GOVERNOR’S OFFICE NEWS RELEASE
CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today appointed Ken Wiles of Las Vegas to the Economic Forum. Wiles will fill the unexpired term (until January 31, 2012) of John Restrepo, who resigned from the forum.
According to NRS, the Economic Forum shall make projections for economic indicators and provide an accurate estimate of the revenue that will be collected by the state for general, unrestricted uses, and not for special purposes. The governor and legislature rely on Economic Forum estimates for the preparation of the state budget.
“Ken’s financial and operational experience within growing organizations ranging from venture-stage companies to multi-location, publicly traded corporations will be a vital asset to the Economic Forum as Nevada continues on a path to economic recovery,” Sandoval said. “From serving as a professor to working day in and day out in the financial world, Ken’s intimate knowledge of how the economy works will now benefit his fellow Nevadans.”
Currently a managing director of Acceleron, founded by a former Salomon Brothers analyst in New York, Wiles’ firm specializes in providing domestic and international companies with investment banking, private equity and strategic financial advisory services, with an emphasis on restructuring and turnaround activities. Wiles is a member of the senior management team responsible for establishing the company’s strategic direction, leading business development activities and directing client engagements.
Prior to Acceleron, Ken served as the CFO and senior vice president of business development of AppForge, Inc. where he led the company’s strategic business relationships with companies including Nokia, Microsoft, Oracle, Palm, RIM, AT&T and Symbian, among others. In addition, Ken was responsible for the finance, accounting, investor relations, human resources and MIS departments.
Wiles has also been a vice president at Lloyd & Company, an investment banking firm that specialized in providing investment banking and strategic financial advisory services to middle-market companies and served as chief financial officer for SOMAR, Inc.
For a total of 17 years, Wiles was a finance professor at the Kenan Flagler Business School at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an adjunct finance professor in the Executive MBA Program. A published author with articles appearing in The Journal of Financial Economics, The Journal of Empirical Finance, Financial Management and Financial Analyst Journal, Wiles was also the recipient of the MBA and undergraduate teaching awards while at Kenan Flagler.
Wiles has also held positions in liquidation accounting at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; in the accounting department at Miller and Long, Inc., one of the nation’s largest concrete subcontractors; and at Golembe Associates, a financial institutions investment banking firm.
