Judging Committee

Mary Lynn Palenik

Director of Development, Research & Analysis, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Mary Lynn Palenik is a veteran of the gaming industry with more than 18 years of experience. She has been the director of development, research and analysis in the National Gaming Practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers for the past 11 years. Prior to joining the firm, she was employed in the industry as a corporate financial analyst working with two of the industry's largest casino corporations. Before entering the casino gaming industry, Palenik was employed at the Chicago Board Options Exchange by such firms as Bear Stearns and Company, Dean Witter Reynolds, and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith.

Palenik holds both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees. She is active in the industry, having authored numerous research articles and has been a speaker at every major gaming conference. She is a past president of the Casino Management Association of Southern Nevada, a founding member of the American Gaming Association Diversity Task Force, a past board member of Gaming Organization for Leadership Diversity, a current member of the National Advisory Board of Casino Enterprise Management, was honored in 2005 as one of the Great Women of Gaming, and has served for the past two years as one of the Great Women of Gaming selection judges.