2008 GREAT WOMEN OF GAMING
Rising Star
Valerie Morris
Vice President of Convention Services,
Communications and Community Affairs
Harrah’s Entertainment, Mid-South Region
Despite only being in the gaming industry six years, Valerie Morris could easily be mistaken for a Proven Leader. She has accomplished much, both in gaming and myriad other areas including the culinary arts and volunteer service, winning numerous awards.
Saying Morris keeps herself busy would be an understatement. Morris said it’s not unusual for her to work 12- to 14-hour days, plus weekends. “I really enjoy being busy and constantly on the go, having lots of balls or projects in the air, whether it’s for my paying job or a volunteer project,” she said.
A true traveler, Morris, born in Brazil, studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris after graduating from the University of North Carolina. She has written cookbooks and even developed a culinary arts and hospitality program geared toward training and rehabilitating inmates at the Shelby County Division of Corrections.
Morris’s position at Harrah’s involves sales and convention services, internal and external communications, media relations, community affairs and partnerships for Harrah’s Memphis Corporate Office and Harrah’s Horseshoe and Sheraton Casinos in Tunica, Miss.
Her countless volunteer efforts have helped many and have raised millions of dollars for charities. Just some of the many associations she’s involved with include: the Mississippi Council for Compulsive Gambling, the National Civil Rights Museum, the Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Ronald McDonald House, United Way, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Alzheimer’s Association, Make a Wish and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Morris was recently instrumental in garnering the Volunteer Memphis Corporate Neighbor of the Year Award and the Northwest Mississippi Community Foundation Business of the Year Community Star Award for Harrah’s Entertainment Mid-South Region.
To honor her philanthropic and business efforts, Morris was named one of the 30 most beautiful people in Memphis by Elite Magazine in 2003 and by RSVP Magazine in 2007. In 1998, she was the first woman given “Chef of the Year” by the Greater Memphis Chapter of the American Culinary Federation and the first female president of the chapter. She also recently received the George W. Bush President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation Volunteer Award and a Tunica Tourism Award for media support. She was also the recipient of the Harrah’s Entertainment Central Division Chairman’s Award for both team and leadership in 2008.
Her role in gaming started through her community involvement, where she had the opportunity to meet and interact with many people, including Caesar’s Entertainment executives who convinced her to work for them. “They did a great job selling me on the company and the people,” she said. “I have to thank Jon Lucas, a regional president with Caesar’s at that time, for bringing me into this fast paced and exciting industry.”
Despite all the awards, Morris said: “The real accomplishment that I am most proud of is mentoring my team of diverse employees and helping them to grow and be as successful as possible. I am a firm believer that if you lead people well, they will achieve more, and together we will all accomplish everyone’s goals and aspirations.”
One of her challenges has been simply being a woman. “I have had several career changes, and all have been in areas that were professions dominated by men,” she explained. “I have overcome these challenges by working hard, being loyal and remaining dedicated to the task at hand, thereby earning respect versus demanding it.”
She credits several individuals for her own mentoring. “First and foremost, my main mentor would have to be my father,” she said. “He always believed in me and taught me that I could achieve anything if I just put my mind and energies toward the goal. Secondly, during my culinary days, Chef Ernest Prokos encouraged me to pursue my passion, be creative and not to be afraid of hard work. In the past several years, someone I admire greatly and has provided invaluable support and guidance is Marybel Batjer, corporate vice president of public policy and communications with Harrah’s Entertainment.”
She also said her husband has provided support. “He keeps me real and is always there for me,” she added. “We are truly are a great team.”
But inner strength is what keeps Morris going. “I believe that you have to motivate yourself and not necessarily look to others to motivate you,” she said. “The drive and the passion to succeed have to come from within. I have a philosophy: ‘If you are going to do it, do it right and do it right the first time.’ ”
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