Melonie Jonson was always good at math. She parlayed that skill, got a degree in accounting, but then she decided to turn the tables. She made a major bet and is still winning in an historically male-dominated industry.

“As soon as I hit the floor, it’s ‘Good morning!’, ‘Good morning!’ ‘How are you?’, Melonie says as she greets staff members.

It’s import to Johnson to make that daily connection with her team. The president and COO of MGM’s National Harbor Hotel and Casino knows that kind of contact helped her rise to the top of the business.

She breezes through the room as she gives a brief tour to WUSA9’s Allison Seymour.