NCRG Board Of Directors And Scientific Advisory Board Collectively Add Five New Members
NCRG board additions enhance diversity of experience and leadership; New Scientific Advisory Board members provide expertise in Native American and youth populations
Nov 8, 2012
WASHINGTON –The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) today announced that the board of directors elected Jonathan S. Halkyard, executive vice president and chief financial officer of NV Energy; Kathleen M. Scanlan, senior advisor of special projects for the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling; and Andrew S. Zarnett, managing director for Deutsche Bank, to join as members.
The NCRG Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) also added two members: Tammy Chung, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh; and Miriam Jorgensen, Ph.D., M.P.P., research director of the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management and Policy at the University of Arizona and research director of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.
NCRG Board of Directors
“I’m pleased that Jonathan, Kathleen and Andrew are joining the NCRG board, as I know that they will help us to further fulfill our mission to address gambling disorders and responsible gaming from all perspectives,” said Alan Feldman, chairman of the NCRG and senior vice president of public affairs for MGM Resorts International. “Both Jonathan and Andrew bring a strategic economic perspective to understanding responsible gaming, and Kathy will help to guide our prevention and treatment educational initiatives for gambling disorders.”
Halkyard joined NV Energy in July 2012. Prior to joining NV Energy, Jonathan served as executive vice president and chief financial officer for Caesars Entertainment. During his 13 years with Caesars, he held a number of key operations and finance positions including director of finance for Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, assistant general manager of Harrah’s and Harvey’s Lake Tahoe and assistant general manager of Harrah’s Las Vegas.
Scanlan has been with the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling since 1987, serving first as a program director and later becoming the organization’s executive director. There, she led the council to expand its programs and services, increase prevention efforts and grow online resources that reach minority populations. Since 2011, Scanlan’s role has been to oversee special initiatives of the council, most recently organizing the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s public forum on prevention and education efforts to address gambling disorders in the state.
Zarnett currently serves as the co-head of high yield research and an analyst in the Gaming, Lodging and Leisure High Yield Debt division at Deutsche Bank.He also is a member of the executive committee of the Leverage Debt Group. Zarnett previously was a senior gaming equity analyst for the gaming, lodging and leisure division at Ladenburg Thalmann & Co.
The 11-member NCRG board of directors includes representatives from the gaming industry and the public health and regulatory communities. As the practical, hands-on management group of the organization, the board focuses on education and outreach program creation and implementation.
NCRG Scientific Advisory Board (SAB)
The SAB added Drs. Chung and Jorgenson to round out their membership of eight leading independent scientists with expertise in addiction and related topics.
“Drs. Chung and Jorgensen will be invaluable to the work of the NCRG Scientific Advisory Board thanks to their diverse research backgrounds,” said Linda Cottler, chair of the SAB and chair and dean’s professor of epidemiology in both the College of Public Health and Health Professions and the College of Medicine at the University of Florida. “One of the goals of the SAB is to expand research funding to better understand youth gambling and the impact of gaming on minority populations. Their leadership helps us do just that.”
Dr. Chung is a leading researcher in the field of substance abuse disorders, focusing on assessment, diagnosis and the course of these disorders in adolescent community and treatment samples. She is currently extending her research scope to include studies of brain functions to understand relapse and genetic factors among youth who are in treatment for addiction.
For the past 15 years, Dr. Jorgensen’s work has primarily focused on issues of governance and economic development in Indian Country, with a concentration on the ways individual Native nations’ social and cultural characteristics affect development. Her work extends from public health to gaming issues and has addressed the problems and concerns of First Nations in Canada.
The SAB plays a vital role by ensuring the NCRG follows rigorous standards in awarding grants for only the highest-quality research proposals. The board’s main responsibilities are to monitor the progress of the NCRG Centers of Excellence in Gambling Research and to evaluate the conduct of the project grants program, including the peer review process. Members also advise on the development of funding initiatives and educational activities.
For a complete list of members of the NCRG board of directors and Scientific Advisory Board, visitwww.ncrg.org.
