Gun Lake Casino topic of Keystone breakfast talk at WMU

Contact: Mark Schwerin
Photo of John .

Shagonaby

KALAMAZOO--The rapid success of Gun Lake Casino will be up for discussion at the next presentation in the Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Series at Western Michigan University.

John Shagonaby, a 1997 WMU graduate and chief executive officer of the Gun Lake Tribal Gaming Authority, will speak Friday, Jan. 27. The event begins with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in the Dean's Conference Room of Schneider Hall. Reservations are required by calling the Haworth College of Business Dean's Office at (269) 387-5050. Parking is available in the nearby Fetzer Center parking lot.

Shagonaby's presentation is titled "Tribal Sovereignty and Tribal Governmental Gaming" and is free and open to the public. He will discuss the gaming strategies that have paved the way for the successful business operation of the facility.

Gun Lake Casino has made its mark as both an entertainment destination and an engine of community economic development. Shagonaby played an integral role in establishing the casino, an enterprise of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi.

With more than 12 years of experience serving as a tribal council member and more than 15 years serving Indian country, Shagonaby knows what it takes to be a successful leader. He has served the tribal council in the Midwest Region as representative to the National Indian Gaming Association Board of Directors, as well serving as the Minneapolis area vice president to the National Congress of American Indians. He also has extensive training and certifications with the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona, the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development and the National Indian Gaming Association.

The Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series is underwritten by Keystone Community Bank. The series provides an opportunity for the local community to hear top business leaders and WMU faculty, alumni and friends of the Haworth College of Business discuss current topics of interest.

For more information, contact Valorie Juergens, Haworth College of Business, at valorie.juergens@wmich.edu or (269) 387-5964.