Public Gaming International November/December 2021

16 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 PGRI INTERVIEWS Paul Jason: Do you think we will return to the fully-staffed office environment of pre-pandemic days? Jeff Hewitt: It is amazing to see how the work has all been accomplished and the results that have been achieved during this time of profound disruption. Video- conferencing has served an invaluable service during this time when in-person meetings were not always possible. But I hope we return to a work-style of easy and convenient in-person communication. I may be ‘old school’, but I prefer the office setting because it facilitates that personal interaction. That is my personal preference, and it is also my opinion that teamwork and productivity are enhanced by the traditional office work environment. I would point out that all across the country, the staffing of stores, deliver- ing tickets, and interacting face-to-face with the customers and colleagues never stopped. Clerks are interacting with hundreds of people every day while they sell our lottery tickets. I think we are glad they did not ever really shelter-at- home. If they can interact with countless anonymous customers who walk through their doors every day, why can’t we interact with the members of our more tight-nit lottery team? I agree. It’s time to get on with our lives. J. Hewitt: Of course, we need to be mindful of the problem, and sensitive to everyone who feels an ongoing need for social distancing. But I think we also need to face the reality that dangerous viruses will be our new normal for awhile and we need to find ways to balance our need for safety with the need to go about business and life in general. Drawing on your many years of working in both the commercial and government lottery sectors, how would you describe the differences between the commercial and government lottery in terms of man- agement styles, work environments, project management and accountability systems and such? J. Hewitt: They are quite different worlds to work in. I thought I knew the business PGRI INTRODUCTION: With a career in the lottery industry beginning in 1987, Jeffrey L. Hewitt was selected to serve as the Mississippi Lottery’s second president, beginning July 1, 2021. Prior to his appointment to lead the Lottery, Jeff served as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at the Mississippi Lottery where he began as an original start-up employee in June 2019. He supervised everything from retailer recruitment, brand establishment, build-out of lottery headquarters to new product/instant ticket development. Before joining the startup of the Mississippi Lottery, Jeff was the Interim General Manager for the Illinois Private Management Project with Intralot. He provided direction as a liaison between Intralot, Camelot and Illinois lottery executives, managing the terminal conversion. Jeff began his career as a Lottery Sales Representative in Florida and has consistently advanced and expanded his industry knowledge. He joined the Georgia Lottery as a Regional Manager for their start up. Jeff moved to the vendor side of the industry working for AWI, IGT- OES, Scientific Games, GTECH (now IGT) and Intralot. Applying a wise strategy informed by experience to the management of the youngest lottery in the U.S. Jeff Hewitt, President, Mississippi Lottery Corporation Continued on page 45