Advisory Board Members
Bernice Mathews
Senator Mathews was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1933. She graduated from
the University of Nevada, Reno with a B.S.N. and M.Ed. in Administration of Higher
Education. Since her time at UNR, Senator Mathews has remained a devoted and active
citizen in the Reno area. She even served as City Councilwoman for the City of Reno
and is a Past Chair of the Reno Civil Service Commission. Besides being a State
Senator, she is also the Director of Health Science-Nursing (Emeritus).
It is not difficult to see that Senator Mathews has a sincere passion for nursing
and health care. She was a member of the Washoe County Mental Health Advisory Board
and was part of the Governor's Commission on Nursing and Nursing Education. Senator
Mathews is the Past President of the State Board of Nursing and a member of the American
Nurses' Association. For all of her achievements, the UNR School of Nursing granted
her the Outstanding Alumni Award. She was also the recipient of the President's Medal
in Recognition of Outstanding Contribution to Higher Education in Nevada.
Senator Mathews has seven children: Arnold II, Anthony, Aileen, Barbara, Ruben,
Clive, and Allen (deceased).
Contact Senator Bernice Mathews
Email: bmathews@sen.state.nv.us
P.O. Box 7176
Reno, NV 89510
Phone: (775) 663-2086
Kevin Murphy
Kevin Murphy is a physician specializing in infectious diseases in Reno. He was
born in Kansas City, raised in Northern California and educated at The Johns Hopkins
University, where he received a B.A. in liberal arts and an M.A. in writing and comparative
literature. He received his M.D. at UCLA, where he was valedictorian of the class of 1970.
Internship and residency in medicine followed at the University of Wisconsin, and a commission
in the U.S. Public Health Service as research medical officer in the virology laboratory at
the Centers for Disease Control. Further training in medicine, a fellowship in infectious
diseases and assistant professorship in internal medicine followed at U.T. Southwestern
Medical School and Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. There he became involved in
health, resettlement, and then justice issues of Asian and Central American refugees in
the community, serving on the boards of several refugee agencies.
He helped to found the East Dallas Health Coalition, which provided culturally sensitive
community-based health care to Asian and Ethiopian refugees concentrated in the East Dallas
neighborhood. He formulated the curriculum in AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases at the
medical school and the Dallas County Health Department, and organized the early surveillance
of AIDS in Dallas. He later entered private practice in Dallas, focusing on AIDS, tropical
medicine and hospital acquired infections. When the Dallas County Commissioners sought to
forbid the distribution of condoms by the health department, he was one of a small group of
leaders, representing the medical school and the county medical society, who fought to retain
that service, publicly debating politicians in churches and on public television. He also
worked to educate the medical community, through lectures and quiet diplomacy, to provide
compassionate and knowledgeable care for patients with AIDS.
He served on the Board of Trustees of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas and, for his
work with refugees and advocacy for patients with AIDS, received the Carl Brannin Award from
the Social Justice Committee of First Church. He also received awards from the Dallas
County School District and the Governor of Texas for his volunteer work, and served on the
Governor’s Task Force on Sexually Transmitted Diseases. He is the author of numerous abstracts,
articles and chapters on HIV disease, central nervous system infections, viral diseases,
parasitology and antibiotic management.
While in Dallas, he cared for more than 3000 patients with HIV disease. Since moving to Reno in
1999, he has worked as a clinical consultant at Sierra Infectious Diseases, at HOPES from 2000 to
2006, and as medical consultant to the Washoe County Health Department. He has twice received awards
for the teaching of UNR medical residents. He joined the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of
Northern Nevada in 2003 and has been active in teaching adult courses related to UU history,
transcendentalism and spiritual themes in literature. He has also been active in worship, on the
Sunday Forum Committee, leading the UU Great Decisions discussion group, and organizing a Quaker-UU
Study Group on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict.
He is married to master gardener Rachael Murphy, who has been manager of the Cooperative Extension
greenhouse and active in Transition Reno, and the local Permaculture group, developing a Green Sanctuary
at UUFNN, and organizing both a UUFNN community garden and our memorial garden. The Murphy's have 2 children,
David and Megan.
Contact Kevin Murphy
75 Pringle Way #705
Reno, NV 89502
775 329-0333