Great Women of Gaming

The Great Women of Gaming 2007

Casino Enterprise Management Magazine named the winners of its Great Women of Gaming 2007 Awards at the 2nd Annual Great Women of Gaming Conference, Awards Ceremony, Banquet & Gala on Monday, April 7, at the Green Valley Ranch Resort in Las Vegas.

This year, 56 gaming industry leaders were nominated for the Great Women of Gaming Awards. In the Proven Leaders category, five winners came from the 37 women nominated. In the Rising Stars category, five of the 19 women nominated were honored. Winners were chosen based on characteristics such as perseverance, drive, commitment, mentorship and professionalism.

The Great Women of Gaming 2007 include:

Proven Leaders
• Janet Beronio, Senior VP and General Manager, Harrah’s Rincon Resort & Casino
• Bernadine Burnette, Vice President, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation
• Carole Carter, Owner and Principal, E-Gads!
• Virginia McDowell, President and COO, Isle of Capri Casinos
• Jean Venneman, Senior VP of Product Development, International Game Technology

Rising Stars
• Brenda Boudreaux, VP of Product Management, International Game Technology
• Erica Frohm, President, 01 Insights
• Laurie E. Lasseter, CTO and VP of Engineering, WMS Gaming
• Christie L. Modlin, Tribal Chair, Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma
• Debra Nelson, VP of Corporate Diversity, Communications & Community Affairs, MGM MIRAGE

This year, the Great Women of Gaming Awards Ceremony included an honorary recipient, the late Diane Breeding, co-founder of Shuffle Master Inc.

Many gaming industry associations, manufacturers, operators and tribal governments took part in this year’s event, including the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, Bally Technologies, Aristocrat Technologies, Gaming Laboratories International, International Game Technology, Harrah’s Entertainment, Konami Gaming, JCM Global, National Indian Gaming Association, Shuffle Master, WMS Gaming, 01 Insights, Boyd Gaming, MGM MIRAGE, Rocket Games, Station Casinos, Sycuan Casino and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.

Our Mission

The scope of Casino Enterprise Management’s Great Women of Gaming program is first and foremost to recognize the women of our industry for their achievements. Nominated and selected as finalists by their peers, the Great Women of Gaming Awards celebrate the perseverance, drive, commitment, mentorship and professionalism these women have brought to the gaming industry.

Second, the ongoing mission of Great Women of Gaming is to provide actionable information for the women in our industry through our editorial coverage in the magazine, e-newsletters and website and, also, in conference settings. This actionable information can help them further their life and career goals.

The Great Women of Gaming Conference, Awards Ceremony & Gala is a first-of-its-kind event developed specifically for women working in gaming today. The Conference lineup includes speakers, panel discussions and presentations on relevant issues for women in our industry including more general women-centric topics like Financial Independence and Management for Women, Mentoring, Balance between Career and Family and Female Competitiveness.

Great Women of Gaming Sponsors:

This event is managed by