, entrepreneur and philanthropist Greg Lee reads frequently on a paperweight that was given to him by his best friend.  “Fear of failure stops people from starting to take action,” Lee said. “We will not always be successful in what we choose to do, but we will never accomplish anything if we’re afraid to start.”  Greg and Dana Lee have never been afraid to chart new territory. This is evident in all that has been accomplished by this Las Vegas/Mesquite power couple throughout their lives, from successful business careers to their work with local charitable organizations, including Communities In Schools (CIS) and other educational causes.

Greg Lee is Chairman and CEO of the Eureka Casino Resort, a company he founded with his parents, Ted and Doris Lee, that was recently named by Fortune Magazine as one of the Top 100 Mid-Sized Companies to Work For in America. “I grew up in San Francisco, but spent many years visiting Las Vegas with my parents who were small scale real estate developers and had many projects in Vegas,” he said. “I first entered the real estate and casino business in 1988, but then returned to school at USC Law School and became an attorney. I practiced a couple of years in New York City, which was where I met my future wife, Dana.” 

During that time, Dana was building her career around her passion for art history.  “I was an unfocused senior,” she said. “My first job was at a large advertising firm, then I was a fashion publicist at a PR firm.” It was that experience that spurred her to pursue her true passion, which was to graduate from Brown University, and then get her masters in non-profit arts management at Carnegie-Mellon University.  “I worked for the then developing Andy Warhol Museum, and upon graduation, I returned to New York City where I met Greg and worked for the Guggenheim Museum in development.  During that time, I volunteered working with at-risk children and kids at Mt. Sinai Hospital. Today, my varied career experiences lend beautifully to my non-profit advocacy work.”

Greg has served on several community boards that include past Chairman of the UNLV Foundation, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s Authority, and the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce; as well as the Meadows School, the Young President’s Organization, and the Harvard Club of Nevada.  In Mesquite the Company created the Eureka Community Initiative, which supports more than 50 programs that improve the local community.

Dana affectionately calls herself a “serial board member.” She’s resided on the board of the Nevada Ballet Theatre and the Las Vegas Art Museum and currently is involved with the Nevada Women’s Philanthropy (founder and past president),Teach for America Las Vegas Valley, The Guinn Center and CIS. “I am passionate about education and ensuring that every student, regardless of background, can have an excellent education.”

CIS is one of the largest state initiatives and has proven to keep students in school and on the path to graduation by connecting students and their families to critical educational and community-based resources. They operate 63 school sites in Nevada and serve over 67,000 students. “We are attracted to causes like CIS that can improve the quality of life and develop people who will provide lasting change and improvement into the future,” says Greg. 

The couple was recently honored for their efforts in bettering the education of Nevada at the Communities in Schools of Nevada 2018 Today for Tomorrow Gala. The annual star-studded fund-raising event surprised the pair with a special tribute video featuring prominent DJ Steve Aoki and KSNV News 3 Anchor and supporter Krystal Allen. CIS Board Chair Robert Glaser and CEO Dr. Tiffany Tyler also announced that a community library would be donated to students in the Lees’ honor.

Of their many accomplishments, Greg and Dana Lee are most proud of their own family, including son Graham (who is a freshman at Brown University) and daughter Katie, a senior at Bishop Gorman High School. “Our children truly are our future,” Greg said. “I enjoy mentoring our kids and other young people in the community and helping turn their visions into reality.”