LAS VEGAS, May 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Jim Murren, MGM
Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) chairman and chief executive
officer, and Heather Hay Murren, a
private investor, were presented with the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship
Wednesday night at a dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel in
Washington, D.C. The award is
given to those who, by their example and business practices, have
demonstrated a profound concern for the common good beyond the
bottom line, acting as a force for positive change.
"This recognition by the Wilson Center inspires not only Heather
and myself, but the more than 77,000 employees of MGM Resorts
around the world who commit themselves daily in service to the
communities in which we operate, while advancing the interests of
our customers, shareholders and employees and ensuring the growth
of our global entertainment brand," Jim
Murren said.
"Jim and I are honored and humbled as recipients of this award
from an institution whose work is critical and whose impact is
enduring," Heather Hay Murren said.
"In a city full of memorials, the Wilson Center is unique as both a
remembrance of the past and a pioneer of the future. Since its
founding nearly 50 years ago, it has remained the preeminent
institution for civil justice – revered around the world."
"The Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship honors
corporate leaders who exemplify Woodrow
Wilson's commitment to scholarship, public discourse, and
the promotion of knowledge both at home and abroad," said
Congresswoman Jane Harman, director,
president and CEO of the Wilson Center. "Jim and Heather embody
these principles. We are delighted to honor their commitment to
communities and our greater global society."
Jim Murren is chairman and CEO of
MGM Resorts International, a global entertainment company operating
in national and international destinations that feature hotel
resorts, conference centers, casino and live entertainment venues,
restaurants and retail stores. The company opened MGM National
Harbor in Maryland on December 8, 2016, and is in the process of
developing MGM Springfield in Massachusetts. Murren serves as chairman of
MGM China Holdings Ltd., which owns MGM Macau and is developing a
resort in Cotai. He also serves as chairman of MGM Growth
Properties, a real estate investment trust engaged in the
acquisition, ownership and leasing of large-scale destination
entertainment and leisure resorts.
Mr. Murren joined MGM in 1998 after spending more than a decade
on Wall Street, where he was regarded as a leading analyst in the
hotel and gaming industries. His arrival at MGM coincided with a
period of dramatic growth for the company, including the
acquisitions of Mirage Resorts and Mandalay Resort Group. He
steered the company through the financial crisis, deleveraging the
enterprise by restructuring debt, maximizing cash flow and certain
selected asset sales. He is the visionary behind CityCenter,
the unprecedented urban resort destination that opened on the Las
Vegas Strip in 2009 featuring the centerpiece ARIA Resort &
Casino. Mr. Murren has led the industry in environmentally
responsible practices to lower the company's carbon footprint in
operations, resorts, restaurants, retail spaces, meetings and
conventions.
Heather Hay Murren is a private
investor and former managing director and group head of Global
Securities and Economics at Merrill Lynch. She retired in 2002
after more than a decade on Wall Street as a highly-respected,
celebrated and leading analyst. At a time when the consumer goods
industry was undergoing a period of profound transition, Ms. Murren
established a reputation for incisive analysis and a willingness to
take controversial stances that consistently proved correct. She
played key roles in dozens of complex and high-profile Fortune 500
transactions, including Estee
Lauder's initial public offering.
In 2002, influenced by a passion for health issues, cancer
research and access to high quality healthcare, the Murrens founded
the nonprofit Nevada Cancer Institute, a cancer research and
treatment center that launched the first-ever clinical trials in
Nevada. Ms. Murren served as
chairman and CEO and later as a board member until the institute
merged with Roseman University in 2013. She was appointed by
Congress to serve on the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission tasked
with determining the causes of the financial crisis. "The Financial
Crisis Inquiry Report" of the commission's findings was listed on
the New York Times bestseller list. She
also served the state of Nevada as
a member of the Nevada Board of
Economic Development, formed in September
2011 by Governor Brian
Sandoval. Ms. Murren was appointed and served as a
commissioner on the White House Commission on Enhancing National
Cybersecurity in 2016. The commission's findings were presented to
President Obama in December 2016. She
serves on the board of directors of Fidelity National Financial
Inc. and on the board of trustees of Johns
Hopkins University and the Johns
Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
The Murrens have been ardent supporters of Volunteers in
Medicine of Southern Nevada, a
non-profit organization that provides medical care and support at
no cost to uninsured and underserved residents of Clark County, which has a population of more
than 2 million people. They have also provided foundational funding
on a Fisher House hotel at the VA Medical Center to serve the
families of Nevada wounded
warriors receiving care at the Veterans Administration Hospital in
Las Vegas.
ABOUT THE WOODROW WILSON CENTER
The Wilson Center
(www.wilsoncenter.org), chartered by Congress as the official
memorial to President Woodrow
Wilson, is the nation's key non-partisan policy forum for
tackling global issues through independent research and open
dialogue to inform actionable ideas for the policy community.
ABOUT MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL
MGM Resorts
International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world's leading global
hospitality companies, operating a portfolio of destination resort
brands including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The
Mirage. The Company opened MGM National Harbor
in Maryland on December 8,
2016, and is in the process of developing MGM Springfield in
Massachusetts. MGM Resorts controls and holds a 76 percent
economic interest in the operating partnership of MGM Growth
Properties LLC (NYSE: MGP), a premier triple-net lease real estate
investment trust engaged in the acquisition, ownership and leasing
of large-scale destination entertainment and leisure resorts. The
Company also owns 56 percent of MGM China Holdings Limited (SEHK:
2282), which owns MGM MACAU and is developing MGM COTAI,
and 50 percent of CityCenter in Las Vegas, which features ARIA
Resort & Casino. MGM Resorts is named among FORTUNE® Magazine's
2016 list of World's Most Admired Companies®. For more information
about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website
at www.mgmresorts.com.
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SOURCE MGM Resorts International