DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Our highly experienced team delivers on the promise of creating world-class experiences at a world-class value.
DIRECTORS
BLAKE L. SARTINI
CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Mr. Sartini joined Golden as Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer in July 2015 in connection with our acquisition of Sartini Gaming through the Merger.
Experience
Prior to the Merger, Mr. Sartini served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Sartini Gaming from its formation in January 2012, and as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Gaming, LLC (“Golden Gaming”), which he established in 2001. Prior to Golden Gaming, Mr. Sartini served in various management and executive positions with Station Casinos, Inc. (“Station Casinos”) from 1985 to 2001, including as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer when the company first became public in 1993.
He also served as a director of Station Casinos from 1993 until 2001. In 1986, Mr. Sartini co-founded Southwest Services, Inc. (the predecessor to Golden Gaming) and served as its President starting in 1993. Before joining Station Casinos, he held key operational positions with the El Cortez Hotel and Casino, as well as the Barbary Coast Hotel and Casino.
Mr. Sartini is a member of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Foundation’s Board of Trustees and was appointed to the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee in March 2014 by Governor Sandoval.
Education
Mr. Sartini received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
LYLE A. BERMAN
Mr. Berman previously served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Lakes Entertainment, Inc., from January 1999 until the merger of Sartini Gaming, Inc. (the parent company of the Golden Gaming group) with a subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc., on July 31, 2015.
Experience
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Grand Casinos, Inc. (the predecessor to Lakes), October 1991 through December 1998
Executive Chairman of the Board of WPT Enterprises, Inc. (now known as Emerald Oil, Inc.), February 2002 until July 2013
Mr. Berman served as Chairman of the Board of PokerTek, Inc., from January 2005 until October 2011 and served on the board until October 2014. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Rainforest Café, Inc., from February 1993 until December 2000.
ANTHONY MARNELL, III
Mr. Marnell currently serves as the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Manager of Marnell Gaming, LLC, a company he founded in 2006, which owns and operates the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Nevada.
Experience
Mr. Marnell previously developed M Resort Spa Casino, a locals-oriented casino property in Las Vegas, Nevada, serving as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 2006 to 2011, and (following the casino’s acquisition by Penn National Gaming, Inc.) as President of the casino property from 2011 to 2015. He also served as a strategy consultant to Penn National Gaming, Inc. from 2015 to 2016. Mr. Marnell served as Manager of MG Investors LLC, which operated the Saddle West Hotel Casino & RV Resort in Pahrump, Nevada, from 2005 to 2006, as Manager of Siren Gaming, LLC, a tribal gaming management company, from 2002 to 2005, as Founder, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of TRIRIGA, Inc., a technology company from 2000 to 2011, as Vice President, VIP Marketing at Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., a leading casino gaming company, from 1999 to 2000, and as Vice President, Corporate Marketing, at Rio Suite Hotel & Casino from 1996 to 1998. He is also Chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and previously served as a Board member of the Nevada State Board of Equalization from 2009 to 2013. He currently serves as a Board member of the Tuscany Research Institute and Henderson Boys and Girls Club, and served as a Board member for the Henderson Special Budget Ad Hoc Committee from 2013 to 2014.
Education
Mr. Marnell received a Bachelor of Science degree in hotel administration from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
MARK LIPPARELLI
Mr. Lipparelli currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Gioco Ventures, a strategic advisory and product development firm serving the gaming, investment, technology and entertainment industries around the globe, a position he has held since 2007.
Experience
Mr. Lipparelli also formerly represented State Senate District 6 in the Nevada Legislature, having been elected to the post in December 2014, and served on various senate committees. He has twice been an appointee to the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee.
Between 2002 and 2007, Mr. Lipparelli served in various executive management positions at Bally Technologies, Inc., a gaming technology supply company listed on the NYSE, including as Executive Vice President of Operations. Prior to joining Bally, Mr. Lipparelli served as Executive Vice President and then President of Shuffle Master, Inc., a publicly traded gaming supply company, from 2001 to 2003; as Chief Financial Officer of Camco, Inc., a retail chain holding company, from 2000 to 2001; as Senior Vice President of Entertainment Systems for Bally Gaming, Inc. (a subsidiary of publicly traded Alliance Gaming Corporation), from 1998 to 2000; and various management positions including Vice President of Finance for publicly traded Casino Data Systems from 1993 to 1998.
Between 2009 and 2012, Mr. Lipparelli served as a Board Member and Chairman of the Nevada State Gaming Control Board. He is a Board Trustee Emeritus of the University of Nevada Foundation, Board Member of the National Center for Responsible Gaming, and member of the International Association of Gaming Advisors and of the International Masters of Gaming Law.
Education
Mr. Lipparelli received a Bachelor’s degree in Finance (1987) and a Master’s degree in Economics (1993) from the University of Nevada, Reno.
ROBERT L. MIODUNSKI
Mr. Miodunski previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of American Gaming Systems from 2010 until its acquisition by Apollo Entertainment in late 2014.
Experience
Between 2004 and 2010, Mr. Miodunski served as a consultant to Bally Technologies, Inc. From 1994 through 2004, He i served in various management and executive positions with Alliance Gaming Corporation, a supplier of gaming machines listed on the NYSE, including as Chief Executive Officer from 2001, a director from 2000 and President of United Coin (a route operator) from 1994 to 1999.
From 2005 to 2008, Mr. Miodunski served on the Board of Directors of Elixir Gaming Technologies, Inc., a gaming company listed on the NYSE.
Education
Mr. Miodunski received a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri and an MBA from the University of Dallas.
ANN DOZIER
Ms. Dozier currently serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer for Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC, a wine and spirits distributor, a position she has held since July 2016, when Southern Wine and Spirits, LLC and Glazer's Beer and Beverage, LLC were merged.
Experience
Prior to the merger, Ms. Dozier served as the Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer of Southern Wine and Spirits, LLC since 2015. Ms. Dozier also has prior experience in both technical and commercial roles at The Coca-Cola Company, Inc., Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., Dean Foods and Colgate Palmolive. Mrs. Dozier has served on the board of iControl Holdings, LLC, a private technology company focused on delivering services and solutions that automate the retail value chain, since 2012. She also serves on several community boards and national councils including the Advisory Board of the University of Miami Business School's Management Science and Business Analytics program, the Advisory Board of A.T. Kearney's [email protected], the Consumer Goods Technology Executive Council, the Wall Street Journal CIO Council, and the Gartner Research Board.
Education
Mrs. Dozier received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the University of Georgia and attended the Harvard Business School's Executive Management Program.
TERRENCE L. WRIGHT
Mr. Wright serves as Chairman of the Board and majority owner of Westcor Land Title Insurance Company, a company he founded in 1991 which is licensed to issue policies of title insurance throughout the United States.
Mr. Wright is currently on the board of Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE:SWX), is an emeritus member of and past Chairman of the University of Nevada Las Vegas Foundation Board, and is the past Chairman for the Nevada Development Authority, the Nevada Land Title Association and the Nevada Chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization.
Experience
He has also served as board member for the Las Vegas Monorail, Pioneer Citizens Bank, First Interstate Bank and the Boy Scouts of America.
Education
Mr. Wright received a degree in business administration and a Juris Doctorate from DePaul University, Chicago, and is a member of the California and Illinois bar associations.
OFFICERS
BLAKE L. SARTINI
CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Mr. Sartini joined Golden as Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer in July 2015 in connection with our acquisition of Sartini Gaming through the Merger.
Experience
Prior to the Merger, Mr. Sartini served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Sartini Gaming from its formation in January 2012, and as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Gaming, LLC (“Golden Gaming”), which he established in 2001. Prior to Golden Gaming, Mr. Sartini served in various management and executive positions with Station Casinos, Inc. (“Station Casinos”) from 1985 to 2001, including as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer when the company first became public in 1993.
He also served as a director of Station Casinos from 1993 until 2001. In 1986, Mr. Sartini co-founded Southwest Services, Inc. (the predecessor to Golden Gaming) and served as its President starting in 1993. Before joining Station Casinos, he held key operational positions with the El Cortez Hotel and Casino, as well as the Barbary Coast Hotel and Casino.
Mr. Sartini is a member of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Foundation’s Board of Trustees and was appointed to the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee in March 2014 by Governor Sandoval.
Education
Mr. Sartini received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
CHARLES H. PROTELL
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Mr. Protell joined Golden Entertainment in November 2016 as Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Financial Officer.
Experience
Mr. Protell spent nearly 20 years in corporate advisory and investment banking, covering the gaming, lodging and leisure sectors. He has acted as advisor to Golden Entertainment's predecessor companies in various capacities since 2010. He acted as advisor to Lakes Entertainment in the merger transaction with Sartini Gaming, which created Golden Entertainment in July 2015.
In addition, Mr. Protell previously acted as advisor to Sartini Gaming on various initiatives, including its acquisition of distributed gaming operations and casino assets from Affinity Gaming.
Education
Mr. Protell is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce.
STEPHEN A. ARCANA
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Mr. Arcana has served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Golden Entertainment, Inc., since the merger of Sartini Gaming, Inc. (the parent company of the Golden Gaming Group) with a subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc., on July 31, 2015.
Experience
From August 2003 until the closing of the merger, Mr. Arcana served as the Chief Operating Officer for Golden Gaming. From November 1995 to March 2003, he held several executive positions with Station Casinos, LLC. Prior to joining Station Casinos, LLC, Mr. Arcana held a variety of hotel operations and food and beverage positions over a ten-year period with the Sands Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Education
Mr. Arcana received a Bachelor of Science degree in hotel and restaurant management from Widener University School of Hotel and restaurant Management in Chester, Pennsylvania
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