FireKeepers Casino names longtime tribal gaming HR exec as new CEO

FireKeepers Casino names longtime tribal gaming HR exec as new CEO
Frank Tecumseh, CEO of FireKeepers Casino Hotel. (COURTESY PHOTO)

BATTLE CREEK — The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi has selected Frank Tecumseh to serve as the new CEO of its FireKeepers Casino Hotel enterprise. 

For the last eight years, Tecumseh has served as vice president of human resources at FireKeepers. 

A member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Tecumseh has more than 20 years of experience in HR, including a decade-long stint at Prairie Band Casino Resort in Mayetta, Kan. 

“I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to lead this talented team as we continue to innovate and transform within the ever-changing gaming industry,” Tecumseh said in a statement.

Tecumseh also currently serves as board president for Prairie Band Potawatomi Entertainment Corporation, which manages all of the tribe’s gaming operations. Additionally, he’s a board member on the Southwest Michigan Workforce Development Committee and the American Gaming Association’s Responsible Gaming Committee.

“Frank brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership with him to this position,” Jamie Stuck, tribal council chairperson of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi, said in a statement. “He has been instrumental in FireKeepers’ recent achievements and we are confident that with his communication and leadership skills, the team will build upon those successes ensuring that FireKeepers remains the casino, hotel and employer of choice.”

Tecumseh takes over for Kathy George, who resigned in October after serving for five years as CEO of FireKeepers and another five years as general manager and vice president of hotel operations. George left the organization to become president of the Catawba Nation Gaming Authority, which is developing the Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain, N.C. The tribe has operated from a temporary facility since July 2021. 

“I’m excited to become part of a small community again where what we do at the casino makes a difference. I’m very excited to be a part of that. I wish the best to everyone in Michigan and, of course, FireKeepers, but I’m really glad to start this new adventure here with the Catawbas at Two Kings. It’s been very rewarding already,” George said this month in an interview posted on LinkedIn with Casino Update host Tino Magnatta.

At the time of her departure, Stuck praised George for her role in “advancing FireKeepers’ stellar reputation and concentration on customer satisfaction.”

George stepped into the role at Two Kings Casino during an ongoing federal investigation into the Catawba Nation’s management contract with Sky Boat Development LLC. On Dec. 7, the National Indian Gaming Commission issued the tribe and its partners a notice of violation after the investigation “identified multiple violations of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) and NIGC regulations.”