LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 28, 2008--Sierra Pacific Resources (NYSE: SRP) today announced that Maureen T. Mullarkey, former executive vice president and chief financial officer of IGT, has been elected to Sierra Pacific's board of directors, effective immediately.

Michael Yackira, president and chief executive officer of Sierra Pacific Resources, said: "Maureen Mullarkey not only brings to our board extensive financial experience, she also has been, and continues to be, active in civic and community organizations in Nevada. As a long-time resident of Reno, she therefore will provide insight from both a business and customer perspective."

Mullarkey served 18 years with IGT, holding a variety of financial management positions before retiring in 2007 from the company, which is one of the nation's leading suppliers of gaming equipment and technology. She became IGT's CFO in 1998 and subsequently assumed additional roles as vice president of finance, CFO and treasurer (1999-2000), senior vice president, CFO and treasurer (2001-2003), and executive vice president, CFO and treasurer (2003-2007).

Within her community, she currently serves as chair of the Nevada Museum of Art, board member of the Desert Research Institute and an advisory board member of the Community Foundation of Western Nevada. Her former affiliations included serving on the board of The Nevada Woman's Fund and the University of Nevada Reno's College of Business advisory board.

Mullarkey holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Reno (1988) and a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Texas, Austin (1981). She was recognized as a "Great Woman of Gaming" in 2005 and in 2007 received the UNR Alumni Association Professional Achievement Award.

She and her husband, Steve Miller, presently reside in both Reno and Lake Tahoe.

Headquartered in Nevada, Sierra Pacific Resources is a holding company whose principal subsidiaries are Nevada Power Company, the electric utility for most of southern Nevada, and Sierra Pacific Power Company, the electric utility for most of northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe area of California. Sierra Pacific Power Company also distributes natural gas in the Reno-Sparks area of northern Nevada.