The American Gaming Association has appointed Stacy Papadopoulos, the trade group’s general counsel, as interim CEO while a search committee seeks a permanent replacement for Geoff Freeman, who announced his resignation last month.
Papadopoulos also serves as the AGA’s senior vice president of industry and shared services. She joined the AGA in 2014 from the corporate governance department of Freddie Mac.
“We are grateful to Geoff for his leadership over the last five years and we wish to thank Stacy for taking the helm of the AGA while we identify its next CEO,” said Penn National Gaming CEO Tim Wilmott, who serves as chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based organization, which lobbies on federal issues for the land-based casino industry.
Freeman is slated to officially exit the end of this month to become president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association. He has served as president and chief executive of the AGA since May 2013, succeeding Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., who helped found the organization in 1995.
Wilmott is chairing the committee pursuing Freeman’s replacement. Its members include: Rush Street Gaming CEO Greg Carlin; Aristocrat CEO Trevor Croker; Caesars Entertainment CEO Mark Frissora; Chickasaw Nation Secretary of Commerce Bill Lance Jr.; MGM Resorts Chairman and CEO Jim Murren; and Las Vegas Sands Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Ron Reese.
To assist them the AGA has contracted with executive search firm Spencer Stuart.
