It is that time of the year again! October; NFL season; fall. But for gaming specifically, that means the Global Gaming Awards, G2E
Las Vegas and our Gaming America CEO Special.
It is our great honor to interview some of the most influential figures within gaming as part of this annual feature – and this year we
have broadened our leader scope to include Presidents and Chairs, equally notable and senior C-Level positions.
There is heavy Tribal representation, while we cover the land-based, digital, regulatory and affiliate sectors, celebrating the wide
scope of our industry.
The full list of the six interviewees that feature on our cover and later in this magazine comprises: Jonathan Jossel, Plaza Hotel &
Casino CEO, Michael Daly, Catena Media CEO, Mary Cheeks, President & General Manager of Jamul Casino, Jason Guyot,
President & CEO of Foxwoods Resort Casino, E. Sequoyah Simermeyer, Chairman, National Indian Gaming Commission and Lynn
Valbuena, Chairwoman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.
Throughout our six interviews, it has been fascinating to learn so much about both our featured executives’ leadership styles and
their personal lives. Daly was an officer in the US Navy for eight years; Guyot is himself a member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe
that runs Foxwoods; Valbuena used to work in the police force. And those are just a few of the examples we explore, as we aim to
create in-depth and meaningful profiles of the life and careers of those at the very top of our sector.
There is a shared love of animals, with more than one of the CEO's pets featuring! There are also recurring themes that are
consistent across different interviewees – particularly the family connection shared by our Tribal leaders. We hear what it’s like to
run a 9 million square-foot property in Connecticut, and what it’s like to run a 1,000-room property in Downtown Las Vegas.
Ultimately, there is a ‘people’ aspect to every one of our CEO’s journeys, whether they came from HR, finance, operations or
even the military. We invite you to find out more about each and every one of them, and we hope – and believe – you will be
richer for the experience.
