Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos announces Cherokee Development Program Associates

Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos release

Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos has announced that the following Team Members applied for and have been selected for the Cherokee Development Program (CDP).

• Connor Reed
• Gaige Cox
• Aleayah Cox
• Lucia “Luci” Hernandez
• Bryce Junaluska
• Dorian Martens
• Cassie Washington

The Cherokee Development Program at Harrah’s Cherokee was created to ensure professional career development opportunities for members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation. Participants train in different divisions of Harrah’s Cherokee and focus on developing leadership and critical thinking skills. The Talent Development department, as well as division leaders, work closely to develop specific training programs and objectives to prepare participants to advance and promote into leadership roles. CDP participants receive one-on-one coaching and mentorships, are assigned special projects and in-depth training opportunities on topics such as leading teams, coaching for success, developing talent, public speaking, and diversity & inclusion in addition to core business competencies in Finance, Marketing and Human Resources.

Meet the CDP Associates!

Connor Reed

• CDP Rotation: Finance / Harrah’s Cherokee
• Connor has spent the past few months serving as our Marketing intern and has recently accepted the position of CDP associate. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Business Administration and currently lives in the Wolftown Community. He spends much of his free time with his family in Nashville. His hobbies include snowboarding, travelling, and anything outdoor-related.

Gaige Cox

• CDP Rotation: Casino Overview / Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River
• Gaige is a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and has lived in Cherokee county most of his life. He was a 2015 graduate of Murphy High School and is currently completing his degree in Business Administration. In his spare time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, anything sports related, and traveling. Gaige is very excited and grateful for the opportunity ahead.

Aleayah Cox

• CDP Rotation: Casino Overview / Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River
• Aleayah is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and has lived in Cherokee County her whole life. She graduated from Murphy High School in 2019 before attending Tri-County Community College where she earned her Associate in Arts degree in 2021. She has two children, Arya and Malakai. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, taking trips, and spending time with family and friends. She is so excited to join the Cherokee Development Program and cannot wait to see where it takes her!

Lucia “Luci” Hernandez

• CDP Rotation: Casino Overview / Harrah’s Cherokee
• Luci is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from the Snowbird Community. She currently resides in the Big Cove Community with her partner, Michael Bradley, and their two children, Kai and Isla. Luci graduated from Northeast State Community College with her Assoc in Finance & Economics. She later went on to graduate from East Tennessee State University with her BBA in Logistics & Supply Chain Management. Outside of work, Luci enjoys spending time with family, cooking, and foraging mushrooms. She is excited to be joining the Cherokee Development Program and Harrah’s Cherokee. Her goals are to develop her leadership skills and explore the different departments and facets of the casino. She is also proud to be broadening the representation of Indigenous women working in the gaming industry.

Bryce Junaluska

• CDP Rotation: Finance / Harrah’s Cherokee
• Bryce is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. He graduated from Western Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in Finance and is currently working as a Gaming Auditor for the Income Control department. Bryce enjoys playing outside with his German Shepard and playing softball with his friends on the weekends. He is excited for the growth and challenges that the Cherokee Development Program will bring.

Dorian Martens

• CDP Rotation: Food & Beverage / Harrah’s Cherokee
• Dorian has lived in Cherokee his entire life. He spent most of his life in the Big Cove Community and currently resides in the Painttown Community. His career at Harrah’s Cherokee began in Housekeeping and he is now in the Food & Beverage department. He is a member of the Wolftown Stickball team and in his free time he enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, Kaniah James and son, Onyx Martens, playing basketball, drawing, and listening to his record collection. Dorian is grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Cherokee Development Program and excited to start a long, successful career at Harrah’s Cherokee.

Cassie Washington

• CDP Rotation: Food & Beverage / Harrah’s Cherokee
• Cassie is a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and has lived on the reservation her whole life. She was raised by her grandmother, Mary J. Walkingstick, and currently resides in the Yellowhill community with her fiancé Christopher K. Crowe and their 5 children, Lucian, Delilah, Tsali, Lylah, and Alexander. She earned her G.E.D from Southwestern Community College in 2009. Cassie has worked at Harrah’s Cherokee in the Retail department for three years. She enjoys spending time with her family, going on walks, watching her kids play on the island, listening to music and dancing. She is very excited and thankful for this opportunity.

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