Oral history interview with Ellis Landau conducted by Barbara Tabach on November 28, 2017 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Landau discusses his education at Brandeis University, and Columbia Business School. He also talks about his involvement in the Las Vegas, Nevada Jewish community, the Temple Beth Sholom, working for Boyd Gaming, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Nathan Adelson Hospice.
In 1990, Las Vegas became home to Ellis Landau and his attorney wife, Yvette. They moved from Phoenix, Arizona when Ellis accepted a position as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer with Boyd Gaming. The relocation also included a desire to become active in the local community. Temple Beth Sholom was one of their first connections. For Ellis the Jewish community of a newer city like Las Vegas differed immensely from his childhood upbringing in a more ethnic Jewish community outside Philadelphia. Nevertheless, Ellis soon became active on the Temple Beth Sholom board, and is a past Treasurer and President. The couple are among the founders of the Warsaw Memorial Garden at the synagogue. In 2006, Ellis was honored as Temple Beth Sholom’s “Man of the Year.” The Landaus have been significantly involved with other local organizations such as Nathan Adelson Hospice and the Las Vegas Philharmonic. Ellis’s dedication to the Anti-defamation League, both on a local and regional level, is a beacon of inspiration to others. The Landaus are sponsors of ADL’s “No Place for Hate” program. Ellis is a graduate of Brandeis University in economics and has a Masters of Business Administration from Columbia University School of Business. His former career steps include Ramada Inc. and U-Haul Corporation.
Ellis Landau is a member of the board of trustees of the Nathan Adelson Hospice in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Boyd Gaming Corporation and served as a financial executive in the gaming and hospitality industries for more than thirty years. In 2006 Landau was honored as "Man of the Year" by Temple Beth Sholom in Las Vegas. He served as the temple's president from 2009 to 2010 and is a founder of its Warsaw Memorial Garden.