LANSING — Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the appointment of Henry L. Williams, Jr. as executive director of the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

“The mission of the Gaming Control Board is to ensure the conduct of fair, honest gaming,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “With the nomination of Henry Williams, I am confident that the board will continue protecting and advancing the interests of Michiganders and the state.”

Henry L. Williams, Jr. currently serves as the deputy director of the casino operations division for the Michigan Gaming Control Board. In his role, he provides oversight of the Enforcement Section, Employee Licensing, Gaming Lab, and the Disassociated Persons program. Williams has worked for the board since 2001, previously serving as a regulation and enforcement officer, regulation manager of the employee licensing section, and then acting deputy director before becoming deputy director of the casino operations division. Prior to his time with the MGCB, Williams was a social worker and served in various positions within state government as a juvenile justice worker, family independence specialist, protective services worker, and probation officer.

Williams is the board president for the Detroit Recovery Project, Inc. and a long-time participant of the Adopt-A-Child Program. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Marygrove College. Henry lives in Detroit with his wife Juvette and their daughter.

“This appointment affirms my life lessons to my daughter — what hard work, dedication, commitment, and treating people fairly with dignity can do,” said Williams. “I will be able to continue serving the citizens of the great State of Michigan as I have done over the past 24-years with pride and sincere joy.”

Williams is appointed for a six-year term which will commence after the approval of the Senate by a record roll call vote. He succeeds Richard Kalm who has served as the Executive Director of the MGCB since 2007, first appointed by Governor Granholm and then reappointed by Governor Snyder in 2013.

“I have worked closely with Henry for 14 years and promoted him to his current MGCB position as deputy director,” said Richard S. Kalm, MGCB executive director. “I believe Gov. Whitmer has made a good choice in appointing Henry to be the next executive director of the Michigan Gaming Control Board.”

“Mr. Williams is the consummate professional; he treats everyone with respect and courtesy regardless of position, both at the casinos and with his colleagues at the MGCB. We know Mr. Williams to be fair, respectful, and honest, with his primary mission being preserving and protecting the integrity of gaming in Michigan,” said Bruce Dall the President of Motor City Casino, John Drake the Vice President and General Manager of Greektown Casino, and David Tsai the President and COO of MGM Grand Casino. “In our view, there is no person more qualified than Mr. Williams to take the helm of the MGCB at this time. His decades of experience, and his understanding of both the casino industry and agency that regulates us are simply unique.”

The Michigan Gaming Control Board shall ensure the conduct of fair and honest gaming to protect the interests of the citizens of the state of Michigan. It provides Detroit commercial casinos gaming operations licensing and regulation, licenses and regulates online gaming and sports betting operators, platform providers and suppliers, regulates pari-mutuel horse racing and casino-style charitable gaming, and audits tribal gaming compact agreement compliance. The executive director performs duties assigned by the five-member board related to the regulation of three casinos in Detroit and supervises the employees of the board.