Born and raised in Sparks, Nevada, United States Congressman Jim Gibbons was first elected to represent Nevada's 2nd District in the House of Representatives in 1996. He was re-elected to a fifth term in November 2004. Congressman Gibbons earned a B.S. in Geology and later, a M.S. in Mining/Geology from the University of Nevada at Reno. Gibbons remains an active alumnus of his alma mater and received the MacKay School of Mines Alumnus of the Year Award in 1999. He also earned his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law and completed his post-graduate work at the University of Southern California.

In the 109th Congress, Gibbons serves on three committees: The House Resources Committee (Chairman of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee), the Armed Services Committee, and the Committee on Homeland Security. Congressman Gibbons' committee assignments place him in a prime position to represent the varied interests of Nevadans, including water, mining, energy, ranching and grazing issues, as well as the future of the nation's premier military training bases, Fallon NAS and Nellis AFB. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Gibbons has also taken a leading role in securing our homeland by introducing legislation in October 2001 which would become the basis for the Homeland Security Act that created the Department of Homeland Security.