Casino Del Sol in Tucsonv, Arizona, owned and operated by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, on Monday appointed Lesah Sesma as General Manager of the tribe’s forthcoming third gaming property.
Casino Del Sol, Vahi Ta’am is expected to open on November 15. Sesma will oversee the full leadership and operational launch of the casino with a team of about 500 new employees.
Sesma has more than 15 years of leadership at Casino Del Sol, having served the enterprise across community relations, organizational development, and resort operations. Most recently, she served as General Manager of Casino Del Sol’s flagship Valencia Road resort since August 2023.
“Lesah is, in every sense, a product of what we believe in at Casino Del Sol,” interim CEO of Casino Del Sol Amanda Sampson Lomayesva said in a statement. “When you invest in your people, your people rise to meet the moment. Our Executive Career Ladder Leadership program exists precisely to cultivate leaders like her, from within our own community. There is no one more prepared, or more deserving, to lead Casino Del Sol, Vahi Taa’am into its opening chapter.”
Sesma’s tenure at the resort has encompassed a range of disciplines — from building community partnerships as executive director of community relations to championing career advancement as Executive Career Ladder Leader — providing her with an understanding of the enterprise, its values, and the community it serves.
I have always believed that leadership is service – to your team, to your guests, and to the community that surrounds you,” Sesma said. “Casino Del Sol has given me the opportunity to show up for all three, and every role I have held here has only deepened my commitment to the people and the place we serve. Stepping into this new journey – helping bring Casino Del Sol, Vahi Taa’am to life – feels like the culmination of everything this organization has invested in me, and everything I have invested in it. I could not be more excited for what we are about to build together.”
With Sesma’s transition to the new property, Miguel Escamilla will continue in his role as General Manager of the flagship Casino Del Sol Resort. Escamilla brings more than 31 years of institutional knowledge to the position, having served the Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s enterprise since its earliest years, including nearly three decades as Director of Security before his appointment as General Manager in August 2023.
Casino Del Sol, Vahi Taa’am, whose name means “Three Suns” in Yoeme, the language of the Pascua Yaqui people, will be the first casino within Tucson city limits and the tribe’s third gaming property. The 163,000-square-foot destination will feature a 52,334-square-foot gaming floor, four food and beverage venues including the Old Pascua Grill, a center bar, and a four-level parking structure with more than 1,200 spaces. The name Vahi Taa’am symbolizes light and a bright future for the community, the tribe, and its guests.
