NCPG Announces Board of Directors Election Results and New Advisory Board Members

05.28.20Joel Simon

Board of Directors Election Results

and New Advisory Board Members

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is proud to announce the election of five people to its Board of Directors. Mary Drexler, Maureen Greeley, and Susan Sheridan Tucker, were elected for a first term; and Michael Burke, JD, and Marc Potenza, MD, re-elected for their second terms; all will serve a term for July 2020 to July 2023. Drexler and Greeley had also served as Board members in the past but not recently.

“We couldn’t be happier with the new additions to our Board of Directors and Advisory Board,” said NCPG Executive Director Keith Whyte. “Leadership is crucial and they bring a diversity of experience that will be invaluable in helping guide NCPG through these turbulent times.”

About the Recently Elected Board Members:

Michael Burke is the Executive Director of the Michigan Association on Problem Gambling. Michael Burke is in recovery from alcoholism for 39 years and recovery from gambling for 16 years. Today, Michael Burke travels around the U.S. giving talks on gambling and has spoken in over 40 states. Michael Burke was married to his wife, Jane, for 47 years when she died from a brain tumor. He has two daughters and two granddaughters. His family and his work in the gambling arena for the past 13 years are his purpose for living today and he receives incredible satisfaction from both. (Affiliate Seat)

Mary Drexler brings almost 40 years’ experience in the social services field with 12 years in specific problem gambling prevention and intervention. As Program Director since 2017 for the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling, Ms. Drexler is responsible for oversight of the Center’s initiatives in problem gambling prevention, awareness, treatment, peer support, and public policy. Mary previously served on NCPG’s Board of Directors from 2011 to 2014. Mary also has over 20 years’ experience in crisis intervention and suicide prevention. (Organizations Seat)

Maureen Greeley has worked with and for the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling since 1998, becoming Executive Director in November 2006. In Washington State, she serves on the Problem Gambling Advisory Council for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services’ Behavioral Health Administration. Maureen previously served on NCPG’s Board of Directors from 2011 to 2017 and as President for two years. In 2013, Maureen received the NCPG annual Award for Advocacy. She has presented on Problem Gambling, Process Addictions, Responsible Gaming, Gambling Counselor Certification, Social and Internet Gaming Standards and more across the United States. (Affiliate Seat)

Dr. Marc Potenza, PhD, MD: is a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in addiction psychiatry. His research focuses on how behavioral addictions are similar to and different from substance addictions. He is a professor of Psychiatry at Yale University in the Child Study Center and Neuroscience; Director of Yale’s Center of Excellence in Gambling Research and the Yale Program for Research on Impulsivity and Impulse Control Disorders, as well as Director for Women and Addictive Disorders at the Yale Women’s Health Research Center. He also serves as Senior Scientist at the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling.

Dr. Potenza received the NCPG Lifetime Research Award in 2016 for his work on gambling and addiction.(Individuals Seat)

Susan Sheridan Tucker is the Executive Director of the Northstar Problem Gambling Alliance, and has over 25 years of nonprofit experience. She previously worked on Wall Street and was in the first class in which trading options was part of our licensing curriculum. In hindsight, it was her first exposure to gambling. She has also worked on housing, environmental sustainability, and with the League of Women Voters.(Affiliate Seat)

Click here to see information about the entire

NCPG Board of Directors.

NCPG Also Welcomes Three New Members to the

Advisory Board!

Christopher Hebert, JD, an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Louisiana for 15 years, is the Director of the Gaming Division. Previously he served as Section Chief of the Litigation and Adjudications Section. He was instrumental in creating the Problem Gambling Resource Services (PGRS) program, which is led by the Louisiana Department of Justice, Gaming Division, in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Behavioral Health, to bring awareness to the legal community about problem gambling and the FREE gambling treatment services available for all Louisiana residents.

Valerie Spicer brings more than 35 years of gaming experience to Trilogy, a consulting group where she works in a collaborative fashion on B2B opportunities for Tribes and businesses alike, in addition to industry conferences and trainings across the country. Most recently Valerie was Executive Director of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association (AIGA) where she worked extensively in the Tribal, private and public sectors of the growing industry. Before taking the lead at AIGA, Spicer was CEO of Gaming Strategies Group and Vice President and General Manager at Borrego Springs Bank in San Diego, California. Spicer is proud of her Mescalero Apache and Hispanic heritage. She holds a Degree in Business Management.

George Sweny joined The Stars Group in September 2014 and is the Vice President, Compliance. Prior to working for The Stars Group, George held executive level positions in the gaming industry, most recently as Senior Vice President with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) and as Chief Strategy Officer with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

Earlier roles have included executive positions with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and Len Stuart and Associates.

George is a current member of the Board of Directors of the Responsible Gambling Council and has served as a board member for the North American State Provincial Lotteries Association (NASPL) and the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC).

Click here to see information about the entire

NCPG Advisory Board.

Based in Washington DC, the National Council on Problem Gambling is the only national nonprofit organization that seeks to minimize the economic and social costs associated with gambling addiction by working with all stakeholders, providing national advocacy on behalf of people and their families who are affected by problem gambling.

If gambling becomes a problem, NCPG urges people who gamble, as well as their loved ones, to contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline, which offers hope and help without judgment or shame. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-522-4700 or visit or visit www.ncpgambling.org/chat. Help is available 24/7 – it is free and confidential.

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