HISTORY-MAKING SLATE OF ALL-WOMEN OFFICERS OF NORTH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE AND PROVINCIAL LOTTERIES
“Today is a new day for our industry. It is especially gratifying as it comes on the 100th anniversary of my state, Tennessee, becoming the 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment, and creating the three-fourths majority needed to amend the U.S. Constitution and give women across the country the right to vote,” Tennessee Education Lottery President and CEO, World Lottery Association (WLA) President and WILL Founder and Chair Rebecca Paul Hargrove said. “Ensuring gender equity brings valuable depth to an organization, adding a well-rounded voice to both internal and external discussions. This new slate of NASPL officers are exceptional leaders that set strong examples and inspire others to be the best they can be, and I am truly excited for what the future holds for our industry,” Hargrove added.
*NEWS UPDATE*
August 18, 2020
HISTORY-MAKING SLATE OF ALL-WOMEN OFFICERS OF NORTH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE AND PROVINCIAL LOTTERIES
The Women’s Initiative in Lottery Leadership (WILL) today applauded the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries’ (NASPL) announcement that for the first time in its history all of its officers are women.
NASPL’s new officers are Montana Lottery Director Angela Wong as president, Hoosier Lottery Executive Director Sarah Taylor as first vice president, Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin as second vice president, and Wisconsin Lottery Director Cindy Polzin as treasurer.
This historic moment for the lottery industry falls on the same day as the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees women’s constitutional right to vote.
“Today is a new day for our industry. It is especially gratifying as it comes on the 100th anniversary of my state, Tennessee, becoming the 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment, and creating the three-fourths majority needed to amend the U.S. Constitution and give women across the country the right to vote,” Tennessee Education Lottery President and CEO, World Lottery Association (WLA) President and WILL Founder and Chair Rebecca Paul Hargrove said.
The lottery industry in North America is seeing unprecedented levels of women in leadership positions only four years after the formation of the WILL initiative in 2016 with the mission of advancing women into top positions in the lottery sector.
“Ensuring gender equity brings valuable depth to an organization, adding a well-rounded voice to both internal and external discussions. This new slate of NASPL officers are exceptional leaders that set strong examples and inspire others to be the best they can be, and I am truly excited for what the future holds for our industry,” Hargrove added.
Founded in 1971, NASPL has evolved from an informal exchange of information among three pioneering lottery directors into an active association representing 53 lottery organizations.
In addition to today’s announcement from NASPL, other women in lottery leadership positions include: Hargrove, president of WLA; Hoosier Lottery’s Taylor, board president of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL); and Missouri Lottery Executive Director May Scheve Reardon, chair of the Powerball Product Group. Loto-Quebec President and CEO Lynn Roiter is also president of Interprovincial Lotteries.
About the Women’s Initiative in Lottery Leadership
Started in 2016, the Women’s Initiative in Lottery Leadership (WILL) has a mission of driving high performance business growth through supporting the advancement of women into top positions of lottery management, leadership and responsibility. This global initiative is a celebration and confirmation of the transformative power of diversity, integrity and inclusion.
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