Las Vegas: Palms General Manager Cynthia Kiser Murphey to step down after three years in the role

Gaming industry veteran Cynthia Kiser Murphey, General Manager at off-Strip casino-resort Palms, is stepping down three years after she assumed her position. She is resigning as she wishes to spend time with her family out of state, Kiser Murphey said on Thursday. Her last day in the role is June 30th.

“I’m super proud of how this team has really launched this property and turned the property from being closed for two years and opening it. I’m profoundly proud of the level of hospitality,” Kiser Murphey told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I really believe the Palms is going to get more and more successful in the future. My leaving has to do with what I want to do with my time, and I need to go do some other things.”

“I’m not retiring,” Kiser Murphey clarified. “I have a lot of opportunities to do some projects, but I want to wait. I think I’m going to take a minute to figure it out.”

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, operators of the Yamaava’ resort-casino in Southern California, took over the Palms in 2021 from Red Rock Resorts for $650 million, becoming the first Native American casino owners and operators in Las Vegas. 

The 22-year-old resort reopened to the public in April 2022 after two years of being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and less than a year after the deal was first announced. Kiser Murphey was the first executive to be named in the Palms’ leadership group in September of 2021.

Before Kiser Murphey took on as the General Manager of Palms in 2021, she was the President and Chief Operating Officer of New York-New York between 2008 and 2020. Kiser Murphey worked MGM Resorts International for nearly two decades under various leadership roles, including Senior Vice President of MGM Mirage Human Resources.

She became Chief Executive Officer at a large benefits fund after leaving MGM. An alumna of the University of Nevada Las Vegas’ hospitality program, she was also previously an adjunct professor.

Leaders with the San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority, the tribal entity that owns the Palms, are yet to announce who will lead the property in the interim.

“We are grateful to Cynthia for the leadership and enthusiasm she provided to reopening this iconic property,” Chairperson Latisha Prieto said in a statement. “She inspired our team members to service excellence and made history with the San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority. She is a role model for women in leadership and exemplified our vision for what women can accomplish in this industry.”