Operator News
US – University of Nevada to host 23rd Executive Development Program
By Phil - 29 August 2013
The 23rd annual international Executive Development Program for the gaming industry will be offered by the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, November 14 to 23, 2013, at Harveys Lake Tahoe, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
Cosponsored by UNR’s Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming, College of Business and Extended Studies, and by UNLV’s International Gaming Institute, the program was led for 23 years by William R. Eadington, Ph.D., until his death in February 2013.
This autumn, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has joined with the University of Nevada, Reno to cosponsor the Executive Development Program. Co-moderators for the 2013 program will be industry leaders Bo Bernhard, Ph.D., executive director of the UNLV International Gaming Institute, and Mark Lipparelli, M.S., former chair of the Nevada State Gaming Control Board, member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation, president of Gioco Ventures, LLC, and member of the first EDP graduating class. Both were proud students of Dr. Eadington and have been longtime EDP faculty members.
The only program of its kind in the world, the exclusive nine-day series is designed for upper-level gaming managers, board members, government regulators and gaming professionals in positions of substantial executive and leadership responsibilities. The cutting-edge program delivers state-of-the-art, industry-specific knowledge in intensive seminars, presentations and interactions, and utilizes up-to-the-minute case-study analysis to examine issues of critical importance to growth, compliance and sustainability.
For more than two decades the Executive Development Program has offered a unique educational experience to a diverse and dynamic group of leaders, graduating more than 1,100 executives from gaming companies and agencies throughout the world. In past years, executives from gaming establishments in Africa, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe, North America and South America have travelled to Lake Tahoe to exchange ideas, insights and knowledge key to strategic leadership and integral to strengthening their organizations to meet current and future opportunities.
The University of Nevada, Reno’s Executive Development Program (EDP) was founded in 1990 by Dr. Eadington, the internationally renowned professor of economics and director of the Institute of Gambling and Commercial Gaming in the University’s College of Business. Dr. Eadington was also the first to hold UNR’s prestigious Philip Satre Chair in Gaming Studies. Dr. Eadington was inducted into the American Gaming Association’s Gaming Hall of Fame in 2011 for his pioneering academic research and influential industry leadership, both in Nevada and worldwide.
“The Executive Development Program is the very best program in the world for leadership development in the gaming industry,” Bernhard said. “We at UNLV are so proud to join forces with our friends at UNR to build upon our mentor Bill Eadington’s beautiful legacy.”
“Over the years, EDP has produced so many internationally renowned industry and regulatory leaders,” co-moderator Mark Lipparelli added. “My own status as a member of the first EDP class is one of my proudest achievements. Today, we look forward to continuing to build upon the most important educational program in gaming, during an era that is increasingly dynamic, technological and global.”
The list of distinguished faculty contributors is long and impressive, and includes gaming industry experts drawn from some of the most prominent jurisdictions in the world. These faculty include former Harrah’s CEO Phil Satre; Marina Bay Sands chief casino officer Andrew MacDonald; MGM Resorts EVP of global government and industry affairs Alan Feldman; AGA president Frank Fahrenkopf; California Gaming Control Board commissioner Richard Scheutz; Power Strategies president Stephanie Maddocks; the London-based research firm H2 Global; renowned Wynn and MGM HR pioneer Arte Nathan; members of the Oakland A’s Moneyball management team; crisis management expert Larry Barton; internationally renowned casino architect Paul Steelman; leading Japanese gaming professor Ichiro Tanioka; SHFL chief strategy officer Lou Castle; Las Vegas Sands EVP of government relations Andy Abboud; game design expert and mathematician Elliot Jacobsen; leadership expert Chris Cox; Bally gaming VP Bruce Rowe; longtime executive Terry Oliver; and a unique “C-Panel” of special CEO guest stars.
Deadline for application to the 2013 Executive Development Program is October 11, 2013; early application is advised.
