Chef, Author, and Host of Pati's Mexican Table on PBS to Speak at MGM Resorts Foundation's Women's Leadership Conference

LAS VEGAS, July 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Television host, renowned chef and author Pati Jinich will talk about cooking, parenting and pursuing dreams at MGM Resorts Foundation's Women's Leadership Conference (WLC) Aug. 7.

Jinich will participate in the conference's popular executive leadership panel, which will feature dynamic women leaders at the top of their careers. Registration for the conference is sold out for the fourth year in a row. In its 11^th year, WLC will be held Aug. 7 & 8 at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

"Pati has had a remarkable career that started in politics and transitioned to pursuing her passion of cooking Mexican cuisine on national television," said Dawn Christensen, the conference's organizer and director of National Diversity Relations for MGM Resorts.  "Her diverse background and ability to bring cultures together serve as inspiration to others."

Jinich, born and raised in Mexico City, specializes in Mexican cuisine. She shares her passion for the food through her popular PBS Television show Pati's Mexican Table. The show is its sixth season and has won an Imagen award and has been nominated for two Emmy awards. It has also been nominated for awards from the prestigious James Beard Foundation and International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Jinich took a unique path to cuisine via politics. After receiving a master's degree in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University, she worked as a political analyst. Now she is resident chef of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C.

A knowledgeable, approachable, and entertaining storyteller, Jinich enjoys telling the stories of her native land and of Latinos in the U.S. Through her show and her cookbooks, "Pati's Mexican Table: The Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking" and "Mexican Today: New and Rediscovered Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen," she challenges stereotypes about Mexican food, people and the culture.

She was named one of the Top 5 "Border Ambassadors" who are bringing the United States and Mexico closer together by the Council of the Americas in their Americas Quarterly magazine.  Pati has been invited to cook and talk across the United States, Mexico and Canada. She also cooked at the White House for President Obama's Cinco de Mayo dinner.  She was named to the Kitchen Cabinet for the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier.  She is a regular guest on NBC Today Show, ABC The Chew, CBS The Talk, NPR All Things Considered, and The Splendid Table.

Conference background:

The 2017 Women's Leadership Conference theme is "Women Inspiring Women."   The conference sold out earlier this month, the fourth year in a row that registration has reached capacity.  The conference will offer a wide range of learning opportunities, career guidance and personal growth tools, including:

• Exposure to diverse and nationally recognized speakers and accomplished women role models.
• Two days of career-oriented workshops that will give women hands-on opportunities to develop skills based on their career needs.
• Three distinct learning tracks: Emerging Leaders, Emerging Executives and Executives.
• Workshops for entrepreneurs who are well-established or just thinking of starting their own businesses.

The conference is open to women of all ethnicities, professions and social backgrounds, locally and nationally, and men who support them. The MGM Resorts Foundation is the conference's presenting sponsor. Each year, proceeds from the conference after costs, are donated to one or more local nonprofit agencies devoted to the welfare and development of women and children. Dress for Success Southern Nevada recently received a $30,000 gift from the 2016 conference.

Participating sponsorships are available to organizations or companies who share the vision and goals of this conference. Current sponsors include: The Coca-Cola Company, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Bank of America, CBS Radio, Southwest Airlines, Everi Payments Inc., Cashman Photo Enterprises, Greenspun Media Group, Vegas PBS, Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce, R&R Partners Foundation, Cirque du Soleil, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, Agilysys, Inc., L3 Technologies, Inc., Large Vision Business Network Mixer, Kr8 and Global Gaming Women. Conference supporters include America First Credit Union, Caesars Entertainment, Deloitte & Touche LLP, Las Vegas Billboards, Las Vegas Springs Preserve, McCarran International Airport, Phyllis A. James, sbe and Winston & Strawn LLP.

For more information about WLC, please visit mgmresortsfoundation.org/WLC.

About MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a portfolio of destination resort brands including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage. The Company opened MGM National Harbor in Maryland on December 8, 2016, and is in the process of developing MGM Springfield in Massachusetts. MGM Resorts controls and holds a 76 percent economic interest in the operating partnership of MGM Growth Properties LLC (NYSE: MGP), a premier triple-net lease real estate investment trust engaged in the acquisition, ownership and leasing of large-scale destination entertainment and leisure resorts. The Company also owns 56 percent of MGM China Holdings Limited (SEHK: 2282), which owns MGM MACAU and is developing MGM COTAI, and 50 percent of CityCenter in Las Vegas, which features ARIA Resort & Casino. MGM Resorts is named among FORTUNE® Magazine's 2016 list of World's Most Admired Companies®. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.

About The MGM Resorts Foundation
The purpose of The MGM Resorts Foundation is to collect and distribute monies and assets donated by employees of MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM) for the aid and support of qualified community nonprofit programs, agencies or organizations designated exclusively by MGM Resorts employees. In addition, the Foundation collects and distributes donations to the Foundation by third-party non-employees to support charitable, scientific, literary, and educational activities approved by the Foundation's Board of Directors and organized by MGM Resorts employees to benefit qualified non-profit charitable organizations designated by the Foundation's Board.

SOURCE MGM Resorts Foundation