Summary
Amber Joiner, Ph.D., serves as a faculty mentor advising students in the Department of Political Science and is the Director of the Legislative Internship Program. Joiner taught her first course at the Â鶹´«Ã½AV in 2001 and has enjoyed teaching in various institutions and disciplines since. Her experiences working in elected office, bureaucracies and nonprofits inform the real-world examples and mentorship she provides to students. She represented Reno’s Assembly District 24 in the Nevada State Legislature for two terms, from 2014 to 2018. During her time in the State Assembly, she served on the Committee on Government Affairs and as Vice Chair of both the Committee on Health & Human Services and the Committee on Education.
Joiner previously served as Deputy Director of Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), where she managed numerous state budgets and federal grants, helped implement the Affordable Care Act and Health Insurance Exchange and worked on legislation relating to Welfare, Medicaid, Child & Family Services, Public & Behavioral Health and Aging & Disability Services. Prior to joining DHHS, Joiner was the Director of Government Relations for the Nevada State Medical Association. She was also a Senior Research Analyst and Committee Policy Analyst at the Legislative Counsel Bureau. In these nonpartisan positions, she specialized in policy relating to human services, public health, natural resources, local government and education.
Education
- Ph.D., Political Science (Public Policy & Public Administration), Â鶹´«Ã½AV, 2018
- M.A., Political Communication, University of Maryland, College Park, 2003
- B.A., Political Science & Speech Communication, Minor in Spanish, Â鶹´«Ã½AV, 2000