NCRG Elects Alan M. Feldman As Chairman Of The Board
NCRG Board also elects Mark Vander Linden to the board of directors; approves $1.5 million in funding for research grants to study gambling disorders in 2012
Jan 9, 2012
WASHINGTON— The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) today announced Alan M. Feldman, senior vice president of public affairs for MGM Resorts International, has been named the new chairman of the organization’s board of directors. Feldman replaces Glenn C. Christenson. Christenson, managing director of the investment firm Velstand Investments, LLC, who has served as chairman of the board of directors for three years and will remain on the board. The NCRG board also elected Mark Vander Linden, executive officer of the Office of Gambling Treatment and Prevention at the Iowa Department of Public Health, to join as a board member.
“Alan has long been a strong voice in the gaming industry on issues of responsible gaming and finding effective methods for addressing gambling disorders. He has an unwavering commitment to the NCRG,” Christenson said. “I am delighted to remain on the NCRG board to support Alan’s leadership as the NCRG continues to address these issues through peer-reviewed research and public education.”
Feldman has served on the NCRG board since 2000. Throughout his career, he has taken a leadership role on a wide array of industry issues, with a particular focus in areas concerning responsible gaming. In addition to serving on the NCRG board, he is a board member for the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling and has previously served as a member of the Athletes and Addictions Task Force at Harvard University Medical School, Division on Addictions. He has been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2002 Gaming Professional of the Year Award from the Casino Management Association and the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award in Gaming Communications from the American Gaming Association.
“I am honored that the NCRG board has put their confidence in me to follow Glenn Christensen in this capacity. Glenn has done an incredible job of leading the NCRG in creating new initiatives that help to translate the NCRG-funded research findings into practical, real-world applications,” Feldman said.
‘Under his astute leadership, the NCRG has created the NCRG Centers of Excellence in Gambling Research and extraordinary resources such asCollegeGambling.org. I hope to build on this success by expanding our efforts to raise awareness of problem gambling and responsible gaming through the top-notch, peer-reviewed research and public education initiatives that makes the NCRG a leading organization in this field.”
The election of Vander Linden brings an experienced public health perspective to the NCRG board of directors. As executive officer of the Office of Gambling Treatment and Prevention, Vander Linden oversees all problem gambling services for the state including treatment, prevention, workforce development, social marketing and evaluation. Vander Linden is also the board president of the Association of Problem Gambling Service Administrators and holds advisory roles with the Midwest Consortium on Problem Gambling and Substance Abuse and the Prairielands Addiction Transfer Technology Center.
“We are excited to have Mark on the NCRG board, as his experience will lend great insight on the public health perspective of problem gambling,” Feldman said. “He has already been a champion for the NCRG in helping us organize treatment provider workshops and speaking at the NCRG Conference of Gambling and Addiction, and we look forward to working with him more in the coming years.”
The NCRG board of directors also announced it has allocated more than $1.5 million for grants in 2012 to support research on the prevention and treatment of gambling disorders. This is the largest amount of research dollars allotted for research grants in the organization’s 15-year history. Researchers will be able to apply for 2012 research funding opportunities in seven categories, to be announced in January 2012.
The NCRG board of directors includes representatives from the gaming industry and the treatment and regulatory communities. In addition to Feldman, Christenson and Vander Linden, the board includes NCRG President William S. Boyd, executive chairman of Boyd Gaming Corporation; NCRG Treasurer and Secretary Judy L. Patterson, senior vice president and executive director of the American Gaming Association; Sue Cox, founding executive director of the Texas Council on Problem and Compulsive Gambling; Kevin Mullally, general counsel and director of government affairs for Gaming Laboratories International; Phil Satre, chairman of International Game Technology; Jennifer Shatley, vice president of responsible gaming policies and compliance for Caesars Entertainment Corporation; and Bruce Shear, president and CEO of Pioneer Behavioral Health.
To learn more about the NCRG, visitwww.ncrg.org. To stay up-to-date on year-round educational opportunities and the latest news and issues in the field, visit the NCRG’s blog –Gambling Disorders 360°– and connect with the NCRG onFacebookandTwitter.
