BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ellen B. Knowlton
Retired FBI Special Agent in Charge
President, 300 Stewart Avenue Corporation
Ellen B. Knowlton is president of the 300 Stewart Avenue Corporation, the non-profit governing board of The Mob Museum. She served as a Special Agent of the FBI for 24 years, culminating her career as the Special Agent in Charge, Las Vegas Division, and retiring in 2006. Her leadership roles included assignments in New Orleans and Washington D.C., where she assumed responsibility for hundreds of employees as well as all investigative and administrative operations. She was involved in addressing many sensitive personnel issues and crises situations resulting from the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Her career is marked by progressively challenging management and senior executive service positions including:

• Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, where she was responsible for all counterintelligence investigations and operations in Washington, D.C., and led delegations to the Middle East and Europe pertaining to terrorism and counterintelligence investigations.
• Inspector, where she was responsible for ensuring that FBI field offices and headquarters divisions were in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and Department of Justice guidelines in the conduct of operations and investigations.
• Special Agent in charge of the Washington Field Office, where she was responsible for criminal investigations in Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia.
• Deputy Assistant Director/Acting Assistant Director, National Security Division, where she was responsible for the FBI’s counterintelligence program.

Oscar B. Goodman
Former Mayor of Las Vegas
Board Member, 300 Stewart Avenue Corporation and Museum visionary
A key visionary for the project and current board member is former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman. The 19th mayor of the city of Las Vegas, Oscar B. Goodman, was term limited after 12 years of service. He swore in his wife, the 20th mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn G. Goodman, on July 6, 2011. His trademark, no-nonsense tell-it-like-it-is style made him one of the Las Vegas’ most popular mayors and the self-proclaimed “happiest mayor in the universe.” As former chairman of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), Oscar Goodman worked feverishly to promote Las Vegas as one of the most exciting destinations in the world. Today, he is still formally engaged with the LVCVA, promoting Las Vegas as the city’s official ambassador.

Oscar Goodman is one of the nation’s best criminal defense attorneys and was named one of the “15 Best Trial Lawyers in America” by the National Law Journal. He spent more than 35 years defending some of the most notorious alleged Mob figures, including Meyer Lansky, Frank Rosenthal, Anthony Spilotro and others. In 1995, he appeared as himself in the movie, “Casino.”

In June 2008, Oscar Goodman was presented with the 2008 Public Leadership in the Arts Award at the United States Conference of Mayors’ 76th annual meeting. The award honors elected officials and artists or arts organizations that have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts. In July 2009, Oscar Goodman was honored by the International Economic Development Council with its 2009 Leadership Award for Public Service. The award recognizes the many and significant economic advances in Las Vegas made under Oscar Goodman’s watch over the past 10 years. He served on the Advisory Board of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Carolyn G. Goodman
Mayor of Las Vegas
Ex-Officio, 300 Stewart Avenue Corporation
Winning 60 percent of the vote, Carolyn G. Goodman became the mayor of the city of Las Vegas on July 6, 2011. Her husband of 49 years and then current mayor, Oscar B. Goodman, administered the oath of office. It is the only known instance in the U.S. of a wife succeeding her husband as mayor. Oscar Goodman was term limited after 12 years of service.

Carolyn and her husband as relative newlyweds moved to Las Vegas from Philadelphia in 1964. They arrived in August with only $87 left in their collective pockets shortly after Oscar successfully completed the Pennsylvania bar examination. Initially, Oscar worked for the District Attorney’s office while Carolyn worked in the hotel industry and thereafter in West Las Vegas for the Department of Labor. While her husband traveled the country building what became an outstanding criminal law career winning high-profile cases, Carolyn raised their four children while simultaneously earning a master’s degree in counseling at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Carolyn is well known in the Las Vegas community for founding in 1984 The Meadows School, Nevada’s first nonprofit, nonsectarian, independent, coeducational, college preparatory school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grades. Carolyn planned and oversaw the entire day-to-day operations, created and orchestrated curriculum development; supervised the budget, was responsible for hiring administration, faculty and staff; and managed the entire physical campus development endeavors for the organization. During this time, Carolyn never had ownership of the school as it was incorporated as a 501[c][3] entity. Furthermore, during her 26 years in leadership, Carolyn never took a salary. She resigned as president in June 2010, preparing for the next challenge in her life.

Recognized nationally by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the National Association of Independent Schools in 2006 with the Seymour Preston Trustee Award for Leadership, Carolyn has devoted much of her life to volunteerism in Las Vegas, specifically to education. In 1989, the University of Nevada recognized Carolyn with the prestigious “Distinguished Nevadan” award and in 2006 bestowed upon her an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree (PhD). In 2009, nominated by members of her school, she became a Sarah D. Barder Fellow in The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth and an Alumna of the Year in Education at UNLV.

Carolyn has served the people of Las Vegas through her volunteerism and leadership on many community nonprofit boards, charities and service organizations. She has easily proven her deep commitment to the community and continues to be devoted to the highest quality of life for all southern Nevadans. She is currently a member of the board of directors of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

EXECUTIVE STAFF AND DESIGN TEAM

Jonathan Ullman
Executive Director, The Mob Museum
Jonathan Ullman is Executive Director of The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. Reporting to a 20-member Board of Directors, Jonathan is responsible for leading the organization that will operate and grow this world class museum.

Prior to joining The Mob Museum, Jonathan spent over 17 years in a variety of management and leadership roles within the nonprofit museum industry. Most recently, Jonathan was the president and COO at the National Soccer Hall of Fame, a private institution sanctioned by the US Soccer Federation that included a 30,000 sq. ft. museum, four world class soccer fields, and multiple retail, concession, and meeting facilities. During his tenure, Jonathan facilitated a strategic plan that ensured the financial sustainability of the organization through a dramatic change to the operating model and relocation of the collections. This institutional “reinvention” was widely embraced by board members, donors, and key community and governmental stakeholders.

Jonathan’s museum career began at Liberty Science Center, where he was intimately involved in operationalizing the Center upon its opening in 1993. Over the years, Jonathan served in numerous capacities, with responsibilities ranging from intensive staff and program oversight to strategic planning and external relations. His purview included the comprehensive management of the public operation, as well as the implementation of educational programming through learning experiences that occurred onsite, offsite, and online. As a member of the eight-person Steering Committee, Jonathan’s contributions helped Liberty Science Center achieve the status of the most visited museum in the state of New Jersey, surpassing more than 9 million guests in a twelve-year period. Jonathan’s efforts also included extensive capital planning and business development. This culminated in 2007 with his coordination of reopening preparations following a $109MM renovation and expansion.

Jonathan earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Rutgers College and his Masters of Business Administration from Rutgers Business School. A believer in the importance of community, Jonathan has also served on a number of nonprofit boards.

For More Information:
Mike Doria, Public Relations Specialist
The Mob Museum
702-724-8602
mdoria@themobmuseum.org