The Snoqualmie Tribe announced the resignation of Stanford Le, the chief executive officer of Snoqualmie Casino, effective Oct. 17.
The announcement was made in a letter to its membership in July.
“[Le] is leaving the Tribe on good terms and will finish out his last three months implementing a succession plan. He has assured the Tribe that he will always be here if the Tribe needs anything in the future,” the letter reads. “He received a once-in-a-lifetime employment offer in Sydney, Australia, and will be moving overseas.”
In a Sept. 19 press release detailing leadership changes, the Tribe announced that Mary Lou Patterson, the Tribe’s former chief financial officer, has been promoted to interim CEO. Daniel Hanson, previously the director of the Gaming Commission, has been appointed the new chief financial officer.
“I am so honored and excited to start this new chapter with the Snoqualmie Casino Team. The support from the Snoqualmie team members and Snoqualmie Tribe has been truly priceless, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us,” said Patterson, who, according to the release, has contributed significantly to revenue growth across the casino property.
Hanson, with 15 years of experience in the tribal gaming industry, is expected to drive innovative financial strategies at the casino in his new position.
“As a result of your confidence and belief in our casino team, we’ve shared innumerable successes over the past six years: earned recognition as the Best Casino in 425 and Seattle Magazines, opened the first Snoqualmie Valley vaccination site during COVID, signed the first partnership agreement with an NFL team in the Pacific Northwest, opened the first sportsbook in Washington history, broke ground on and reached the top of our new hotel build and most importantly, gained recognition as a Washington’s Best Workplace the last five years in a row,” Le wrote to the Tribe’s membership. “This has been the most meaningful position in my career to date, and I sincerely thank you for the opportunity to lead the Snoqualmie Tribe’s largest enterprise.”
When appointed CEO in 2021, the Issaquah Reporter wrote that Le joined the casino as chief marketing officer in June 2018 and helped shape the marketing and acquisition strategy for the record-setting year and 2019. During his tenure as interim CEO, Le led the casino team through the pandemic while retaining the company’s team member workforce of 1,100.
“Though this resignation will bring an end to my tenure as the head of everyday casino operations, I hope that the Snoqualmie Tribe knows that it will always be able to call on me as a resource in the future,” Le wrote.
