The Vegas Chamber recognized two “servant leaders” from the Nevada National Guard during MAC Night Out at the Westgate Hotel ballroom on May 18, 2023.

The Vegas Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee (MAC) Night Out began as an annual event in 2019 to recognize local active duty and reserve military. This year, MAC Night Out added the Nevada National Guard to its list of honorees. During the inaugural Nevada National Guard recognition, Senior Airman Lea Williams, 232nd Combat Training Squadron, Nevada Air National Guard, and Staff Sgt. Alec Canepa-Teal, 609th Combat Engineers, Nevada Army National Guard, were recognized as the Airman and Soldier of the Year, respectfully..

The Vegas Chamber is the largest business support organization in Nevada focused on supporting local businesses to succeed and create jobs, according to the Chamber’s website.

“It’s our Military Affairs Committee program that honors our servicemen and women,” said Mary Beth Sewald, Vegas Chamber President and CEO. “It’s our opportunity to give back and to be servant leaders like they are.”

Maj. Gen. Ondra Berry, Nevada adjutant general, who was named a Vegas Chamber 2023 Board of Trustee in 2022, was in attendance for the event.

“The Vegas Chamber is an active member of the business community and the Nevada National Guard’s recognition during the ceremony is an instrumental element for our many community partnership initiatives,” Berry said. “The Nevada National Guard includes neighbors helping neighbors. Similarly, the Vegas Chamber provides support for our business communities here in Las Vegas. This is an excellent partnership we have with the Vegas Chamber.”

More about the Nevada National Guard Honorees.

Staff Sgt. Alec Canepa-Teal is a combat engineer from the Fallon-based 609th Engineer Company. Earlier this year, he was named the Nevada Army Guard’s 2023 Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. He won the annual Best Warrior competition in Hawthorne, Nevada, which included Soldiers from Fiji and Tonga, two of Nevada’s three state partnership countries. Additionally, Canepa-Teal attends Truckee Meadows Community College and is studying to become an Emergency Medical Technician. A native of Sparks, Nevada, Canepa-Teal has been in the Army for six years, including five on active duty.

Senior Airman Lea Williams serves in the 232nd Combat Training Squadron. She was responsible for assisting in the generation of 3,100 simulator flight hours in 978 combat training events. Williams implemented a pivotal Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information core network enclave, deploying 24 critical Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications Systems nodes, establishing capabilities for 250 participants and 30 General Officers during the 2023 United States Air Force Warfare Center Weapons and Tactics Conference. She was named the Nevada Air National Guard’s Airman of the Year in February.