Ayoub resigns from athletic commission

Friday, April 19, 2002 | 10:07 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Amy Ayoub, who made her mark on the Nevada State Athletic Commission by spearheading the opposition to Mike Tyson's licensing request earlier this year, has resigned from her post effective Monday and will be replaced by Raymond "Skip" Avansino Jr. of Reno.

Ayoub, the first female member of the commission, said she was gratified by her 29 months as one of five members on the NSAC and cited increased business concerns for her decision to resign.

"My business obligations brought it on," she said Thursday. "One or the other was going to suffer, because both were time consuming."

Ayoub operates a fund-raising firm in Las Vegas for political candidates and non-profit organizations.

"It wasn't an easy decision," she said of leaving the NSAC. "But I'm blessed by the fact my business has been continually growing."

Appointed to the board in November of 1999 by Governor Kenny Guinn, Ayoub called her experience "a tremendous opportunity, one that I'll always be grateful to have received."

She said the high stakes of the Tyson licensing hearing did not impact her decision to leave the commission.

"The decision (to reject his request) wasn't that difficult for me," she said. "It seemed clean-cut."

During that hearing it was Ayoub who first challenged Tyson and his legal team and who seemingly influenced the commission's momentum. Tyson was seeking a license in an attempt to fight heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis April 6 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, but when he was denied, the fight subsequently was moved to Memphis, Tenn., with a June 8 date.

Ayoub's term with the commission was to have expired in November.

Avansino, 58, former president and chief operating officer of the Hilton Hotels Corporation from 1993 to 1996, is currently vice chairman of the state Ethics Commission. He previously served four years as a member of the Nevada Gaming Commission.

He has been chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the E.L. Wiegand Foundation in Reno for the past 20 years. He is also an adjunct professor of law at the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV.

"I am honored by Gov. Guinn's appointment to the athletic commission," Avansino said. "I will work hard to uphold the high standard established by the commission."

Guinn said he was happy to have Avansino on board.

"I am pleased Skip Avansino has agreed to serve on the commission," Guinn said in a statement. "Skip is a lifelong Nevadan who will bring the highest level of intellect, integrity and ethics to this board.

"At the same time I want to thank Amy Ayoub for her outstanding service to this commission. I am sorry to see her leave early, but I understand and respect her need to focus on business commitments."

Avansino will serve the remainder of the term. The breakdown of the commission is now three members from Las Vegas and two from Reno.