Page 12 - Mississippi/Louisiana Gaming News - Spring, 2023

Moving Ahead
Advancements named at Pearl River Resort
CHOCTAW — Pearl River Resort announced the promotions of several people, including Dr. Bianca Denson, Tim Hill, Cheryl Smith, Sheila Martin, Christopher “CJ” Hencyk, Ashley Billy, Alex Delgado and Oretta Conrad.
Dr. Bianca Denson has been appointed vice president of human capital and financial development, and will be responsible for the successful coordination, administration, and direction of all human resource functions
of the property. She will also collaborate with the finance departments to drive key processes and investment opportunities for Choctaw Resort Development Enterprise and its resort properties.
Denson has been with
Pearl River Resort since
2009, serving as a database coordinator, a manager of marketing analytics, hotel revenue manager, and
most recently as director of planning and analysis. She received her PhD in Human Capital Development from
the University of Southern Mississippi, her MBA from Kennesaw State University, and her Bachelor’s in Marketing and Multinational Business from Florida State University.
Tim Hill has been named vice president of gaming and resort operations. He will be responsible for overseeing resort-wide operations, including food and beverage, Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, Geyser Falls Water Theme
Dr. Bianca Tim Denson Hill
Cheryl Smith
Sheila Martin
12 MISSISSIPPI GAMING NEWS
SPRING 2023
Park, and Bok Homa Casino. He will also oversee table games, bingo and poker at Golden Moon, Silver Star, and Bok Homa casinos.
Hill has more than 40 years of gaming experience. At Pearl River Resort, he was executive director of casino operations and most recently, senior executive director of resort operations.
Cheryl Smith has been named interim chief information officer for Pearl River Resort. She will be responsible for leading IT strategic and operational planning to achieve company goals by fostering innovation, prioritizing IT initiatives, and coordinating the evaluation, deployment, and management of current and future IT systems across the organization.
At the resort for 26 years, Smith most recently served as executive director of information technology and director of IT project management. Her degrees
Boomtown, Hollywood announce promotions
GULF COAST — Hollywood Gulf Coast and Boomtown
Biloxi announced the recent promotions of Michael Huckins, Kyle Widdows and Tiffany Hursey.
Huckins was promoted to vice president of hospitality for the properties while Widdows is the new vice president of marketing for Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast and Boomtown Biloxi. Hursey was promoted to assistant director of food and beverage.
Huckins served as senior director of resort operations at Hollywood Gulf Coast prior to being promoted. It was a position he held since August 2017. After studying journalism at the University of Kansas, he soon entered the hospitality industry as a night auditor at Harrah’s in Kansas. He moved from auditor to front desk manager to casino host during a five-year period.
Michael Huckins
Kyle Widdows
Huckins spent five years
as a hotel manager at The
Isle in Bettendorf, Iowa, and
would later open a hotel and food-and-beverage operation
for Rohnerville Rancheria of
Northern California. He spent
six years with Rancheria prior to
joining Penn Entertainment on the Gulf Coast.
In his new role as vice president of hospitality, reporting to him from both properties will be F&B operations, hotel and RV parks. Hollywood Gulf Coast EVS will also report to Huckins.
Widdows joined Penn Entertainment in 2015 as director of marketing for Hollywood Gulf Coast and Boomtown Biloxi. Prior to that he served in a variety
of leadership roles in marketing, revenue management and business analytics with MGM Resorts.
He earned a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Mississippi.
Hursey, who holds an Associate Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, started working at Hollywood Gulf Coast as a gift shop clerk in 2008. She was promoted to assistant food and beverage outlet manager
in 2015 and since 2016 has spent time at both properties serving as outlet manager. She will now be overseeing operations at both properties.
Tiffany Hursey