The 2016 Global Gaming Expo kicked off Monday morning with an address from featured speaker Frances Townsend, a former homeland security advisor to President George W. Bush. Townsend called for gaming professionals to be dreamers, genuine and fearless in pursuing their personal and career dreams.
Townsend, who also serves on the board of Scientific Games, drew from her life experiences to exhort gaming industry professionals – particularly women – to be courageous, be curious and to follow their passions.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but our capacity for action despite fear,” she said at the Global Gaming Women sponsored event, borrowing a quote from Arizona Senator John McCain.
Her story is a testament that even someone from the humblest beginnings can succeed and reach the highest professional echelons – in her case, advising the president on national security and terrorism issues – if they stay resilient, focused and maintain a positive attitude.
A significant amount of courage was required for Townsend to attain her professional stature. She grew up in a household where neither of her parents had high school diplomas. Her mother, embarrassed, completed her GED as Townsend was completing law school.
After kicking off her legal career as a prosecutor in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, Townsend soon found herself working under Rudy Giuliani as a U.S. attorney. Townsend, who had never travelled outside the United States before law school, found herself jetting around the world as a U.S. attorney investigating organized crime
After being bumped from that role for political reasons by incoming Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2001, she was forced to take a less glamorous role with the Coast Guard. In 2004 she was summoned to work as a deputy to Condoleezza Rice and then eventually as a senior advisor in the Bush White House. As a representative of President George W. Bush, she played in integral role in bringing in King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia as an ally in the global war on terror.
“No career is without disappointments and setbacks. There’s only one number that matters, the number of times you get back up,” she proclaimed.
She stressed the importance of not being afraid to reach and step outside of one’s comfort zone, noting a trip that she made on her own to London as a life-defining moment. “That experience of travelling internationally as a woman alone was confidence-inspiring. I had to make my own way. I had no one else to rely on but myself.”
She also highlighted organic passion as the key driver of her career trajectory. “I didn’t spend time on things I wasn’t passionate about,” she said. “I went to law school knowing I wanted to go into public service to be a prosecutor.”
Another key lesson she picked up along the way is that it’s okay to ask questions and lean on others for help. “Your three most important words are ‘I don’t know.’”
Lastly, she urged gaming professionals to involve others in their career goals and progression. “Have you told someone what those goals are? If you haven’t, you’re less likely to achieve them,” she said. “Get others invested in yourself. People like to feel they are a part of your success.”
