Five executives were named winners of the Great Women of Gaming awards and will be honored Monday during the opening events of the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.
The award is given by the Global Gaming Women organization, which seeks to engage more women into leadership positions within the industry.
This year’s winners are Pokin Yeung, the founder and CEO of Absolute Games; Julia Boguslawski, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of AGS; Dale Merrill, senior vice president of human resources for Foxwoods; Michelle Schenk, senior manager for global communications with IGT; and Debra Nutton, the retired executive vice President of casino operations for Wynn Las Vegas and Encore.
The recipients will be honored at the Global Gaming Women session at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairwoman Becky Harris will present the awards.
Phyllis Gilland, general counsel of Golden Entertainment and president of Global Gaming Women, said that “each (winner), in her own way, has helped to move the gaming industry forward. We also congratulate each of this year’s nominees who represent the diversity, skill and leadership of the most accomplished women in the gaming industry.”
Pokin Yeung
Yeung won in the Game Changer category. She sold Absolute Games to Penn Interactive Ventures and is currently employed by the company. Absolute Games was able to break through the crowded social bingo business and become one the larger players based on install volume.
Boguslawski won the Leadership category. She joined AGS in 2015 and has been involved with all facets of the gaming equipment provider, which went public this year. Boguslawski oversees integrated marketing, corporate communications, investor relations, and community relations strategies, touching all audiences.
Julia Boguslawski
Dale Merrill
Merrill won in the Service Star category. She oversees all human resource functions for the Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut, which employees 6,500 workers. Merrill has been with the property for almost two decades and has helped propel the resort’s brand integrity and employee loyalty through training and development strategies.
Schenk was named in the Rising Star category, having managed several public relations and strategic communications programs for IGT. She recently oversaw the rollout of IGT’s sports betting agreement with FanDuel and she has handled the communications efforts for the lauch of many IGT products.
Michelle Schenk
Debi Nutton
Nutton, who retired this year from Wynn Resorts, was award the Lifetime Achievement honor. She oversaw all table games and slot operation at the company’s two Las Vegas resorts. Nutton was asked to stay on as a consultant for the Wynn’s $2.4 billion Encore Boston Harbor project. She began her gaming industry career in 1975 in food and beverage.
Casino Enterprise Management and the late Peter Mead began the Great Women of Gaming Awards in 2004 to recognize and encourage outstanding achievements by women in the gaming industry. In 2016, the awards to Global Gaming Women. The nominations were judged by a panel of gaming industry insiders and executives.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgamingreports.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
