About
EBCI Holdings was established in late 2020 to diversify the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians economy, by pursuing opportunities in the commercial gaming and hospitality industry.
Board of Directors & Officers
EBCI Holdings is structured to be independent and autonomous from EBCI’s Tribal Government. The Directors have fiscal & fiduciary oversight of the entity. The Officers are responsible for creating short-term and long-term vision of the company, developing strategic goals and objectives, and providing oversight of the portfolio’s operating businesses. Each of the Directors and Officers of EBCI Holdings brings several years of commercial and tribal gaming experience, along with extensive industry relationships.
The Board functions with three committees.
Compliance & Audit
Finance & Strategy
HR/Nominating/Compensation
R. Scott Barber
Chief Executive Officer, Officer of EBCI HOLDINGS LLC
Scott Barber is a 30+ year gaming industry veteran, spending the initial eight years of his career in Las Vegas with Las Vegas Sands, MGM-Primm and a start-up gaming company. Scott traveled across the country for over twenty-one years in various leadership roles with Caesars Entertainment. He most recently served as Regional President of Caesars Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic regions, overseeing the Horseshoe Tunica and Tunica Roadhouse properties in Mississippi, Harrah’s Cherokee Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River properties in North Carolina, Harrah’s Kansas City in Missouri, Harrah’s Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, and Horseshoe Baltimore in Maryland.
Scott is involved with several local non-profit organizations including: the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and United Way. Scott served as the Chairman of the Mississippi Casino Operators Association and as Chairman of Tunica Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl (past President & Chairman), and the United Way Mid-South, where he was also a Division Chairman.
Scott holds a Master of Business Administration from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, a Bachelor of Science in Business / Hotel Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Scott also holds an Associate of Arts degree in Hotel Administration from Paul Smith’s College in Paul Smiths, New York.
A native of New York, Scott resides in Germantown, Tennessee, with his wife and two children.
Adele Jacobs-Madden
Chief Financial Officer, Officer of EBCI Holdings LLC Regional Vice President of Finance and Hospitality for Harrah’s Cherokee Casino
Adele is a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). Adele is the CFO for EBCI Holdings LLC, an entity formed in 2020 by the EBCI to focus on commercial gaming and hospitality. Prior to joining EBCI Holdings LLC, she worked for Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise (TCGE) at the Harrah’s Cherokee properties. She started her career at TCGE in early 1999 as a staff accountant and worked in various positions including, Casino Controller, P&A Manager, Director of Finance and ended her career as the Regional Vice President of Finance and Hospitality.
Adele is a CPA licensed in North Carolina and graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
Thomas M. Jenkin
Director & Chairman of Board, EBCI Holdings LLC Former Global President of Caesars
Tom Jenkin was Global President of Caesars Entertainment Corporation from May 2013 to July 2020. Prior to his most recent role, he served as President of Operations from November 2011 to May 2013. He served as Western Division President from January 2004 through November 2011. Mr. Jenkin joined Caesars in 1975 as a fry cook at Harrah’s Las Vegas. In 1993, he was promoted to Senior Vice President and General Manager of Harrah’s Laughlin, and five years later was named Senior Vice President and General Manager of Harrah’s Las Vegas. Mr. Jenkin assumed oversight of the Rio and Harrah’s Laughlin in 2001 and 2002, respectively, before being named Western Division President in 2004.
Mr. Jenkin has served two terms as President of the Laughlin, Nevada, Chamber of Commerce and also has served on the executive boards of the United Way of the Colorado River, the Mohave County Airport Authority, the Clark County Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Laughlin Tourism Committee. In 1996, he was named Laughlin’s Citizen of the Year. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Nevada Resort Association; the Board of Directors for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority; the Board of Directors for Las Vegas Events; the Board of Directors for Great Canadian Gaming Company; the Board of Directors for Venetian Las Vegas; the Board of Advisors for the Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow; and on the Opportunity Village Foundation Board.
Edwin Ray Rose
Director & Vice-Chairman of Board, EBCI Holdings LLC Harrah’s Cherokee Casino
During his approximately twenty years working in EBCI’s gaming operation, Ray Rose served as Regional Vice President of Resort Operations, Tribal Casino Board of Advisors Board Member, and Board Chairman. He served in numerous capacities including Master Plan Development, Project Management, and Vice President of Hospitality.
In addition to gaming operational experience, Mr. Rose’s project expertise and experience includes a wide variety of project types, delivery methods, and values ranging from a few thousands of dollars to in excess of $500 million.
Outside of the gaming industry Mr. Rose has been involved in Tribal Broadband System development, Tribal Hospital Project initiation, and several other initiatives and committees. He currently serves on the Sequoyah Fund CDFI Board.
Mr. Rose is proud to be a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and a retired United States Navy veteran. Mr. Rose currently resides on EBCI tribal lands as he has for most of his life. He holds a B.S.B.A Degree from Montreat College.
Elizabeth Cronan
Director, EBCI Holdings LLC (Chair of Compliance & Audit Committee) VP Government Relations, GeoComply
Elizabeth Cronan serves as Vice President of Government Relations for GeoComply, where she leads federal regulatory, policy and advocacy initiatives focused on driving awareness of the value of authentic geolocation for strengthening AML/KYC and sanctions compliance as well as fraud prevention and digital identity.
In July 2021 she was elected to the North America Board of the Merchant Risk Council (MRC), which is a non-profit organization encompassing a membership network of over 500 companies focused on fraud prevention, payments optimization and risk management.
Prior to joining GeoComply, Elizabeth served as the Senior Director of Gaming Policy for the American Gaming Association (AGA), where she led the AGA’s policy and regulatory affairs agenda with a focus on AML / BSA and sanctions compliance matters as well as responsible gaming and corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Elizabeth also previously served as the Director of Global Government Relations and Public Affairs at International Game Technology (IGT) where she led state and federal government relations and regulatory affairs initiatives focused on the expansion of internet and mobile gaming. Prior to joining IGT, Elizabeth was head of the U.S. Legal and Research Division for Gambling Compliance, a business intelligence provider based in London and Washington, D.C. While at Gambling Compliance, she was charged with establishing the company’s D.C. office and was a member of the company’s executive management team.
Elizabeth is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict – St. John’s University and William Mitchell College of Law (now Hamline Mitchell) and was admitted to the Minnesota Bar in 2008. She resides in Washington D.C. with her husband and two children.
Cory M. Blankenship
Director, EBCI Holdings LLC (Chair of Finance & Strategy Committee) Secretary of Treasury, ECBI
Cory is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and resides with his family on the Cherokee Indian Reservation, North Carolina. Cory is an experienced executive skilled in strategic planning, budgets, business planning, governmental affairs, and organizational development. He earned a bachelor’s degree at North Carolina State University in Political Science where he was awarded a Park Scholarship, the university’s highest academic honor. He later earned master’s degrees in public Affairs and Federal Indian Law from Western Carolina University and the University of Tulsa College of Law respectively. Cory has served in senior leadership positions for over a decade and most recently as the Secretary of Treasury for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Cory and his wife, Jade, reside in the Big Cove Community of the Cherokee Indian Reservation with their five sons.
David J. Satz
Director, EBCI Holdings LLC (Chair of HR/Nominating/Compensation Committee) Former SVP of Government Relations & Development for Caesars
David Satz oversaw all state and federal offensive and defensive government relations activities for Caesars that enhanced and protected its business lines for more than 52 properties in 15 States from the period 2002 to 2019. Satz was influential in rolling out the groundwork for mobile gaming, social games and sports betting in the US working with the interactive team. Satz was also intricately involved with the proliferation of casino gaming across the US and the development activities of Caesars/Harrah’s in domestic and international jurisdictions. As part of these activities, he oversaw governmental activities before all state legislatures, the US Congress and other governmental bodies.
He previously spent 16 years at the US law firm Saiber Schlesinger Satz Goldstein LLC, where he had a particular focus on the gaming industry and played a key role in numerous regulatory and legislative initiatives throughout the US. David has a degree in Economics and Political Science from Ithaca College and a law degree from Seton Hall University. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for Entain plc and Dreamscape Entertainment Integrated Resorts, Inc.
David lives with his wife Hallie in Northern New Jersey and has two grown children.
