McKee nominates Bally's DEI executive to join R.I. Commerce board
Gov. Dan McKee is betting on a top executive at Bally's Corp. to help steer the state's quasi-public economic development agency.
McKee announced his nomination Wednesday of Tracey Wiley, executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Bally's, to the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation board of directors. If approved by the Rhode Island Senate, Wiley will replace board member Dave Chenevert, whose three-year term expired in February. State law allows appointed members of boards and commissions to continue serving beyond the expiration of their terms until a replacement is named.
'Tracey brings a track record of business acumen and experience that speaks for itself,' McKee said in a statement. 'Her background as an entrepreneur and champion of small businesses offers a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Commerce Corporation Board. I look forward to working with her to make our state a more prosperous place for residents, workers, and our economy.'
As part of the 12-member Commerce board of directors, Wiley will help decide how the agency awards its tax credits and economic incentives for small and large businesses, along with marketing initiatives and a student loan repayment program for graduates who work in in-demand fields. McKee also serves as an ex-officio member of the board, only voting to break a tie. For example, in 2022, McKee cast the tie-breaking vote to redirect state tax dollars to help pay for the development of the Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket.
Wiley in a statement addressed the importance of entrepreneurship and 'diversity of thought.'
'Both our small and large businesses, drawn from all corners of our communities, stand as a testament to this, acting together as the driving force behind economic strength and continued growth,' Wiley said. 'I am deeply honored by this appointment from Governor McKee to the Commerce Board and am committed to championing the spirit of inclusivity and collaboration, as we forge a future of shared prosperity.'
Wiley joined Bally's as a consultant in 2021 and the following year assumed a permanent role leading DEI for the company's 19 casinos and resorts, including in Tiverton and Lincoln, according to her resume obtained by Rhode Island Current. Prior to that, Wiley worked for six years for the state of Virginia, heading its newly created Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity. Under her direction, the state agency grew its share of contracts awarded to women and minority-owned businesses, and oversaw the distribution of $100 million in federal pandemic grants to 3,000 small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wiley also started her own company, Rainmaker Industries Group LLC, in 2021, which she continues to lead today as 'chief experience officer,' according to her LinkedIn page. Her resume describes the LLC as a consultancy of 'a collection of her work to leverage relationships for the sole purpose of elevating communities of color and creating access to models that build generational wealth for a diverse people.'
A community activist and 25-year survivor of multiple sclerosis, Wiley serves as chairwoman of the board of trustees for the Virginia and West Virginia chapters of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. She also serves on the board for professional NBA and WNBA teams, the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, and formerly headed the board of directors for Boston-based former nonprofit Interise, which helps disadvantaged and low-income businesses.
She earned a bachelor's degree in speech communications from Old Dominion University.
Wiley was also nominated by McKee on April 11 to join the Governor's Workforce Board. The Rhode Island Senate voted to confirm that appointment on May 8.
The Senate has not yet scheduled a vote on Wiley's nomination to Commerce, Greg Pare, a Senate spokesperson said Wednesday.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Last chance to apply for $250 million Bally's Chicago IPO ends Monday
It's the last call for the Bally's Chicago $250 million initial public offering. Bally's Chicago will close its online portal Monday at noon, ending the opportunity for potential investors to indicate interest in the offering and perhaps own a piece of the city's first casino. All investment accounts must be funded before Tuesday at 4 p.m., with Bally's Chicago allocating shares in the IPO by Thursday, according to an email sent to potential investors. The Bally's Chicago IPO and concurrent private placement is scheduled to close on Friday, the company said. It has been a long road for the IPO, which has navigated lawsuits and regulatory delays since launching in January. It was refiled for a second time July 15 with the Securities and Exchange Commission to update the company's financials during the eight-month process. The $250 million IPO was initially an exclusive opportunity for women and minorities to buy a 25% equity stake in the casino, looking to fulfill a commitment to the city and raise money for the construction of its planned $1.7 billion entertainment complex in River West. In April, Bally's refiled and expanded the IPO to include any potential investors, with 'preferential allocations' to Chicago and Illinois residents. The elimination of the minority requirements in the IPO came as Bally's and the city faced two lawsuits in Chicago federal court alleging the investment opportunity discriminated against white men. Both lawsuits were settled, according to court filings. The IPO creates 10,000 Class A shares featuring four classes of stock ranging from $250 to $25,000, supplemented by loans from Bally's Chicago to enable 'underrepresented communities' to participate. Chicago-based Loop Capital Markets serves as the lead placement agent for the IPO. In May 2022, Rhode Island-based Bally's was selected by the city to build the Chicago casino with a proposal that includes an exhibition hall, a 500-room hotel, a 3,000-seat theater, 10 restaurants and 4,000 gaming positions at the 30-acre site of the former Chicago Tribune printing plant. Bally's Chicago has been operating a temporary casino at Medinah Temple in River North since September 2023. While there have been some construction delays, including a demolition stoppage by the city in December after a debris spill in the Chicago River, and an Illinois Gaming Board-imposed work stoppage in May over the use of unauthorized waste hauler with alleged ties to organized crime, Bally's has begun erecting the steel and concrete casino complex, which remains on target for a September 2026 opening, the company said. rchannick@
Business Insider
6 hours ago
- Business Insider
Target salaries revealed: How much the retailer pays software engineers and other tech workers
Target is continuing to invest in its tech workforce as it tries to recapture the success it saw a few years ago. EVP and operating chief Michael Fiddelke told investors in May that harnessing tech and AI would be critical to his work in the company's newly formed office that aims to accelerate its growth plan. The Bullseye retailer has long brought a tech-savviness to its business that has set it apart from most other retailers: it first launched its e-commerce website in 1999, and its early engagement with mobile pickup and delivery services gave Target a massive lift during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the company employs a large tech team behind its increasingly complex business of physical stores, e-commerce business, retail media, and more. And it pays well, salary data suggests. Company filings with the US Department of Labor show Target sought to hire around 94 workers through the US H-1B visa program in the first half of this reporting year, largely in software development, information systems, and data science. That number is up substantially from about 49 for the same period the years before, but roughly in line with the 98 records from two years ago. By comparison, big-box rival Walmart has about four times as many US employees and requested visas for 1,750 workers. Companies are required to submit this work visa data, which includes salary information, to the US Department of Labor for all foreign hires. However, the compensation figures don't include equity or other benefits that employees can receive in addition to their base pay. The filings also include industry average pay rates for US workers. Business Insider analyzed how much money companies from Apple to Walmart are paying for tech jobs and other roles. Explore salary data from America's biggest employers. Target has about 440,000 full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees. Its starting wage for US hourly workers is $15 to $24. A Target spokesperson told Business Insider the company also offers retirement fund matching and a range of other benefits such as employee discounts. The vast majority of the 10,777 jobs listed on Target's careers website at the time of this writing were for positions in the company's fleet of 1,978 stores. Within the 230 corporate openings, 139 were for the company's offices in India, and the rest were based in the US headquarters in Minnesota. The job listings included salary ranges. Here's a deeper look at some of the roles Target disclosed for tech workers: Software engineers can earn up to $353,000 Senior Engineer: $103,605 to $184,700 Principal Engineer: $122,741 to $353,000 Data scientists can make more than $122,000 Senior Data Scientist: $122,637 to $184,700 Lead Data Analyst: $139,298 to $200,200 Principal Data Scientist: $211,536 to $347,600 Director-level roles can bring in over $206,000 Director Engineering: $206,398 to $289,700 Director Tech: $206,398 to $289,700 Principal Technical Program Manager: $251,576 to $311,900
Business Insider
6 hours ago
- Business Insider
Target salaries revealed: How much the retailer pays software engineers and other tech workers
EVP and operating chief Michael Fiddelke told investors in May that harnessing tech and AI would be critical to his work in the company's newly formed office that aims to accelerate its growth plan. The Bullseye retailer has long brought a tech-savviness to its business that has set it apart from most other retailers: it first launched its e-commerce website in 1999, and its early engagement with mobile pickup and delivery services gave Target a massive lift during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the company employs a large tech team behind its increasingly complex business of physical stores, e-commerce business, retail media, and more. And it pays well, salary data suggests. Company filings with the US Department of Labor show Target sought to hire around 94 workers through the US H-1B visa program in the first half of this reporting year, largely in software development, information systems, and data science. That number is up substantially from about 49 for the same period the years before, but roughly in line with the 98 records from two years ago. By comparison, big-box rival Walmart has about four times as many US employees and requested visas for 1,750 workers. Companies are required to submit this work visa data, which includes salary information, to the US Department of Labor for all foreign hires. However, the compensation figures don't include equity or other benefits that employees can receive in addition to their base pay. The filings also include industry average pay rates for US workers. Business Insider analyzed how much money companies from Apple to Walmart are paying for tech jobs and other roles. Explore salary data from America's biggest employers. Target has about 440,000 full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees. Its starting wage for US hourly workers is $15 to $24. A Target spokesperson told Business Insider the company also offers retirement fund matching and a range of other benefits such as employee discounts. The vast majority of the 10,777 jobs listed on Target's careers website at the time of this writing were for positions in the company's fleet of 1,978 stores. Within the 230 corporate openings, 139 were for the company's offices in India, and the rest were based in the US headquarters in Minnesota. The job listings included salary ranges. Here's a deeper look at some of the roles Target disclosed for tech workers: Software engineers can earn up to $353,000 Senior Engineer: $103,605 to $184,700 Lead Engineer: $136,926 to $240,200 Principal Engineer: $122,741 to $353,000 Data scientists can make more than $122,000 Senior Data Scientist: $122,637 to $184,700 Lead Data Analyst: $139,298 to $200,200 Lead Data Scientist: $128,000 to $273,500 Principal Data Scientist: $211,536 to $347,600 Director-level roles can bring in over $206,000 Director Engineering: $206,398 to $289,700
