Leading with Integrity

In the past almost 10 years, Mimi Hoang has focused on not just the Indian Gaming Association-specific missions, but has also taken the reins and responsibility for the building operations of the townhouse IGA owns and operates out of. She is trusted by senior leadership to use her knowledge to make the right decisions for a multi-million dollar historic asset (National Register of Historic Places: Watterston House, Washington, DC). Mimi uses her experience to streamline processes and is constantly innovating, urging leadership at IGA to not just continue how things have always been done, but to evolve thinking for the post-COVID world.

Mimi is a young, tech-savvy individual who is always up-to-date with the latest industry trends. Within her first year working at IGA, she noticed how outdated the organization’s website was. “I can do better”, she thought. With her background in IT, she created a mock site with a user-friendly and modern design. She convinced her director to hire her on as the Website Administrator, in addition to her current role as receptionist. Since then, she has been proactive in bringing the company into the digital age, staying ahead of the curve on the newest technology. Her dedication to keeping the company current is crucial to ensuring its success.

Mimi’s passion for innovation has introduced new products and services, allowing Indian Gaming Association to stay competitive in an ever-changing marketplace. In 2016, IGA finished a multistory expansion transforming their headquarters from primarily office space to a prime conference-meeting center for legislative activities on the Hill. The conference center was being booked sporadically for meetings and small fundraisers, but after learning of the building’s history and seeing the renovation completed, Mimi imagined the building’s potential. She wanted more people to be able to enjoy the space as much as she did. So she pitched an idea to her directors, “let’s open our building to the public, and turn it into an event space”.

With no experience in events or marketing, she created a listing to advertise the venue, with photos she took with her iPhone, tripod, and ring light. Exploiting on the fact Capitol Hill lacked significant conference space, she promoted the venue by offering discounts and spreading the word of all the great things it had to offer. In no time, the venue was being rented out to members of Congress for fundraisers and birthday parties, to neighbors for baby showers and even micro weddings. Mimi’s idea had become a reality and her event space was thriving. Her enthusiasm and positive energy have resulted in hundreds of satisfied customers, many of whom return for future events. Her excellent communication skills and ability to build meaningful relationships with people inside and outside the organization have created a strong sense of trust and openness.

Fast forward to today, Mimi holds three titles at the Indian Gaming Association: Facilities and Operations Director, Associate Membership Director, and Website Administrator. She is constantly looking for ways to improve every aspect of the organization; and is not afraid to offer alternative perspectives after carefully consider the pros and cons of different approaches. Her creativity and problem-solving skills ensure that the project is completed in the best possible way.

The steadfast leader spends time to make sure her team understand the projects as well as allowing them to make decisions and recommendations based on their findings. She is always willing to change direction based on thoughtful suggestions from her team. Mimi encourages team members to lead by example, take ownership of tasks, and act boldly to make positive change. By providing an encouraging environment to test their skills and build up their confidence, Mimi is inspiring and empowering team members to become great leaders of tomorrow. No matter how challenging the project or task, she approaches it enthusiastically. She is a role model for many, setting an example for the outstanding work ethic and integrity that all strive for.

Mimi is focused on reenergizing the Associate Membership program and creating an even stronger community within the Indian gaming industry. The Indian Gaming Association is an intertribal non-profit organization composed of over 150 Indian Nations. On behalf of these sovereign nations, IGA is tasked with protecting tribal sovereignty and building strong tribal economies to help maintain livable homelands for Indian Nations and their citizens. IGA works with the Federal, State and Tribal governments to develop sound policies and practices and to provide technical assistance and advocacy on gaming-related issues. Today, the Indian Nations gaming industry has grown to over $43 billion and directly employs over 260,000 people.