Mary Cheeks credited her parents for teaching her that an obstacle was an opportunity.

“I didn’t have a mentor. My parents always said, ‘Never let anything get in your way,’” said Cheeks, the president of the Jamul Casino in California’s San Diego County.

She was brought in by the Jamul Indian Village in 2018 to help navigate the property through a rebranding and is now overseeing the Jamul tribe’s long-planned expansion that will transform the small casino into a resort by adding a 200-room hotel and additional amenities.

The banks and credit institutions cited Cheeks’ leadership when the $515 million in funding for the project was announced last year.

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