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Erin Russell Vice President, Government Affairs in Nevada UnitedHealth Group Y people that this can happen to anyone at any age," she said. The experience also helped further fuel her drive to better health care. Modernizing and improving the state's healthcare system should be a hot topic in this year's legislative session, and Russell says she's with the right company to engage in that important dialogue. UnitedHealth Group, through its various branches, serves both the benefits and healthcare delivery sides of the equation. Its Southwest Medical Associates branches see some 255,000 patients annually and its benefits division has some 700,000 enrollees in the state. This allows the company to better understand the cost-care balance. Russell says UnitedHealth Group is a big proponent of using technology to achieve best outcomes, whether it be for patient care or facility management. The company's health services division actually even had technologies on display at the International Consumer Electronics Show this year. -Brian Sodoma ou wouldn't expect a 35 year-old woman to have a story about suffering a stroke four years ago, but Erin Russell does. Even now, UnitedHealth Group's head of government affairs still sounds a little stunned by the incident. But she clearly hasn't let it slow her down either. Russell, who was born in Washington D.C., raised in Reno and is the granddaughter of former Nevada Gov. Charles Russell, overcame problems with her balance, exhaustion and limited eye movement to not only progress in her career, but also complete a doctoral degree in public policy in 2011. In 2012, she also gave birth to a healthy baby girl. The proud mom has worked to spread the word about stroke warning signs and prevention. Last year, she was a speaker at the American Heart Association's "Heart Ball" and was featured in a public service announcement about the warning signs of stroke. She has visited stroke survivors in hospitals, offering advice and encouragement as well. "You don't usually hear about younger people having a stroke. I try to get the word out to Kari Stephens Of Counsel Jeffrey Burr Ltd. Eva Littman, M.D. A s an undergraduate at Oregon State University, Kari Stephens initially intended to pursue a career in marketing. A required course in business law, however, redirected Stephens' aspirations, igniting a passion for the legal profession which precipitated her enrollment at Willamette University College of Law, where she refined her inherent acuity and affinity for trust, estate and probate law, and graduated fifth in her class in 1997. Stephens spent two years practicing in Portland prior to seeking a change of climate, relocating to Southern Nevada some dozen years ago, and working at several local law firms before joining Jeffrey Burr last year. A member of the State Bar of Nevada since 2001, Stephens is perhaps most recognized in the legal community for her involvement with the Clark County Bar Association, a voluntary and nonprofit organization with annual membership opportunities for attorneys, judges, legal assistants and secretaries, law students, and merchants. Since joining the CCBA in 2002, Stephens has served on 20130128_VI01_I.indd 9 Practice Director, Trained at Duke & Stanford Universities myriad committees, including the new lawyer's committee and the community service committee. She was among the founders of the annual memorial service for lawyers who passed away the previous year, was elected to the executive board, and was named secretary/treasurer. This year, Stephens is looking forward to further serving as an ambassador to the local legal profession in her role as 2013 president of the organization. "Basically, my job is to increase membership in order to have the manpower to do outreach in the community and keep up with some of the projects we have under way," Stephens said. "We're really focusing on working with the law school, and offer free membership to law students." In her role as president, Stephens is promoting collegiality and social interaction among lawyers, judges and other legal professionals by uniting them for monthly luncheons, including the annual Meet Your Judges mixer. — Danielle Birkin "Voted 2012 Top Infertility Doctor" Named one of the Schedule An Appointment Today 702.789.6568 I www.redrockfertility.com 6410 Medical Center Street, Suite A I Las Vegas, NV 89148 1/24/13 2:29:22 PM