About Brian Wadsworth
Who is Brian Wadsworth?
Wadsworth is a dedicated community leader rooted deeply in both rural and urban aspects of Washoe County. Born and raised in Wadsworth, Nevada, he now resides in Nixon, Nevada, on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Reservation with his partner and three dogs. Wadsworth holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Administration and Accounting from the University of Nevada, Reno. He furthered his education with a Master of Business Administration in American Indian Entrepreneurship from Gonzaga University.
Raised in Nevada, he brings firsthand experience and deep understanding of the diverse needs of both rural, urban, suburban, and Tribal communities throughout Washoe County. He currently lives in a rural Tribal community, and this has shaped his perspective of county governance and equitable access to services. In communities like Nixon, residents only recently gained access to high-speed internet, and basic errands often require long drives into Reno or other major cities. These realities must be better reflected in county decision-making. He has also lived in other parts of District 5 (Stead and Northwest Reno), giving him insights into the challenges facing urban and suburban residents, including traffic congestion, infrastructure demands, and rapid growth and development.
He has the honor to have previously been elected to serve on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council for two terms, and to the Pyramid Lake Jr./Sr. High School Board of Education for one term. During his time serving on his Tribal Council, he had the unique experience to help negotiate the historic Truckee River Operating Agreement. While on the School Board, he helped implement the Western Nevada Community College program for the high school students.
Professionally, he serves as the Chief Operating Officer for a non-profit media company. In this position, he oversees the daily operations of the company, oversees all accounting and finances and investments, and policy advocacy. For the past two years, Wadsworth has dedicated his time in advocating for the new Federal Communications Commission’s Missing and Endangered Persons (MEP) Event Code. Similar to the AMBER Alert, the MEP Event Code could help recover our missing community members.
Wadsworth has extensive financial management, auditing, and accounting experience, spanning Tribal and State Governments and the private sector. Previously, Wadsworth served in the Governor’s Finance Office with the State of Nevada as an Executive Branch Auditor Manager, where he led Performance Audits on Executive Branch agencies.
Wadsworth is heavily involved with his community. He has the honor of serving on the following Boards:
- Chairman of the Sacred Visions Pow Wow Committee
- Vice President of the UNR Native American Alumni Chapter
- Board Treasurer for the American Indigenous Tourism Association
- Vice Chair for the Nevada Indian Territory
- Vice Chair for the Pyramid Lake Tax Commission
- Board member for the Walker River Paiute Economic Development Authority.
- Board member for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte
- Committee member for the National Public Radio Distribution/Interconnection Committee
Wadsworth formerly served on the following Boards and Commissions:
- City of Reno Financial Advisory Board
- Northern Nevada Water Planning Commission
- Nevada Commission on Tourism
- Former Chair for the (formerly) Nevada Indian Commission
- Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council
- Pyramid Lake Jr./Sr. High School Board of Education
In 2025, he was honored to receive the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s prestigious “40 Under 40” award. This award recognizes Native Americans for outstanding leadership and community contributions.
Did You Know?
Brian is a classically trained vocalist. After he graduated from Edward C. Reed High School, he attended Florida State University.
He is a member of the Firebird Light Opera Company. He has been in the productions of “Die Fledermaus” and “Tribal by Jury”.
Brian loves running. He completed his first marathon to celebrate his birthday last year. He enjoys running in local races.
As an advocate for the arts, Brian helped organize the first Indigenous Fashion Show for the 4th Annual Reno-Tahoe International Art Show.
Brian has the honor of serving as the Chairman for the Sacred Visions Pow Wow Committee. In his time serving on the Committee, he has brought in many resources and raised over $20,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long have you lived in Nevada?
I was born and raised here in Northern Nevada. I grew up in Wadsworth, and attended Alex Maxwell Elementary School, Sparks Middle School, and graduated from Edward C. Reed High School. After high school, I attended Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, FL. After two years at FSU, I came back home to attend the University of Nevada, Reno. Since then, I have lived in various parts of Reno (Stead, Northwest Reno, and South Reno). I currently reside in Nixon, about an hour outside of Reno/Sparks, on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Reservation.
What is your financial background?
My educational background is in accounting and finance. I graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with two Bachelor of Science degrees: one in Business Administration with a major in International Business with an emphasis in Finance and the other in Accounting. I also graduated from Gonzaga University with a Master of Business Administration in American Indian Entrepreneurship.
Solid financials and accounting are imperative for any organization. In my current role as the Chief Operating Officer for the non-profit media company, I am in charge of managing the budget, fundraising, accounting, and investments for the company. Under my fiscal leadership, we have had clean audits and have improved our internal controls and policies and procedures.
I have also spent time working in public accounting. I had the opportunity to work for Bluebird, CPAs as a Staff Auditor. In this role, I completed financial audits on Tribal governments, enterprises, and casinos. This is where I gained a good understanding what strong internal controls mean, and also what weak internal controls look like.
Additionally, I spent several years working for the State of Nevada. I worked in the Internal Audit Division for the Nevada Department of Transportation conducting compliance audits on the various contracts and agreements. I also spent time working in the Governor’s Finance Office as an Executive Branch Auditor. In this role, we conducted performance audits on the various Executive Branch Agencies. We also presented our findings to the Executive Branch Audit Committee, which consisted of all the Constitutional Officers for the State of Nevada. Here are the links to the audits that I worked on during my time in the Governor’s Finance Office:
1. Division of Environmental Protection Petroleum Fund (DIA Report No. 19-05): https://budget.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/budgetnvgov/content/IAudits/About/AuditRpts/NDEP%20Final%20Report%20to%20EBAC%20v2.pdf
2. Department of Taxation-Marijuana Enforcement Division: Recreational Dispensary Licensing Process (DIA Report No. 20-01): https://budget.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/budgetnvgov/content/IAudits/About/AuditRpts/Dept%20of%20Taxation%20Final%20Report%20with%20Response.pdf
- Department of Public Safety: Division of Parole and Probation (DIA Report No. 20-06): https://budget.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/budgetnvgov/content/IAudits/About/AuditRpts/DIA%2020-06%20DPS%20NPP.pdf
- Office of the Governor-Department of Public Safety, Division of Parole and Probation: Cost-Sharing (DIA Report No. 20-09): https://budget.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/budgetnvgov/content/IAudits/About/AuditRpts/DIA%2020-09%20OfcGov%20DPS-NPP%20Probation%20Cost%20Sharing.pdf
What does a Washoe County Commissioner do?
The Washoe County Commissioners make up the five-person Board of County Commissioners (BCC) and are an elected body that serves as the governing body for Washoe County. Each BCC member is elected to a four-year term. Washoe County is divided into five districts. The BCC meets on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Tuesday of each month.
The BCC is charged with appointing the Washoe County Manager, administering and enforcing state and local laws, making changes to the Washoe County code, collecting taxes, assessing properties, maintaining public records, conducting elections, issuing licenses, working with the Citizen Advisory Boards, appointing new Board members, and serving on various Boards and Commissions throughout the region.
Are County Commissioners paid a salary?
Yes, as of July 1, 2025, Washoe County Commissioners are paid a salary of $116,000.
Do I live in District 5?
You can look up your address on the Washoe County website, link below: https://www.washoecounty.gov/bcc/
You can also view the Washoe County District map on the Washoe County website: https://gis.washoecounty.us/wrms/quick/commissioner
What experience do you bring to the Washoe County Commission?
I bring a mixture of professional experience working in the private and public sectors; I bring first-hand experience of growing up and currently living in rural Nevada and understanding the unique needs of our rural communities; I bring first-hand experience of living throughout various parts of the county, including Northwest and South Reno and Stead; I bring a strong educational background in accounting and finances; and, I bring a background in auditing for public accounting and working for the Nevada Department of Transportation and the State of Nevada-Governor’s Finance Office. With my years of public service, the most important thing I bring to the table is my passion for caring for all of our communities. As your Washoe County Commissioner for District 5, I will ensure all our communities’ voices and heard and respected. Afterall, We are One Washoe County, Tamme Sumuoo Washoe County, and Somos un solo Condado de Washoe.