Our Board of Directors
Global Gaming Women is led by women gaming executives representing diverse industry segments, organizations and geographic areas. Under the direction of our President and Chair Phyllis A. Gilland, the GGW Board of Directors, made up of the Education Committee, Conference and Events Committee, Marketing Committee, Finance Committee and Mentorship Committee, steer the development of programs, events and educational offerings for the organization. We are proud to have over 100 female gaming executives and emerging leaders engaged on our committees and leading the future of GGW.
CHRISTIE EICKELMAN
GGW President, Chair & Events Committee
Co-Chair
Vice President of Marketing, Gaming Laboratories International
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Christie Eickelman is Vice President of Marketing for GLI. In her position, she directs and implements all marketing programs for GLI’s 20 worldwide locations. Her responsibilities include building the corporate brand and establishing and directing marketing functions in accordance with GLI’s policies, regulations and sound business practices. She joined the company in 1999 as Marketing Manager, shaping GLI’s branding in North America. In 2001, she was promoted to Director of Marketing and Development, overseeing the North American development team in their daily responsibilities. In June 2007, she was promoted to Senior Director of Worldwide Marketing, and in September 2012, she was promoted to Vice President. Eickelman has a long history in the gaming industry. Prior to GLI, she served as Marketing Manager for Sodak Gaming Inc. (now IGT). She has also served at Wolf Gaming LLC as Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations. In 2005, she was selected as a Great Woman in Gaming by Casino Enterprise Management, and in 2008, Global Gaming Business named her one of the 25 People to Watch in Gaming. Eickelman is one of the founding members on the Global Gaming Women board, she’s also a member on the Andson Foundation board and for the past two years she has served on the Executive Leadership Committee of the American Heart Association-Go Red for Women Luncheon of Southern Nevada.
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 CASSIE STRATFORD
GGW Vice President, EDUCATION COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR
Vice President of Legal Affairs & Assistant General Counsel, Boyd Gaming Corporation
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Cassie Stratford currently serves as Vice President of Legal Affairs and Assistant General Counsel for Boyd Gaming Corporation, a publicly traded hotel/casino operator with properties throughout the United States. Since joining Boyd Gaming Corporation in 2012, Ms. Stratford has been involved in a number of functions within the legal department, including contract drafting, negotiation and process management, information technology matters, data security initiatives, marketing and operational advisory matters, human resources, premises liability and complex litigation, and a wide variety of general legal advisory matters. Prior to joining Boyd Gaming Corporation, Ms. Stratford was a commercial litigation attorney in the Las Vegas office of Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. While at Snell and Wilmer, Ms. Stratford served a variety of business clients in all stages of litigation, with a primary focus on financial services clients. Ms. Stratford received her bachelor’s degree in Government from Georgetown University, while working part time for a national political campaign consulting firm in Washington DC. Ms. Stratford received her Juris Doctor from UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law, where she has also served as an Adjunct Professor, teaching an upper level legal writing course entitled “Transaction Drafting”. In addition to her involvement with Global Gaming Women, Ms. Stratford continues to be involved in Georgetown and UNLV Law alumni programs, serves as a regular volunteer for the Ask-a-Lawyer program through the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and is involved in various other community organizations.
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PHYLLIS GILLAND
GGW Vice President
Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Golden Entertainment
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Phyllis A. Gilland serves as Golden Entertainment Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary since October 2008. Ms. Gilland is also corporate Compliance Officer. She oversees corporate legal issues and is responsible for the risk management, including casualty insurance, Compliance investigations and oversight of Human Resources, Security and Surveillance departments. Ms. Gilland has developed and implemented the legal strategy for many companies in the areas of regulatory and business compliance, corporate governance, claim management, real estate matters, risk management, human resources, casualty insurance and welfare benefits, security and surveillance and mergers and acquisitions. She also has experience operating businesses with responsibilities for overseeing sales, marketing, finance and human resources departments. Prior to joining ACEP, from 2000 to 2007 Ms. Gilland served as general counsel and chief financial officer for Taylor Construction Group Companies, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa with affiliates around the country, including Las Vegas, Nevada. Prior to Taylor Construction, she served as general counsel for Principal International, Inc. from 1999 through 2000 and associate general counsel for Principal Financial Group from 1994 through 1999. In addition, Ms. Gilland has held positions with the Resolution Trust Corporation and KPMG.
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VIRGINIA MCDOWELL
GGW Vice Chair
Former Isle of Capri Chief Executive Officer
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Named Gaming Executive of the Year for 2009 by Casino Journal Magazine, Virginia McDowell has always performed at the top of her game. Among the top publicly-traded gaming corporations, she served as the only female president and chief executive officer of a major gaming operating company from 2007 until her retirement from Isle of Capri Casinos in April 2016. She now serves at the president and board chair of Global Gaming Women, a new non-profit with a mission to support, inspire and influence the development of women in the gaming industry through education and mentoring. Her achievements include combining thirty-five years of casino experience with strong business skills and a demonstrated ability to communicate at every level, and she has served as a frequent featured or keynote speaker, moderator or panelist at universities, civic organizations and charitable organizations and major industry conferences.
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ANN HOFF
GGW Nominating Committee Chair
President and COO - Portfolio Properties, MGM Resorts International
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Ann Hoff is President & COO Portfolio Properties, provides operational leadership for The Mirage, New York-New York, Luxor, Excalibur and Circus Circus Las Vegas. She works closely with property Presidents and company leaders to drive strategic direction and implement corporate initiatives.
Prior to this role, Hoff served as President and Chief Operating Officer at Excalibur, overseeing all aspects of the operation for the iconic 4,000-room resort while also executing several company continuous improvement initiatives, such as the paid parking program. Her career with MGM Resorts began in 1990 when she joined the Management Associate Program (MAP) at The Mirage. Soon after, she was named Assistant Director of Leisure Marketing for the property, followed by Assistant Director of Sales at Treasure Island. In 1997, Hoff moved to Biloxi, MS to become part of the opening team as Director of Marketing for the company’s 1,740-room Beau Rivage. In 2001, Hoff returned to Las Vegas as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Treasure Island before becoming Vice President of Operations at New York-New York overseeing the Hotel, Food & Beverage, Entertainment, Retail, Sales and Marketing divisions. More
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MAUREEN KEENAN
GGW Treasurer & Finance Committee Chair
Vice President of Finance, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa
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Maureen Keenan brings over 33 years of gaming industry experience in finance and operations to her current role as Vice President of Finance for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, Florida. In this role, she is responsible for the areas of finance, analysis, cage operations, credit, IT, warehouse and retail operations. Maureen is part of the leadership team at Seminole Gaming that formed the Women of Seminole Gaming to encourage and support the development and success of the women of Seminole Gaming. Prior to joining Seminole Hard Rock in 2007, Maureen spent 25 years with Aztar Corporation beginning at the Tropicana in Atlantic City, New Jersey and then relocating to Indiana to open the first Riverboat casino in that state, Casino Aztar-Evansville. She held executive positions at Casino Aztar including the position of Vice President/General Manger. Prior to this position she held the position of Vice President of Finance & Administration where she was responsible for the areas of Finance, analysis, cage operations, credit, IT, Human Resources, warehouse and retail operations. Maureen received her Bachelor of Science from University of Charleston, WV and Master of Science from University of Phoenix. Married to Robert Sr. since 1988, and they have 2 wonderful children Robert, Jr and Caitlyn.
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ANN SIMMONS NICHOLSON
GGW Secretary
CEO / President,
Simmons Group
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Ann Simmons Nicholson is President and Founder of the Simmons Group. She is recognized as an expert in Strategic Planning, Talent Management, Human Resources, Organizational Development and Training. The Simmons group has work internationally in private industry, for non-profit organizations, and government entities. Her clients such as Konami Gaming, Whole Foods, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Scientific Games, dozens of hotel casinos, schools and numerous non-profit organizations, have all benefited from Ann’s 30 plus years of experience.
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JENNIFER ROBERTSGGW General Counsel
Associate Director, International Center for Gaming Regulation, UNLV
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Jennifer Roberts is the Associate Director of the International Center for Gaming Regulation at University of Nevada Las Vegas. Ms. Roberts was previously a partner at Duane Morris LLP. Prior to that, she was a shareholder in the Gaming & Regulatory Department of Lionel Sawyer & Collins. Her gaming law practice included representation of clients in all areas of gaming law, including licensing, compliance, and gaming law and regulatory development. Ms. Roberts’ current legal practice includes alcohol beverage licensing and compliance, as well as land use and zoning, business licensing, and regulatory and administrative law. Ms. Roberts is an adjunct professor at the William S. Boyd School of Law, teaching courses on introduction to gaming law, gaming law policy, fundamentals of casino operations and management, and resort hotel casino law. She is also an adjunct professor in gaming law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah.
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JENNIFER WEISSMAN
Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer,
Penn National Gaming
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Jennifer Weissman has close to twenty years of experience as a marketing leader within the gaming industry. Prior to joining Penn National Gaming, Inc., in November of 2015, Weissman spent 17 years in various marketing roles at Caesars Entertainment, formerly Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. Weissman started her career in gaming at Hollywood Casino Tunica, as a public relations coordinator. Prior to joining Penn National Gaming, Inc., Weissman served as Regional Vice President for Caesars, overseeing the strategic marketing efforts for nine geographically and competitively diverse casinos and hotels that generate over $1.5 billion in gaming revenues. Weissman also has extensive property level experience, serving as the head of marketing at casinos in several of PENN’s current markets, including St. Louis, Tunica, and ChicagoLand. Additionally, Jennifer was part of the opening team for the Harrah’s Rincon property in San Diego.
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 HOLLY GAGNONGGW Mentoring Committee Co-Chair
President and CEO,
Seneca Gaming Corp.
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Holly Gagnon is the President and CEO of Seneca Gaming Corporation which includes Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, NY, Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in Buffalo, NY, and Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in Salamanca, NY. Previously she served as CEO for Chumash Enterprises for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. She is one of very few female CEOs in the gaming industry and has leveraged her vision over a 20-year career to consistently prioritize guest experience, employee engagement, and drive superior results to the bottom line. In April 2016, Holly was named Executive of the Year by The Native American Finance Officers Association. She served as 2014 keynote speaker and panel member at one of the gaming industry’s most prestigious events, the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas. Holly is a founding board member of Global Gaming Women, where she chairs the mentorship committee.
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 KATIE LEVERGeneral Counsel & Executive Vice President, The Drew
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Katie Lever is General Counsel and Executive Vice President of The Drew. Over the course of the past ten years, she has been General Counsel of several of the gaming industry’s most dominant, publicly traded suppliers. In these roles, Katie led two of the gaming industry’s most significant mergers, each time playing a key strategic and legal role in her role as General Counsel of the acquired entity. As a result of these consolidations, Katie most recently held the roles of EVP and General Counsel of Scientific Games, SVP of Legal & Compliance and General Counsel of Bally Technologies, and EVP and General Counsel of SHFL entertainment. Previously, Katie was the first General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Global Cash Access, the gaming industry’s largest cash access provider, and was a Partner with the Las Vegas law firm Schreck Brignone (now Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck), where she represented some of the gaming industry’s largest companies.
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 TINA KILMER, PE GGW Events Committee
Co-Chair
Senior Director of Engineering
Gaming Laboratories International
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As Senior Director of Engineering for Gaming Laboratories International, Tina M. Kilmer ensures that GLI’s testing and compliance services are provided at the highest standards of excellence. She oversees engineering managers and teams to facilitate the delivery of services on time, on budget, and with unbeatable quality. She also works closely with gaming suppliers at multiple levels to understand the issues they are facing and how GLI can best meet their needs.
Kilmer has more than 20 years of global gaming experience and is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) with a proven record of success in developing a culture of compliance and delivering exceptional results in highly competitive environments. Her areas of expertise include technical compliance, program management, product development, and strategic planning and execution. MORE
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ELLEN WHITTEMORE
GGW Kick Up Your Heels
Co-Chair
EVP & General Counsel Wynn Resorts
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Ellen Whittemore is the EVP and General Counsel for Wynn Resorts and is well known for her gaming law and regulatory practice, representing some of the world’s largest gaming companies before the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission in licensing, disciplinary, and gaming and entertainment tax matters. She also represents private equity companies investing in the gaming industry and represents many of the leading gaming technology firms engaged in interactive and social gaming.
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 HELEN MACMILLAN
Founder & Principal Advisor, All-In Gaming & Hospitality Group, Inc.
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Helen MacMillan is the Founder & Principal Advisor for All-In Gaming & Hospitality Group Inc. and a Founder and Partner of Play the Field. An experienced leader and highly driven professional, she is known for bringing people and ideas together, inspiring creative thinking and cutting-edge approaches to doing business. Throughout her more than 25-year career, Helen has worked in various industries including; gaming and hospitality, economic development, advertising and client services, public relations, automotive and fashion. During her casino industry career, working across Canada, she has had influential involvement in all areas of the corporate structure including facility operations and management, marketing, finance, security and compliance, government relations, human resources, and labour relations. Helen is a sought-after public speaker and coach. Through All-In, an innovative consultant group, Helen advises clients on many topics including organizational culture, customer-centric strategies, women in leadership, social responsibility and customer loyalty programs – to name a few. She is a founding partner of Play the Field, an enterprise solution, created to help casinos to attract and retain qualified new customers. Helen also established The Women of Canadian Gaming in 2016 to provide women with a forum to support and celebrate successes in their various roles within the industry.
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TIFFANY SIDES
GGW MARKETING COMMITTEE CHAIR
Executive Director of Marketing Operations, Stations Casinos
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Tiffany Sides currently serves as the Executive Director of Marketing Operations for Station Casinos. In this role, she leads the corporate marketing initiatives for all Las Vegas brands to include promotions, rewards programs, guest feedback and direct collaboration with all property Directors of Marketing. She joined Station Casinos in January 2016 and has worked with three other gaming companies in Las Vegas over the last 12 years. Tiffany obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California, San Diego and enjoys volunteering with various organizations throughout Southern Nevada including U.S.VETS, Global Gaming Women, The Junior League of Las Vegas, HELP of Southern Nevada, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and The University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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SHEILA BANGALORE
Assistant General Counsel, Aristocrat Technologies
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Sheila Bangalore currently serves as Associate General Counsel for Aristocrat Technologies, a leading global provider of land-based and online gaming solutions. Prior to Aristocrat, Sheila served as Senior Corporate Counsel at Zappos.com, and also as Associate General Counsel at Bally Technologies. Sheila strongly believes in giving back to her community, including as a member of the American Heart Association’s Executive Leadership Team for the Go Red for Women initiative in 2018, as a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Leadership Excellence Council in 2017, and as the President of the Association of Corporate Counsel – Nevada Chapter in 2015 and 2016. Sheila is a graduate of the Washington University School of Law, where she received her J.D., and Tufts University, where she received her B.A. in English.
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ANIKA HOWARD
GGW Marketing Committee Co-Chair
VP Brand & Digital Marketing, Foxwoods Casino Resort
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Anika Howard is the VP Brand & Digital Marketing for Foxwoods Casino ResortShe joins the GGW Board with close to 20 years of experience in the gaming and entertainment industries. Her focus is innovation and transformative technologies. She continues to advocate for using technology to create compelling and engaging customer experiences. Prior to joining IGT, Anika founded and managed a boutique interactive agency – AHA Management and Consulting, Inc. She provided consulting services to Northstar Lottery Group and launched the first US based iLottery solution for the Illinois Lottery. As an executive for IGT she’s led several ground breaking initiatives for iLottery, iGaming, Mobile and Interactive.
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 JOYCE ARPIN
Senior Vice President, Finance & Treasurer, Caesars Entertainment Corporation
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Joyce Arpin is Senior Vice President, Finance & Treasurer for Caesars Entertainment Corporation, overseeing Corporate Treasury, Investor Relations and all Capital Markets transactions for the enterprise. Joyce has been with Caesars since January of 2014. Prior to that, she was Director of Investor Relations and Treasury at Station Casinos. Her 7 years in corporate and investment banking at Bank of America, UBS and Jefferies, covering the casino hotel industry, gave her the skills and experience necessary for her move to Las Vegas.
Throughout her career, Joyce has been responsible for capital structure strategy and execution, investor relations planning and outreach, communications, forecasting, and cash/investment strategy. Joyce was also Co-Chair of Savvy, a women’s business resource group at Caesars.
Joyce grew up in Houston, Texas, earned her BBA in Finance at The University of Texas at Austin, and obtained her MBA from The UCLA Anderson School of Management.
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 ERICA KOSEMUND
Senior Director of Marketing, Choctaw Nation, Durant, Oklahoma
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Erica Kosemund is the Executive Director of Marketing for the Choctaw Nation’s Division of Commerce. She oversees the creative and strategic team that drives brand and marketing initiatives for all the Choctaw Nation businesses which include, 20 gaming sites, 16 travel plazas, several restaurants, and 65,000 acres of ranches and farmland.
With more than a decade of experience serving in various marketing roles for several gaming and entertainment organizations, Erica brings a strong background in management, operations, marketing and gaming to her position at the Choctaw Nation.Erica’s greatest strengths are her creativity, drive and leadership. She thrives on challenges, particularly those that expand the Nation’s reach.
Erica holds her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with a minor in Marketing from St. Gregory’s University. She also holds a Meeting and Event Management certificate from the University of Oklahoma. She is also a certified speaker, trainer and coach from the John Maxwell Team.
Erica received the 40 Under 40 Award from Oklahoma Magazine in 2017 and Global Gaming Business Magazine in 2015.
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STANA SUBARIC
GGW Membership Committee
Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Affinity Gaming
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Stana Subaric currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Affinity Gaming. In this role, she provides HR leadership for 11 hotel and casino properties across the United States. Since joining Affinity Gaming in 2016, Ms. Subaric has implemented new human capital initiatives along with policies and procedures that have directly increased employee and guest satisfaction across the enterprise.
Before joining Affinity Gaming, Ms. Subaric held multiple Human Resource leadership positions for corporations including Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Caesars Entertainment. She is an acting member for the Society of Human Resource Management and has participated in volunteer work with organizations including Make-A-Wish, Alzheimer’s Association, and Candelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation.
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 Lauren Bates
GGW Mentorship Committee
Director of Sales, Western Region, Konami
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Lauren Bates currently serves as the Director of Sales for the Western Region at Konami Gaming, Inc; a leading innovator of slot machines and gaming enterprise management systems for the global gaming market Since joining Konami in 2006, Mrs. Bates has held various positions. In her current role, Lauren is responsible for developing and managing her team of sales professionals, driving revenue, increasing overall market and ship share, and the development and execution of annual business strategy. Lauren has a proven success record of 13 years in gaming that include highly recognized sales achievements for both games and system sales, business process improvement, and mentoring/leadership programs. Lauren grew up in Ohio, earned her BA from The Ohio State University in Marketing and Logistics with a Minor in Professional Writing, and recently completed UCSD’s Mindful Executive graduate program. She enjoys volunteering at various organizations throughout Southern Nevada and is an active member of Global Gaming Women serving on the Board of Directors and various committees.
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Shonette Harrison Carew
GGW Membership Committee
Vice President Marketing, Hollywood Casino Perryville
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Shonette Harrison Carew is a 20+ year hospitality/ casino veteran with multi-jurisdictional experience and expertise in relationship marketing, marketing analytics, marketing operations and branding. As the head of Marketing for Hollywood Casino Perryville, she is responsible for all aspects of revenue associated with mass market and VIP marketing for the casino in Maryland, owned by parent company Gaming and Leisure Properties. Her duties include strategic and operational leadership of the Advertising, PR, Entertainment, Direct Mail, Database Marketing, E-Marketing, Social Media, Marketing Analytics, Promotions & Events, Groups, and Retail operations.
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FELICIA GASSEN
Association Director, Global Gaming Women
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Felicia Gassen is a passionate and experienced advocate who brings a variety of experience to accomplish the objectives of Global Gaming Women. She is committed to developing programs and strategies to help women become leaders in the gaming industry, and her diverse background uniquely qualifies her to achieve that end.
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