David Patent was named CEO of VizExplorer in September 2018.
He most recently was the founder and CEO of Patent Enterprises LLC, where he provided analytic insights to gaming operators and slot manufacturers, led a major management turnaround at Jamul Casino in San Diego, and worked on casino development and redevelopment opportunities.
Throughout his career in the gaming industry, Patent has been an innovator bringing relentless focus on creating great experiences for customers and employees to enhance value creation. An honors graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School, Patent joined the gaming industry in 2001 after practicing law, serving as a senior consultant for McKinsey & Co., and founding an innovative online startup.
Patent began his gaming career with Harrah’s Entertainment as vice president of slot revenue management and later vice president of enterprise gaming, leveraging sophisticated enterprise-wide analytics to improve the company’s product selection, placement, and pricing, driving over $2B of incremental revenue. Patent spent several years as a senior operations leader in the Midwest and Las Vegas, guiding the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and the Flamingo Casino and Hotel to record revenue and EBITDA during his tenure.
Patent then became a co-founder and President/COO of Rush Street Gaming in 2009, the fastest organically growing domestic gaming company at the time—opening four new casinos in three years and securing a license for Rivers Casino Schenectady, which opened in 2017. During his tenure, RSG’s properties reached over $1.1B in net revenues, enjoyed significant market share premiums, and won hundreds of “Best of” awards.
Until very recently, Debi Nutton served as executive vice president of casino operations for Wynn|Encore, overseeing all table game and slot operations, as well as slot marketing. Debi was to retire in July, but was asked to stay on as a consultant for Wynn’s new property, Encore Boston Harbor.
Before joining Wynn Las Vegas, Debi held the position of senior vice president of casino operations at the Bellagio. Her extensive experience in the gaming industry spans over three decades and includes roles as senior vice president of casino operations and marketing at MGM Grand, and vice president of casino operations at the Golden Nugget.
Debi began her career in hospitality in 1975 in food and beverage and hotel operations, before finding a passion for gaming in 1979 when she became one of the first female craps dealers in Las Vegas. She spent eight years at the former Sands Hotel as a dealer, floor supervisor, and pit manager. She was also selected to lead the pre-opening teams at both Mirage and Treasure Island.
Debi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management from Bellevue University, Nebraska. She was named Top Corporate Fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma’s Light the Night Walk in Southern Nevada in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. She is a member of the Advisory Board for G2E, the Global Gaming Expo, and also serves as a mentor for Global Gaming Women.
In 2007 she was named a “Woman of Distinction” by the National Association of Women Business Owners for her work in the gaming, hospitality, and convention services industries. In 2009, she was honored with the Casino Enterprise Management Great Women of Gaming Proven Leader Award. In 2018, Debi was honored with the Great Women of Gaming Lifetime Achievement from Global Gaming Women for her significant and long-term commitment to the gaming industry.
Steph Nel began his career in casino table operations from 2000 to 2007 as a dealer and supervisor. He joined TCSJohnHuxley as a business development manager in South Africa from 2007 – 2013 He later was named an executive with the Axes Metwork from 2013 – 2015. He returned to TCSJohnHuxley Europe as senior business development manager and in March 2017, was named general manager for TCSJohnHuxley America.
Arte Nathan served as Chief Human Resources Officer for Golden Nugget, Mirage Resorts and Wynn Resorts from 1983 – 2006: he opened and helped operate all of their resorts in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Mississippi and China. Arte left the gaming industry in 2006 and helped develop and launch start-ups in several different industries (hospitality, retail, financial services, health care); after that he taught college classes in strategy and leadership for three years, and currently consults with clients worldwide on topics related to workplace culture and human capital management.
He serves on the board of several companies (hospitality and other) as non-profits (Hope for Prisoners). He is a frequent guest lecturer on the subjects of leadership, strategy, and human resources management, and writes a daily motivational blog (www.thearteofmotivation.blogspot.com).
Arte graduated from Cornell University in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Labor Relations. He currently divides his time between Las Vegas and the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. He is an avid musician, hiker, canoeist, book enthusiast, and grandfather.
A third generation Las Vegan, James Mulidore grew up in the hospitality business. His grandfather was once a partner in the Hacienda Resort and his father was the Musical Director at the Las Vegas Hilton where he was the band leader and conductor for the likes of Elvis Presley, Barbara Streisand and The Rat Pack. James’s mother also opened The Mirage in 1989 as the head of VIP Services.
Being exposed at a young age to the hospitality business drove James to want to learn all aspects of the industry, so he worked his way up, starting as a pool attendant, then to the front desk and VIP Services, until his landed his first management position at MGM Grand as the part of the opening team of Skylofts at MGM Grand. Later, he transitioned from Hotel Operations to Food & Beverage where he grew in different management and director roles at MGM Resorts until he had the opportunity to join The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in 2016 as the Director of Restaurants. He was promoted to the Sr. Director of Food & Beverage in 2017. During his time at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas James has helped open over a dozen new F&B venues including Momofuku, Zuma, Block 16 Urban Food Hall, Red Plate and The Barbershop.
In his free time James loves to spend time with his wife Marie, their two boys James IV, and David Miles. James is also an avid golfer and snowboarder and loves traveling to new destinations, particularly to try the best restaurants in the area!
Sandra Douglass Morgan is the chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. She was appointed to this role by Governor Steve Sisolak for a four-year term from January 28, 2019 to January 28, 2023.
Morgan was previously appointed to the Nevada Gaming Commission by Governor Brian Sandoval in April 2018. While serving as a commissioner, she was also the director of external affairs for AT&T Services, Inc. and was responsible for managing AT&T’s government and community affairs in Nevada. Morgan previously served as the city attorney for the city of North Las Vegas, and was the first African-American city attorney in the state of Nevada. Prior to her public service with the city, she served as litigation attorney for one of the world’s largest gaming companies.
Morgan has consistently served the southern Nevada community in leadership positions in both professional and service organizations. She previously served as an athletic commissioner on the Nevada State Athletic Commission and currently serves on the board of directors for Jobs for Nevada’s Graduates. Additionally, she has held in leadership positions in the Las Vegas chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., The Links, Inc., and Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
In 2017, Morgan received the Corporate to Community Connector award from the National Urban League Young Professionals. Morgan received the “Women in Business and Politics” award from the Urban Chamber of Commerce in 2015 along with the Ladies of Distinction Award in 2013 from Olive Crest, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting abused and neglected children. She received Nevada Business Magazine’s Legal Elite Top 10 Government Attorneys in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, Morgan was also honored as the National Bar Association’s Nation’s Best Advocates “40 under 40” and Attorney of the Year by the Las Vegas Chapter of the National Bar Association in 2012.
Morgan is a member of the State Bar of Nevada. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Nevada, Reno and was awarded a Juris Doctor from the William S. Boyd School of Law at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Morgan resides in southern Nevada with her husband and their two children.
Eileen Moore is regional president of The Flamingo, The LINQ and The Cromwell casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. Her region has in excess of 5,000 employees and contributes over $500M in revenues to the enterprise. Caesars Entertainment, Inc. is a casino entertainment company with over 40 casinos, 70,000 employees and $8.6 billion in annual revenues. Moore also serves as a member of the company’s Capital Committee.
She was previously regional president and general manager of the Horseshoe Casino and Hotel in Southern Indiana. Under her leadership, the property won its first-ever designation as a best place to work in the region by the Courier-Journal, and was named the top Corporate Philanthropist in the region by Business First. She also had operational oversight over two Illinois casinos. She also served as assistant general manager of Harrah’s New Orleans. She transitioned to that role after serving as vice president of slot revenue management. In that capacity, she was tasked with increasing overall slot floor profitability through the selection, pricing and placement of slot machines across 40 casinos. She also acted as the chief of staff with her role of executive assistant to the CEO, COO and CFO for two years. Eileen has earned Caesars highest honors as a recipient of both the Chairman’s Award and the Excellence in Leadership Award for the first-ever hotel/gaming revenue management system deployment. Before joining Harrah’s in 1999, Moore was the national director of revenue management for Fairmont Hotels in San Francisco. She has also held several revenue management and hotel operations roles with Hilton Hotels at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
Moore is a graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Hotel Administration, and holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. Moore currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She served four years as treasurer of the Horseshoe Foundation, an organization awarding millions of dollars in charitable grants and scholarships each year. She is also a past board member for the Muhammad Ali Center, the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Hilton College of Hospitality at the University of Houston, Indiana University Southeast, the Kentucky Science Center and the Louisiana Children’s Museum. Moore has been named by Business First as a Top Forty Under 40 business and civic leader. She was also named as a Woman Worth Watching by Vegas INC and Profiles in Diversity Journal. She is on the Women’s Leadership Council for the United Way and on the steering committee for Global Gaming Women sponsored by the American Gaming Association. She is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization.
Eileen and her 12-year-old son Eddie reside in Henderson, Nevada and thoroughly enjoy the scenery and excitement of the Las Vegas Valley.
Michael Minor is Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Global Payments Gaming Solutions. Minor has extensive experience in gaming, financial services and the management of his own company.
Before joining Global Gaming Solutions, Minor served at International Game Technology (IGT) for 9 years in a variety of positions, including Director Strategic Accounts and North America Poker Sales and North America System Sales. Prior to IGT he was in charge of National Sales at EGADS.
Minor owned and operated his own business, Minor & Associates, LLC for 10 years, providing commercial equipment finance services to Nevada and northern California companies independently and as a bank contractor.
He holds a Bachelor of Science—Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
For over 21 years Mike Meyers has served as Senior Principal/Senior Project Director for Lifescapes International.
As an expert in landscape architecture, Meyers has overseen the creation of celebrated, recognizable and award-winning garden environments around the world, from destination resorts, retail/ mixed-use developments, commercial, multifamily, master-planned communities and entertainment-driven projects.
Michael A. Meczka is recognized as a world leader in gambling marketing, research and consulting support. No one has done more work in more markets with gaming patrons or gaming client companies — including governments, regulators, operators and suppliers.
As President of MM/R/C, Inc. Meczka has overseen the company’s 35+ years as consultants to the gaming industry, with over 1,000,000 individual quantitative interviews and in excess of 2,000 qualitative sessions have been completed.
Before establishing MM/R/C, Meczka was Western Regioinal Director for Peters Marketing Research.
He holds a BS and a BAS in mathematics from Ohio University.
