Global Gaming Women has announced the recipients of the 2019 Patricia Becker Pay It Forward Awards. The awards, and their accompanying bracelet, will be conferred at GGW’s Kick Up Your Heels annual fundraiser, scheduled for October 16 at the Encore Beach Club at Wynn Las Vegas.
Named for Patricia Becker, GGW’s Vice Chair and Education Co-Chair and the president of Becker and Associates, the award honors women who have given back to a degree that they stand out, by committing to the development and advancement of women, the GGW organization, and their community. Since one of GGW’s goals is to assist in the development of the next generation of leaders through the W Development Conference, it is hoped that these graduates earn the award and take GGW to the next level. The GGW Board of Directors confirms the honorees annually.
The 2019 Pay it Forward winners are:
Deanne (Dee Dee) McKissick, Vice President, Aristocrat Technologies, Las Vegas, NV
Dee Dee is a 2017 W Development Class graduate and has hosted numerous Dine Around dinners for the Leadership classes and the W Development Conference. She is a Western Region Education subcommittee member and assisted in updating the GGW card deck of leadership questions.
Karla Perez, Vice President-Head of Gaming, Sysco Corporation, Phoenix, AZ
Karla attended the first regional Leadership class in 2015 while working at Cintas. She went on to become an enthusiastic advocate for GGW and continued her support as her career took her to Sysco. She led the initial “power of” conference, has hosted numerous dine around dinners, and is a member of the Western Regional Education Committee. In addition, she obtained Sysco’s support to host the 2018 Western Front Line Managers Program. She has written numerous articles on women in gaming for Global Gaming Business Magazine and has been the moderator and/ or speaker at numerous GGW panels at the East Coast Gaming Conference.
Jennifer Roberts, Associate Director of the International Center for Gaming Regulation, UNLV, Las Vegas, NV
Jennifer has acted as General Counsel for GGW for 2 years, attending Board Meetings, formalizing the minutes, and assisting in the legal responsibilities of GGW. She has also been part of the KUYH fundraising committee and recently agreed to join the Education Committee.
Meaghan Ryan, Vice President of Talent & Team Member Relations, Seminole Hard Rock, Hollywood, Florida
Meaghan is a 2015 graduate of the W Development class and was a member of the Southern Regional Educational Committee in 2016 and 2017. In 2018 she became a co-chair for the Education Committee, where she directs the Southern and Eastern regional committees.
Randi Kolesar Topham, Executive Director of Marketing, Scientific Games, Las Vegas, NV
Randi is a 2015 graduate of the W Development Class. She has assisted on the G2E Program Committee in obtaining speakers and selecting topics and is a member of the GGW Marketing Committee. In 2019 she hosted a western leadership development Dine Around dinner. In 2018 Randi was honored as one of the 40 under 40 influential men and women working to make Las Vegas a better place.
Suzanne Trout, Chief Marketing Officer, Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, CT
Suzanne is the co-chair of the Great Women of Gaming Committee and assisted in creating the categories, obtaining an independent international selection committee, and reinstituted the award in 2018.
Emily Wofford, Owner and Partner, The Publicity Lab, Las Vegas, NV
Emily is a graduate of the 2015 W Development Class and has assisted on numerous GGW committees in her capacity with Aristocrat, Caesars Entertainment and, later, as she transitioned to opening her own company. She has been an active participant on the marketing committee and assisted in the video production for GGW events and marketing for KUYH.
