Executive Appointments Advance MGM Resorts International's Leadership in Diversity, Philanthropy and Community Engagement

LAS VEGAS, July 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reinforcing its commitment to corporate social responsibility, MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) has announced the appointment of four proven leaders to newly-created roles designed to further advance the Company's Diversity, Philanthropy and Community Engagement initiatives.

Ondra Berry, Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion Development; Patty Coaley, Executive Director of Diversity & Inclusion Development; Shelley Gitomer, Vice President of Philanthropy & Community Engagement; and Tony Gladney, Vice President of National Diversity Relations, have joined the MGM Resorts Corporate Diversity and Community Engagement Department.

"More than ever, our Company is defined by our character and our practice of corporate responsibility as much as our portfolio of resorts.  Responsibility defines our core values, our business strategy, our relationships with our stakeholders, and in the long run, it is the source of our competitive advantage.  For these reasons it is essential that we nurture and leverage this sector of our business to promote greater team engagement and synergy around our responsibility and our business objectives. We are pleased that our new team members will lend their outstanding talents to making our already robust corporate responsibility team even more dynamic in this vital work," said Phyllis A. James, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer.

Ondra Berry, Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion Development
As Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Development, Berry is responsible for MGM's advancement of Diversity & Inclusion principles in Company culture and core values; continuous improvement of the Company's Diversity Champion Workshop and other diversity education vehicles; alignment of Diversity & Inclusion programming to support MGM's corporate social responsibility platform and other major employee engagement initiatives; and further evolution of the Company's pioneering of the Inspiring Our World employee musical.

Berry brings more than 25 years of experience in the disciplines of leadership, diversity and inclusion, and organizational change management, commencing during his tenure with the Reno, NV Police Department. For the past 10 years, Berry has served as a consultant to MGM Resorts – first as a co-founder and partner of Guardian Quest and thereafter independently – for provision of its ground-breaking Diversity Champion Workshop.  Since 2001 he has played a primary role in development of the policy, strategy and procedures for nationwide diversity and inclusion implementation for over 100,000 members of the U.S. Air National Guard, for which efforts he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal. Berry currently serves as Special Assistant to the Chief General of the National Guard Bureau, who represents that branch of our Armed Services on the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.  He is also now a General-Select, having been approved by the U.S. Senate for promotion to the rank of General of the Air National Guard.   

Berry has received numerous awards and commendations throughout his career, including Reno Police Department Officer of the Year, Air National Guard Airman of the Year and the NAACP Community Award.

Patty Coaley, Executive Director of Diversity & Inclusion Development
As Executive Director of Diversity & Inclusion Development, Coaley will work with Berry and other team members to develop methods for furthering Diversity & Inclusion values in the Company's culture in conjunction with other MGM core values. Additionally, she will support organizational development initiatives, including employee engagement and guest service enhancements. 

Since 2010, Coaley has served as Director of Diversity Education at the MGM Resorts University, overseeing MGM Resorts' Diversity Champion Workshop, which under her leadership facilitated the training and graduation of nearly 5,000 MGM Resorts Diversity Champions. She was also the primary creative force in the development of the Inspiring Our World show, the company's first-ever employee show aimed at educating all 62,000 company employees on its mission and core values, as well as its culture of diversity and inclusion, philanthropy and community support and environmental sustainability.

Coaley joined MGM Resorts in 1993. Prior to leading the Diversity Champion Workshop, for ten years she served in multiple marketing roles, including Director of Marketing at Excalibur Hotel & Casino.

Shelley Gitomer, Vice President of Philanthropy & Community Engagement
As Vice President of Philanthropy & Community Engagement, Gitomer is responsible for supporting the development of MGM's community investment strategy, programs and activities – including giving by the Company and our employee-driven MGM Resorts Foundation, and volunteerism – to enhance the company's strategic goodwill and alliances with host communities.

Gitomer brings more than 25 years of experience in the management of philanthropic programs in such fields as higher education, social service agencies and health care; strategic and program planning and implementation; corporate giving; and execution of major capital fundraising campaigns. She most recently served for 10 years as Vice President for Development at Nevada Cancer Institute, where she played a primary role in raising more than $200 million to develop the institution and oversaw special events, corporate and foundation relations, and data management. Prior to that, Gitomer served as the Assistant Dean for Development & Alumni Relations at the University of Maryland School of Law. During her time there, she successfully led the school's first major capital campaign for building expansion.

Gitomer's previous experience also includes work as the Director of Development for the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center where she managed a comprehensive fund-raising program to meet capital, endowment and programmatic needs in cancer research, patient care and medical education.  

Tony Gladney, Vice President of National Diversity Relations
As Vice President of National Diversity Relations, Gladney is responsible for enhancing Company relationships with strategic Diversity & Inclusion partners at the local, state and national levels; collaborating with other Company departments to augment sales to diverse customer bases and convention market segments; and leveraging national relationships to support Company development and expansion into new jurisdictions. Additionally, Gladney will work with the Diversity Development team to drive internal Diversity & Inclusion and related employee engagement.

Gladney brings more than 20 years of experience in the gaming industry supporting programs related to diversity and community affairs. He most recently served as Vice President of National Diversity Relations at Caesars Entertainment, where he played a pivotal role in establishing the Diversity and Inclusion platform of Caesars Entertainment. Prior to that, Gladney was part of the MGM Resorts team, first joining the company in 1993 as Manager of Community Affairs Development at MGM Grand Las Vegas. In 2001, he was promoted to MGM Grand's Vice President of Corporate Diversity and shortly thereafter, Vice President of National Diversity Relations for the newly formed MGM MIRAGE.  Gladney has received numerous awards and recognitions for his stewardship of Diversity & Inclusion programs and his statesmanship in diversity relations.

For more information about MGM Resorts International's commitment to corporate social responsibility, please visit: www.mgmresorts.com/csr.

About MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating destination resort brands including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage. The Company also owns 51% of MGM China Holdings Limited, which owns the MGM Macau resort and casino and is in the process of developing a gaming resort in Cotai, and 50% of CityCenter in Las Vegas, which features ARIA resort and casino.  For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.  

SOURCE MGM Resorts International