Season: 2019

Brett Ewing, principal at international design firm Cuningham Group Architecture, has more than 30 years of experience in gaming, hospitality and entertainment design. His impressive track record includes managing and delivering large, complex projects for some of the most respected clients in the industry. Prior to joining Cuningham Group, he was a partner with Thalden Boyd Emery Architects and before that president of architecture and Interior Design for Marnell Corrao Associates.

Brett has spent his entire professional career based in Las Vegas. His introduction to gaming began as the architect for The Mirage’s volcano and the daylit and landscaped casino atrium. The Mirage is known as the catalyst for modern gaming and those two components were considered groundbreaking in the evolution of destination casino resorts. Over the years, several other significant Las Vegas projects have benefitted from Brett’s expertise including the $400 million, 925-room hotel/spa tower and convention center at The Bellagio; eight major expansions at the Rio Hotel & Casino over a 10-year period; and the Forum Shops at Caesars.

Using gaming and entertainment experience honed in Las Vegas, he has also spent a substantial part of his career working with Native American clients to bring their unique cultural integrity to the forefront of original casino and hospitality design concepts. He has led collaborations with more than 15 tribes and most recently successfully applied his expertise on significant projects such as the expansion at Viejas Casino & Resort, Angel of the Winds Casino Resort, and the new Emerald Queen Casino for the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.

Of additional note, Brett served as president of the Las Vegas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 2016 and was the 2017 President of AIA Nevada. He is currently serving on the steering committee for the 2019 AIA national conference, which will be held in June in Las Vegas.

Christie Eickelman is vice president of marketing for GLI. In her position, she directs and implements all marketing programs for GLI’s 20 worldwide locations. Her responsibilities include building the corporate brand and establishing and directing marketing functions in accordance with GLI’s policies, regulations and sound business practices.

She joined the company in 1999 as marketing manager, shaping GLI’s branding in North America. In 2001, she was promoted to director of marketing and development, overseeing the North American development team in their daily responsibilities. In June 2007, she was promoted to senior director of worldwide marketing, and in September 2012, she was promoted to vice president of global marketing.

Eickelman has a long history in the gaming industry. Prior to GLI, she served as marketing manager for Sodak Gaming Inc. (now IGT). She has also served at Wolf Gaming LLC as vice president of marketing and public relations. In 2005, she was selected as a Great Woman in Gaming by Casino Enterprise Management, and in 2008, Global Gaming Business named her one of the 25 People to Watch in Gaming. Eickelman is one of the founding members on the Global Gaming Women board, she’s also a member on the Andson Foundation board and for the past two years she has served on the Executive Leadership Committee of the American Heart Association-Go Red for Women Luncheon of Southern Nevada.

Angie Dobney serves as vice president of casino & gaming sales for The Rainmaker Group. An industry veteran with more than two decades of experience in revenue management and hospitality operations, she provides hands-on optimization of total resort profit to Rainmaker’s industry-leading gaming and hospitality clients.

As a former Rainmaker customer who turned the tables and joined the market leader in 2014, Dobney brings to her role a user’s perspective on the product. Having worked in both manual and automated environments, she knows firsthand the challenges customers face and draws from her personal experience to guide her clients in best practices.

A recognized expert in total asset and portfolio optimization, and as enthusiastic as she is knowledgeable, Dobney is frequently tapped to speak at conferences around the globe. She is a guest lecturer on hotel and hospitality asset and revenue management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, her alma mater, where she was named Mentor of the Year in 2007. She continues to seek out opportunities to get involved in other university programs in her quest to inspire and motivate the next generation of revenue managers.

John Dinius is General Manager at Sycuan Casino Resort. Dinius is a 22-year veteran of the organization. He joined Sycuan as a bingo pull tabs clerk and worked his way up through the ranks to become top manager of the casino. He served as interim general manager from 2014 to 2016, when he was made permanent GM.

John Connelly is the global chief executive officer at Interblock, a luxury electronic table game supplier and manufacturer. Mr. Connelly has over 25 years of experience within the global gaming industry and has held various executive roles such as executive committee member and senior vice president of Bally Technologies. Since joining Interblock, the company has experienced over a 20 percent compounded annual growth rate in the past four-years and has expanded into over 100 new markets around the world.

John Ceresani is a principal of The Pharos Group, LLC, an organizational development consulting firm.

Ceresani’s 26 years of practical business experience in various senior level positions in human resources is the foundation for his effective coaching, insightful solution-focused and results-driven consulting advice, as well as his engaging, down-to-earth facilitation style.

His coaching assignments include chief human resources officers, corporate and operational VPs as well as departmental directors and managers identified as high potentials. He has facilitated numerous leadership retreats and seminars including: leadership trust; employee engagement; team building; change management; performance management; talent acquisition; retention; employee and labor relations; customer service enhancement; and, respectful workplace.

Prior to becoming an executive coach, business consultant and facilitator, Ceresani was the regional senior vice president of organizational development for Caesars Entertainment, one of the world’s leading gaming companies. He was responsible for all core human resources responsibilities for the Atlantic City region. Ceresani was also formerly employed by the Claridge Casino Hotel in Atlantic City in a number of management positions during his career there including vice president of human resources and security.

During Ceresani’s tenure with Caesars, he collaborated with organizational development colleagues in creating a “Learning Organization”, a comprehensive and creative leadership and employee development program. Caesars “Learning Organization” model earned the company recognition and inclusion in Training Magazine’s 2005 ‘Top 100 Worldwide Training Companies’, a prestigious list that also included American Express, GE and Starbucks.

Ceresani holds a B.A. degree in political science from Kings College, Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, and attended Pepperdine Law School.

GLI’s Director of Client Services Michael Capen is a nationally recognized expert in Class II and Class III tribal gaming.

Before joining GLI in 2005, Capen served as Director of Inspection, Licensing and Training for the Virginia Charitable Gaming Commission.

Prior to entering the casino industry, Capen served as a Commander in the U.S. Navy for 21 years.

As President of The PENTA Building Group, John is responsible for ensuring our corporate culture is realized in every aspect of PENTA. John directs all departments (business development, preconstruction, and estimating; construction operations; and finance and corporate services) within the company.

John has been working in the commercial construction industry for over 27 years, with 21 of those years specific to Las Vegas, starting with the Paris Hotel and Casino in 1997. In 1992, John graduated with a BS in Environmental Sciences and Resource Management from Lehigh University. In 2004, John graduated from the University of Arizona with a Master’s in Business & Administration (MBA). Since joining PENTA, John has received certification as a Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP) through the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) and has become a LEED AP with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

John started his career in Newark, NJ, as an engineer in the transportation technologies division of an international engineering firm. In 1997, John moved to Phoenix, AZ to work as an engineer for a large General Contractor. In 2000, John became President of a construction consulting company offering information systems and software, process efficiency, and general construction consulting services throughout the United States. Finally joining The PENTA Building Group in 2004, John has been on PENTA’s Senior Management Committee since its inception in 2004 and has been a big part of the growth and development of one of Las Vegas’s largest General Contractors. John manages PENTA’s operating risk and commits to meeting client expectations on numerous high-profile projects; including Wynn Retail Plaza, Las Vegas Ballpark, Caesars Forum Convention Center, T-Mobile Arena, SLS Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, OMNIA Las Vegas, World Market Center, and the Metropolis Phase 2B / Residential Tower 3 in Los Angeles.

John is also very involved in the local community; currently serving on three nonprofit boards: Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA), Opportunity Village, and Junior Achievement.

John is originally from Buffalo, New York. He currently lives in Southwest Las Vegas and is married to Lisa Cannito. They have four children together, Anna, Grace, Maddie, and Sarah.

Alex Calle takes a unique approach to directing, producing, and design, utilizing his background in theatre to above all, tell a story. A graduate of the California Institute of the Arts, he has worked on film, television, theater, themed entertainment, and public art installations all over the world.

In recent years, Alex worked on installing two $20 million branding icon attractions for the Galaxy Entertainment group in Macau, and two E-Ticket Dreamworks attractions for Dubai Parks and Resorts’ Motiongate Themepark. Before that, Alex was based in Singapore bringing EDC’s Crane Dance project to life—a $70 million branding icon for Resorts WorldSentosa. Alex’s film and television productions include the MTV MovieAwards, Pirates of the Caribbean II and III, and Starz’s Magic City. He has also served as the art director and co-designer for EDC’s last seven designs for Princess Cruises.

As a theatrical set designer, Calle has designed for a number of renowned regional theatre companies, including the California Shakespeare Theatre, the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Company, the Cuillo Theatre, Florida Stage, and the Colony Theatre. He also served as a resident designer for the Invertigo Dance Theatre since their 2008 season.