Lynn Atchison reflects on decades of civic work in Northern Nevada

Lynn Atchison, 85, a native Nevadan and founding member of the Nevada Women’s Fund, discussed her decades of civic and professional work in Northern Nevada during a March episode of Washoe Life, the Washoe County communications podcast hosted by Nancy Loewenhagen and Tammy Cummings.

Atchison described founding and sustaining community initiatives — from the Women of Achievement event to Truckee Meadows Tomorrow — and the role those efforts played in measuring and improving local quality‑of‑life indicators. “Mentoring for women is so important,” she said, adding that she has been retired for more than 20 years but remains proud of the organizations she helped create.

The interview outlined several organizations and projects Atchison helped launch or support. She said she was a founding member of the Nevada Women’s Fund and helped start the Women of Achievement program, which she described as “the most significant fundraiser” for the fund. She also recounted efforts to seed Truckee Meadows Tomorrow — an organization created to track community indicators in areas such as education, health, arts and the environment — noting that Washoe Health System provided an initial seeding grant.

Atchison discussed her role in supporting the Terry Lee Wells Discovery Museum through the Terry Lee Wells Foundation. “We gave, I believe, at that time, $4,000,000. Over time, we gave probably 6, close to $6,000,000,” she said, referring to grants and commitments made through the foundation while she served as a trustee.

On her professional background, Atchison said she worked in communications for utility and health organizations and in the private sector. She referenced work at Sierra Pacific Power Company (now NV Energy), service in communications roles at Harrah’s/Holiday Inn‑owned operations referenced in the interview as “Harris,” and a later position leading marketing and communications at Washoe Health System (later renamed Renown Health). She described starting as a director and later assuming broader communications responsibilities, and said volunteer experiences helped build skills she used in paid roles.

Throughout the interview, Atchison emphasized mentoring and leadership development for women. She described reading leadership literature in the 1970s and 1980s and intentionally taking on volunteer positions that cultivated skills she later used professionally. “You just don't know what your impact is,” she said. “But I've always believed strongly in mentoring.”

Hosts Nancy Loewenhagen and Tammy Cummings asked Atchison about highlights and lessons learned; she pointed to community cleanup efforts, regional planning work tied to Truckee Meadows Tomorrow, and the lasting value of volunteer leadership. She said quality‑of‑life initiatives often started with measurable indicators and small, achievable projects to build momentum before tackling larger issues like water and growth management.

Atchison closed with advice for future leaders, urging better workplace policies for women and broader participation across communities. “We need to be much stronger advocates for a better workplace for women,” she said, citing flexible schedules and family leave policies as examples where the U.S. lags other countries.

The conversation appears in Washoe County’s communications podcast and serves as an oral history of Atchison’s civic work and long‑term community projects.