2006 GREAT WOMEN OF GAMING
Proven leader
Dianna Tarbell
General Manager
Akwesasne Mohawk Casino
"I hope my daughter will grow up to be just like her."
These are the words of the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino's facilities director, Thomas Tarbell (no relation to Dianna), and the simplicity in his words speaks to the apparent effortlessness with which Dianna Tarbell manages to balance her professional career with her personal life.
Even though Tarbell works long and hard as the general manager of the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino in New York, she never compromises her devotion and care for her family. Tarbell shows remarkable commitment to her family through maintaining relationships and meeting with area tribal leaders, directors, and executives, all while making sure her daughter is on time for her dance classes.
Tarbell finds inspiration in many forms, but gets the most direction from the people who surround her: "When I see a group of people come together and achieve more than they ever thought possible, it is the ultimate inspiration and motivation. We have associates who have never been in a positive work environment before, but with respect and open communication, they thrive."
Tarbell resurrected the once distressed casino into one of the most profitable and professional casinos in the industry. As Emily Lauzon, director of education and recruitment related: "With regulatory, revenue, compliance, and safety issues far behind us, the casino is now entering an unprecedented phase of growth. Dianna's superb leadership and her commitment to company and associates has taken us out of a troubled past and into a sparkling future."
Dwight Terrance, director of information technology at Akwesasne, has watched with awe how Tarbell has overcome many hardships in the road to rebuilding the Mohawk Casino: "Dianna's commitment, stamina, and vision for economic self-determination through gaming for the tribe have provided great inroads for the community of Akwesasne. She lived down the legacy of numerous management efforts that failed to produce any results and placed the casino in serious legal and political jeopardy. She overcame a lack of business focus, an inexperienced work force, inferior and shoddy workmanship of the building, overstaffing, and unmotivated employees. Her tenacity and courage inspired her senior staff to take off the gloves and build a business that would be called their own. That attitude still abounds in the casino, and as she often says, 'this team can do anything.'"
With Tarbell, nothing is hidden. She evokes a truth that is hard to match, and always keeps her integrity in check. She believes that all employees play a valuable role in the organization and is often found saying, "No one person is bigger than the organization." She is humble, beautiful, and committed.
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