BETHLEHEM, PA. — A gaming executive who has been with the Bethlehem casino since before it opened is stepping away.
Kathy McCracken, executive vice president and general manager of Wind Creek Bethlehem, will retire on Sept. 30, 2023, according to a news release.
- Kathy McCracken is executive vice president and general manager of Wind Creek Bethlehem
- She started her career in gaming in Atlantic City with Sands
- She will retire on Sept. 30, Wind Creek announced
McCracken has been general manager at Wind Creek — the Bethlehem casino's top job — since 2020.
"Her competence and grace, demonstrated through good times and challenging times, have been instrumental to our efforts to grow Wind Creek Bethlehem."Jay Dorris, President and CEO of Wind Creek Hospitality.
Before that she worked for the casino's former owners, Sands, and came to Bethlehem as vice president of casino marketing in 2007 — two years before the entertainment center opened.
“During the short time we have worked with Kathy, she quickly established a well-respected senior presence within Wind Creek Hospitality," said Jay Dorris, president and CEO of Wind Creek Hospitality.
"Her competence and grace, demonstrated through good times and challenging times, have been instrumental to our efforts to grow Wind Creek Bethlehem."
McCracken started her career in gaming in Atlantic City, working 20 years at Sands Atlantic City. In 2000, she then took a position in client services with Bally Technology.
She returned to Sands and came to Bethlehem, becoming among the first casino executives in the Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania. She was promoted to executive vice president of marketing and operations when Wind Creek Hospitality took over the property in May 2019.
She was named executive vice president and general manager of Wind Creek Bethlehem in February 2020.
"She will be missed and we wish her the best of times in her upcoming endeavors,” Dorris said.
Wind Creek Bethlehem recently marked completion of a $160 million upgrade, adding hotel and convention center space.
In a news release announcing McCracken's retirement, the company did not indicate who might be next to take the helm at Wind Creek Bethlehem.