Executive Biographies Management Team Mohegan Tribal Council James Gessner, Jr. Interim Chairman Mohegan Tribal Council As interim Chairman, James Gessner Jr. is responsible for maintaining the sovereignty that the Mohegan Tribe fought hundreds of years for, overseeing its numerous business entities and ensuring the well-being of its more than 2,200 Tribal citizens. As interim Chairman, Gessner also serves as Chairman of the Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) Management Board which oversees gaming entities across the country, as well as two professional sports teams. Gessner is in his fourth term on the Tribal Council and served as Corresponding Secretary prior to becoming Vice Chairman. Gessner is a member of the Audit Committee for MGE, as well as serving on the American Red Cross board. He is a member of the management boards for Tunica Biloxi Gaming Authority, KOTA and Mohegan Holding Company s Jersey Mike franchise. Gessner holds a bachelor s degree in hotel and restaurant management from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, and prior to his terms on the Council he held executive positions at in the Marketing and Player Development divisions. He resides in Waterford, Connecticut with his wife Carol and daughter Nola. He also has an adult son, Nicholas. Mario Kontomerkos Chief Executive Officer Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) A Cornell University graduate with a bachelor s degree in industrial engineering, Mario Kontomerkos joined the Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment in September of 2011 as Chief Financial Officer. As CFO, he was responsible for the company s finances and played a key role in setting a corporate strategy that drove strong unit growth while
overseeing several multi-billion capital market transactions which led to a successful financial turnaround. In October 2017, he was promoted to Chief Executive Officer to focus on corporate diversification. His career path evolved through various key financial, research and analytical roles with companies like Penn National Gaming, Magnetar Capital LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities, Lehman Brothers and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Kontomerkos experience also includes service as a consultant for TPG Capital LLC on the acquisition of Harrah s Entertainment, the largest leveraged buyout in the history of the gaming industry. As CEO of MGE, Kontomerkos presides over the full scope of Mohegan s growing portfolio of iconic integrated entertainment resorts, including, the flagship, 3.5 million square-foot resort destination in Connecticut, Project Inspire, a multibillion dollar entertainment destination planned near Seoul, South Korea; as well as Pocono in northeast Pennsylvania, Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City and Ilani in Ridgefield, Washington State. Kontomerkos responsibilities are vital to the day-to-day operations of MGE, including on-going brand growth, future business and human capital initiatives and ensuring that MGE continues to deliver a one-of-a-kind product, unmatched personalized services and memorable guest experiences. Michael Silberling Chief Operating Officer Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) Michael Silberling is a business & financial executive who has enjoyed a career in casino entertainment & resort operations spanning 25 years. After gaining his MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management, he took on Regional President duties at Harrah s Entertainment. From there, Silberling would go on to Managing Director for London Clubs International, President of International Operations for Caesars Entertainment
Corporation, and most recently, CEO of Affinity Gaming, LLC where he contributed greatly to 13 consecutive quarters of year over year growth. At London Clubs International (LCI) in the United Kingdom from 2008-2011, Silberling was responsible for approximately 15 casinos across Europe, Middle East and Africa and was a part of opening casinos in Cairo, Glasgow and Leeds. Throughout various high-level positions in the casino industry, both domestically and internationally, Silberling delivered significant revenue & operational results in everything from Food & Beverage and Gaming, to Customer Service and Market Share. As Chief Operating Officer of MGE, Silberling s multitude of skills & experiences are deployed across the flagship property, in Connecticut, as well as Pocono in Pennsylvania, Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, Nj, ilani in WA, Paragon Casino Resorts in Louisiana and the exciting upcoming Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment ventures at Casino Niagara & Fallsview Casino in Ontario, Canada and Project Inspire: the first-of-its-kind integrated resort at Incheon International Airport in South Korea, planned to open in 2021. Ray Pineault President & General Manager Ray Pineault brings more than fifteen years of legal and business experience to his position with. As President & General Manager for, Pineault manages and oversees all day-to-day operations of. Pineault, the former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Mohegan Sun, has been with the Mohegan Tribe and since March 2001. He served as a Senior Staff Attorney for the Tribe, where he was responsible for managing the legal issues associated with all commercial transactions of the Tribe and as well as negotiating and drafting agreements related to business opportunities and consulting
with the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (MTGA) on security issues, including financial reporting and debt financing. In addition, Pineault has provided legal services to several of the Mohegan Tribe s departments and entities, including the housing authority, utility authority, planning, development, information systems and finance departments as well as Little People, LLC and Crow Hill Properties. Pineault also serves as a management board member of Mohegan Information Technology Group, LLC, a subsidiary majority owned by the Tribe. Pineault holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Connecticut as well as a law degree from Quinnipiac College School of Law. He resides in Glastonbury, Connecticut with his wife and three children. Jeffrey Hamilton Assistant General Manager In 2015, Jeff Hamilton was named Assistant General Manager of. In this position, Hamilton supports the President and General Manager in execution of all job duties. Additionally, he oversees the strategic direction of business operations and the financial performance of in coordination with the President, as well as other senior management. Hamilton has been with since 2004. He has also held several important key management positions within Human Resources and Advertising during his time with. Hamilton received a bachelor s degree at Seton Hall University and a master s degree at the University of New Haven. He is a member of the Mohegan Tribe, the 2016 Chairman for the March of Dimes Walk for Babies and has been a member of the Board of Directors for the United Way of Southeastern CT.
Hamilton lives in Cranston, Rhode Island with his wife Cynthia and two children Lina and Jeffrey Jr. Kevin Lowry VP & Chief Financial Officer Kevin Lowry brings a wealth of financial experience as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for. Lowry began his employment with the flagship property in 1996 as a Budget Clerk. From there he progressed through the finance department as an Analyst, Senior Analyst, Budgets and Analysis Manager, Director of Financial Planning & Analysis and Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis before being named Vice President and CFO. During his tenure, Lowry also spent a year as the Vice President and CFO at Pocono in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania before returning to Connecticut and assuming his current responsibilities. Lowry oversees all aspects of finance for and works closely with the other members of the Executive team on all major initiatives. Lowry is a native of Groton, CT and a graduate of Fitch High School. He earned a Bachelor s in Business Management from Marietta College. He currently resides in Pawcatuck, CT with his two sons Kyle and Luke. Dave Martinelli Chief Marketing Officer As Chief Marketing Officer for, David Martinelli sets the strategic marketing plan and oversees campaign management and analytics, strategic marketing, special events, promotions, loyalty programming, bus marketing, hotel sales and player development.
Martinelli started out with in the budgets department in 1999 after finishing his undergrad degree at Brown University. He was soon after promoted to the Financial Planning & Analysis Manager, where he served for four years. His career then took another big jump when he became the Business Manager for the Connecticut Sun WNBA team. The very next transition came in the form of Director of Business Operations for sports & entertainment where he resided for four years. Before being named CMO, Martinelli served as the Vice President of Customer Relationship Management in marketing. Martinelli has strong and diverse work experience as well as excellent leadership capabilities. Martinelli is a Rhode Island native and currently resides in North Kingstown with his wife, Kerry, and two sons, David and Daniel.