2004 GREAT WOMEN OF GAMING
Proven leader
Melanie Benjamin
Chief Executive
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
Melanie Benjamin surely possesses the
attributes one needs for success—a solid education,
the drive to work hard, a good support
network—but she also has a hard-won
wisdom that is heavily tinged with the Native
American legacy. "I am a product of the federal
government's Indian relocation program,"
she says. "I was born in the Lake Lena
area of the Mille Lacs Reservation in East
Central Minnesota, but I grew up in St. Louis,
Missouri. During my childhood, my family
would come back and visit the Mille Lacs
Reservation often. When I turned 17, I decided
to come back and stay."
One thing that you immediately sense
about Benjamin is that she is in tune with the
people around her. And it is clear that at that
time, she was capable of using that, distilling
everyday interactions into valuable ideals.
"When I was growing up, my mother worked
two jobs because I come from a large family,"
she says. "My mom worked very hard for our
family, which helped me develop a strong
work ethic. Also, the girlfriends I grew up
with—who are still some of my closest
friends today—have always provided a level
of comfort, support and encouragement. My
grandfather was a minister. He instilled
morals in me. (And) I worked for a man early
in my career who taught me a lot about the
importance of education. He inspired me to
get a college education. I was the first one in
my family to get a college education, and I
continue to believe strongly in the importance
of education."
Benjamin also attributes part of her success—
without ever mentioning herself—to
another ideal. "The Mille Lacs Band of
Ojibwe has integrity," she says, "and we
stand by our word. The guests of our properties—
Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand
Casino Hinckley—are very important, so we
treat them with a lot of respect and let them
know that they are important to us. We try to
stay ahead of the game and always try to
determine what can make an even better
experience for our guests."
The success story of Native American
gaming includes tribal self-determination and
charitable giving, and Benjamin does not
overlook either one. "It is also important to be
able to think outside the box," she says. "We
are always trying to determine what could
benefit our reservation and the community
around us."
Her opinions about being a woman in
gaming contain a twist that seems almost bittersweet.
"For me, it's been an advantage to
be a woman," she says. "In a white-dominated
society, there is a stigma of women in the
workplace. Bring an Indian woman into that
mix, and they have an even lower expectation
of you. When you are able to do something
normally, it looks like it is a big deal." Still,
when it comes to her gender, that cultural
wisdom shines through. "I feel that men are
very important—you have to have balance,"
she says. "Both genders have responsibilities
and I respect that. When there is balance,
things work out."
She also maintains an optimism about
women in gaming, and Native American
women in particular. "It is changing," she
says. "There are women in powerful roles
across the country such as Wilma Mankiller,
who crashes down any barriers that get in her
way, and Sue Masten, who can walk into any
environment and understand what is going
on. At the Mille Lacs Band's casinos, three of
the people in our top four posts are female."
Benjamin offers this advice for success,
and you get the feeling it's not just about
business: "First and foremost, you need to
respect men and treat all people with
respect—regardless of gender," she says.
"You need to be educated and committed.
And you need to have ethics and strong
integrity."
Copyright 2011, Great Women of Gaming. All rights reserved.
