PBS Reno Selects Jill and Par Tolles as
2025 Extraordinary Philanthropists of the Year 
Extraordinary nominations for the 2025 Spotlight Awards & Auction are now open online

 

RENO, NV (MAR 13, 2025) — PBS Reno is thrilled to announce that Jill and Par Tolles are the 2025 Extraordinary Philanthropists who will be honored at the PBS Reno Spotlight Awards & Auction on September 12, 2025, at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno.

“Jill and Par Tolles have spent years focusing on the wellbeing of northern Nevada, from supporting education and healthcare to tackling critical issues like homelessness,” said Emma Glenn, PBS Reno Vice President of Development. “Their leadership in these areas has made a tangible difference, and we are honored to recognize them at this year’s PBS Reno Spotlight Awards.”

Jill Tolles is the Executive Director of the Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities. Prior to joining the Guinn Center, Jill served three terms in the Nevada Legislature as the Assemblywoman for District 25, where she has served on the Education, Judiciary, Commerce and Labor, and Ways and Means Committees. Jill has given back to the community by serving on numerous boards and commissions over the years. She is currently an Education Alliance Board member, recent Vice Chair of the Attorney General’s Statewide Substance Use Response Working Group, Chair of the Northern Nevada Sex Trafficking Task Force, Junior Achievement Hall of Fame Recipient, Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow, FBI Citizen’s Academy Graduate, and member of the International Women’s Forum.

Par Tolles is the Chief Executive Officer of Tolles Development. An industry veteran with decades of experience and hundreds of successful developments to his name, Par has long served as a pioneer in changing the face of northern Nevada and beyond. Par is a leading advocate for solving the acute rise of homelessness in northern Nevada. Favoring action over conversation, he led the development of the Village on Sage Street, a transitional housing facility. His participation led to a leadership role in the campaign to raise private dollars to help build the Cares Campus, a 700-bed facility, health clinic, and general support hub for unhoused individuals. After the transition, Par continued to be instrumental to the facility’s success and orchestrated its fundraising initiatives. Today, the Cares Campus is recognized nationally as a model for other communities across the country.

“We are honored to be a part of this year's PBS Reno Spotlight Awards & Auction,” said Jill and Par Tolles. “We love this community and believe in the importance of public broadcasting to educate, enlighten, and entertain. Thank you for all you do!”

In addition to honoring Jill and Par Tolles, the 2025 PBS Reno Spotlight Awards & Auction will also recognize three finalists from each of the following categories: Extraordinary Student, Extraordinary Individual, Extraordinary Educator, Extraordinary Community Group, and Extraordinary Local Business. Nominations can be made online through April 30, 2025. The winner of each category will be announced during the gala, which is PBS Reno’s biggest fundraiser of the year and raises the crucial funding necessary for local productions and for delivering thousands of Curiosity Classrooms workshops in nine school districts in northern and central Nevada and northeastern California.

“Our Spotlight Awards & Auction gala brings together people from across our region to celebrate the people who make the area special,” said Kurt Mische, PBS Reno President & CEO. “PBS Reno is the thread that ties our community together and Spotlight gives us a chance to raise the funds used to support our important work.”

The PBS Reno Spotlight Awards & Auction has celebrated more than 75 local businesses, 
non-profits, educators, and individuals since 2020. Past recipients of the PBS Reno Extraordinary Philanthropistaward include Rick Reviglio, Brian Sandoval, the Carano family, and Sandy Raffealli.

About PBS Reno

As of November 2024, PBS Reno is enjoyed by more than 540,000 monthly viewers in northern and central Nevada and northeastern California across several platforms including three broadcast channels (PBS Reno 5.1, Reno Create 5.2, and PBS KIDS on PBS Reno 5.3), a YouTube channel, YouTube TV, online, livestreams, and digital platforms. PBS Reno provides PBS national programming and award-earning, locally-produced content, with many local segments posted weekly to PBS Reno’s YouTube Channel. PBSReno.org provides engaging interactive content, including the video portal at watch.PBSReno.org that streams all locally-produced content and most PBS national content. PBS Reno serves students, teachers, parents and caregivers through immersive educational services including Curiosity Classroom Workshops that bring classroom lessons to life with standards-based lessons and activities. Through the support of local corporations and foundations, as well as thousands of individual members, PBS Reno has been delivering public television and educational services to the communities it serves since September 29, 1983.

Contact us:

Membership Questions: membership@pbsreno.org
Programming Hotline: programming@pbsreno.org

Phone: 775.600.0555
Address: 1670 N. Virginia St. • Reno NV 89503