Cynthia Kiser Murphey, general manager of the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, has resigned, with an effective exit date of June 30.
The veteran MGM Resorts executive joined the Palms in September 2021, during Covid-19 shutdowns, when Red Rock Resorts sold it for $650 million to the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.
With the purchase, the tribe, which operates the Yaamava’ Resort and Casino in Highland, Calif., became the first Native American operator with a presence in Las Vegas.
The 400-room Palms reopened in April 2022.
“I’m super proud of how this team has really launched this property and turned the property from being closed for two years and opening it. I’m profoundly proud of the level of hospitality,” Kiser Murphey told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I really believe the Palms is going to get more and more successful in the future. My leaving has to do with what I want to do with my time, and I need to go do some other things.”
From 2008 to 2020, Kiser Murphey was president and chief operating officer of New York-New York, an MGM property on the Vegas Strip. Her resume also includes a stint as senior vice president of human resources at MGM Mirage.
“I’m not retiring,” Kiser Murphey said. “I have a lot of opportunities to do some projects, but I want to wait. I think I’m going to take a minute to figure it out.”
The San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority has not appointed a successor, but thanked Kiser Murphey for her contribution.
“We are grateful to Cynthia for the leadership and enthusiasm she provided to reopening this iconic property,” said San Manuel Chairwoman Latisha Prieto in a statement. “She inspired our team members to service excellence and made history with the San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority. She is a role model for women in leadership and exemplified our vision for what women can accomplish in this industry.”
