Women's History Month was last month. I feel it is an important month to celebrate. If anyone knows me, they know I'm more about Women's Rights than any rights out there. I have a genuine and honest respect for all women of the world. I feel they are misrepresented all the time, they are constantly judged, and we, as a society, do not do enough to show the respect they deserve.
I wanted to contribute something to an important month with the talents I had. I wanted to interview someone, who is an inspiration to women and who understood what it was like to be a woman in a "Man's World". It was no surprise that the first person I thought of, for an important interview celebrating women, was Cami Christensen. Cami is the President and General Manager of Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino! Westgate Las Vegas has approximately 1001-5000 employees, according to Wiza. As an employee of the Westgate Las Vegas, I am proud to have such an inspiring boss.
If anyone knows Cami, she is a delight and makes your day with just a smile. It is never easy being in charge of so many individuals, especially as a woman. In the years, I have known Cami, she has managed to make it look effortless. I was fortunate to sit down with her and discuss the topics of: being a woman in charge, being in charge of a company during pandemic times, and who Cami is, in general. It was an eye-opening experience to have a chance to sit with someone so inspiring. It brings me comfort in knowing that women like her will impact the women of the future. I have nothing but good to say about Cami because that is the type of person/boss she is: Good. I'm honored to have sat down with such a wonderful person and I'm excited to share it all with you!
Please, take a read!
It wasn’t that long ago, in the 1970s when women started vocalizing that they wanted to be more than the occupations that were available for women (Secretaries and Nurses). It wasn’t that long ago that women were thought of as being in charge. There were struggles for women to reach the top. Women have faced a lot of misogyny and bigotry, especially when trying to be “the boss”. Have you ever faced misogyny and how did you deal with it?
The problem that women often face is when they’re passionate, it seems like they’re emotional. And it’s like, “calm down, calm down”. And dealing with that from men has always been a struggle. But I think as I’ve grown, there’s a comfort and a confidence that has grown within me to believe in my passion. And to cut out, and not worry about, “Are people thinking I’m sounding emotional or dramatic?” It’s about starting to own that and then you almost drown out those voices that are trying to pull you down as a human, or as a woman. But that only comes with confidence and owning the role. Saying to yourself, “You know what? Yeah, I belong at the table. I deserve to be here at the table”. You must drown out the voices that exist because if you don’t, they will hold you back. You cannot let them sink in. You need to learn how to see the good people and then surround yourself and make time for them. I see the good people..and that’s why I’ve always been drawn to you (referring to me). I can see the people who are not good for me. Do you think I spend time with them? With them it is a business relationship and that’s how we roll. I have learned to focus on the people and have people around me that I know care about me and always have my best interest in life. That’s why I’m here. It’s not because of me, it’s because of the people around me. The one thing I have done a good job at is finding those people, very quickly, that I know have good hearts and good support. I say to everyone, "You’ve got to surround yourself with people that have good energy. People who have good light". I’m sorry, I went into a lot of different areas. (She laughs)
No, that’s so inspiring. As I’m getting older, I’m realizing I’m no longer the “kid at the table”, I’m now the adult. To hear that is inspiring. (I laugh) As a woman at the top, what is the most challenging thing you have faced, and what is the best thing about it?
I’ll start with the best thing about it. I love the fact now that I get to be a voice, a role model. Not just to women, to anyone. When I was sixteen or seventeen years old, playing basketball, people weren’t like, “Oh, she’s going to do these amazing things someday. She’s going to run a hotel!” That was my best friend! My best friend was a superstar with everything she did! To be able to have an impact on people, we make a joke, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown”. But ultimately, what a gift I’m so grateful for. To be able to walk up to somebody and change their day with a few words. You have to be careful, and maybe this is a hard thing sometimes too… I have to be just as careful. My words can crush somebody if I’m not careful. That’s sometimes the hardest part. I have to be mindful of what my role represents and who I represent. That’s the best part, and that is sometimes the hardest part too.
I bet! I wouldn’t want to be around you when you’re mad! (I laugh)
I had to learn that I can really hurt people with my words. And being a woman, too—sometimes I think, men can act this way and they get away with it. But all of a sudden, "Oh, Cami, you went too far," it’s a balance I had to learn to adjust to.
Have you ever faced that kind of misogyny before and how do you combat it?
Kind of going back, again, it’s passion versus emotion. I haven’t always been great at this… I don’t deal well with the “calm down lady” sort of thing. That just happened recently to me, Adam! I was on a Zoom call, and I was very passionate.
I always hate the “calm down” or when a woman is called, “ma’am”.
Yeah, right?! Again, they (going back to her zoom call) mistook my “passion” for being emotional. I’m in a position now. I’m not going to accept that anymore, from anyone again. Male or female. I was frustrated, but I tell you what it taught me to do… It made me sit in my office. I had a very tough afternoon and I thought about the years of acceptance of that because I have been in such a man’s world. When I was younger, I didn’t have the position to have a voice. I made a pact with myself that day that I will do everything I can to make sure that others, male or female, do not feel that way. I will not put them in situations that I have been put in. So, if I can help more—not just women, there’s been men out there too that been put down because of certain ways they act or certain things they say, whatever—I want to help those people learn that they have a voice. They do not have to deal with these types of behavior. I will do it because I didn’t always have someone in my life saying, “Don’t accept that! That’s bad behavior” because it’s been accepted for so long. If I see men treating a woman or anyone a certain way, I am going to talk with them about it and call it out. I really have been thinking about how I can help more people learn to not accept inappropriate behavior. I want to help them find their voice and find their strength.
It’s hard because I think most of us don’t know our voice, so to find our voice is harder… It goes back to that expression, “leave the world better than when you entered it”. Do you agree with that expression?
100%. You know what, you said, “find your voice”. I haven’t had my voice. I haven’t owned my voice. It took this long in my life to really find it. You know, they say, “As you get older, you find it”? But when you find it, you have to make sure you go back. You have got to go back and help others. Then set it up so others don’t have to. As long as I’m on this property, if there’s another woman or anyone on this property who ever has to deal with people behaving improperly, I will fight like hell to make sure that person is no longer on this property. We actually did make some changes because we’re not going to accept this behavior. I feel very strongly about this.
Voices are harder because when you find your voice, you have to constantly find it. Keep finding it and keep it in check so you know where you’re at. And then you’re constantly changing it along the way. So, if you can find a voice, it’s better.
And you may wobble on that voice but, like you said, you lose it a little bit and then you say to yourself, “No, this is who I represent. This is who I am.”
To be in your position and to help others, it’s very inspiring.
On my watch, I want to make sure that no one, not just women, are accepting things that maybe have happened over the past years. And so much has changed in the past years, let’s be honest. It turns out that the #MeToo movement has been a very enlightening time for all of us because it has called out bad behavior and given more people the strength to come forward. That changed the world for women.
And even then, they’re still trying to find a voice.
At least it finally happened, and people are being called out for behaviors.
It’s happening everywhere. I remember being in the theater. I had this director that would just yell at you and now I have learned, it’s not okay. There shouldn’t be people like that. That shouldn’t be accepted. I could talk to you about this all day, but let’s keep going! (We laugh) Do you think we’ll ever get to a point where men and women will be treated equally?
Equality, to me, is an issue for everybody… It’s not just men and women… Equality–I don’t–(She paused) I would love to say the world, all people, will be equal someday. But I don’t think it’s ever going to happen, and it makes me sad. It’s a problem. It’s an issue for everyone. It’s an issue. I would love to say, in my lifetime, people are all going to get treated equally– but it’s not going to happen because of how the world is made up…
I have a lot of respect for that answer… You could’ve sugarcoated the whole thing. It’s sad.
It’s the truth…
I appreciate that answer. If you had a chance to talk to women in the workplace, in all positions, what advice would you give them?
A couple of things I would say… Don’t let anyone set your expectations because we can be held back by what others believe we can do. The other thing that I learned is to surround yourself with the best people you possibly can. That is the most important aspect. I find in my personal life and professional life, that you should surround yourself with the people you trust the most, that are better than you, smarter than you. You can’t know it all. So, surround yourself with the best people that you can possibly get, and don’t be scared of people that may be better than you at something, and smarter than you, embrace those people!
You need those people. (I laugh) I would love to talk to you about being a boss during COVID because we got to have this conversation-
Yes!
Two years ago, we had the shutdown… We made it through the pandemic. What was it like being in charge of an industry that had to literally just stop everything and then once we did open again, we had to slowly gain the momentum that we had before COVID– What was that like, but also, now that the mandates have been lifted and things seem to be going back to normal, what’s next?
It was the worst of times (speaking of COVID), and at some points, it was the best of times because there were times when we had to sit and think about what’s really important in life. We kind of were able to get back to what’s meaningful. What really matters… I think the further I get away from COVID, I’ll see more about what an incredible learning period it was. To lead through that period, every day I doubted myself. We always have solutions for everything, we’ve done it before. But with this, we didn’t have a solution. So, every day was something new to pivot on. I think coming out of it has been amazing to me how quickly things are turning around. The property was on such a great trajectory before COVID, we were going places. We were moving and then it all stopped. It has fired up again so quickly and we are moving again. I was excited to walk around the property the other day. I think we’re going even faster! I think the property, within the next six months to a year with the renovations going on in the east tower, is going to be back on that same trajectory we were on before COVID. It has recharged me! I always thought, “Oh, I need a little break after COVID” and now I’m like, “What?! No, there’s no break after COVID!” (We laugh) It’s happening. We’re firing all back up again!
You mentioned this before, you’re never stopping. Something that we’re starting to see more and more is people are now standing up and being vocal about companies not treating them right or making them feel worthless in the eyes of their employers. We’re seeing it more and more. Big companies are starting to shut down locations, small businesses have closed because they can’t afford to pay their workers, or they weren’t treating them fairly. I’ve even struggled with this and that’s why I feel it was important to talk to you because you have inspired me, with every conversation we’ve had recently and even now. I don’t think a lot of people feel appreciated. So, if there is anybody on this property that feels that way, what would you say to them?
Like I have always said and always will: Let’s talk. Let me understand what’s going on. Let me understand why you don’t feel appreciated. Tell me what we need to do to make your experience here better or what we need to do to help your feel better about yourself. That’s what I’ve done, over and over again. It’s different for everyone. What’s happening at home, maybe they’re losing their apartment because they can’t pay their rent that has gone up– They don’t come in and say, “Hey, I’ve got a problem”. If you’re struggling in your job, we need to know what’s going on with them and how can I help– How can we help? It’s not just me. How can we help? How can we make it better here? I always want to know what we can do to make it better. I care most, and I always will, about the team members. Without the team members, forget it. None of us can be here. And if those team members aren’t happy and they don’t want to be part of being on the team, forget it. And that’s the one thing about our property that sets us apart. I know because I read it on TripAdvisor– I read it on everything– our team members are the kindest, the friendliest, the most engaging. You read it over and over again. We’re not a brand new building but we have team members that love and care. Long story short, let’s talk. (We laugh) We’re one team, one family.
This is a question I’m curious about… Is there a difference between Cami the boss and Cami outside of work? Or are they the same? But if there is a difference, is it hard to transition them “on and off”?
So, I have put a lot of thought into this question because I never really thought about “Am I the same person, in and out of work?”, and I think I’m pretty much the same person. I think what’s different about me at work is that I have a filter. I’m a little goofier outside of work. I throw on my baseball hats and flip-flops, I’m not always running around in high heels and my “hair did.” (I laugh) But I think I’m kind of the same. My parents will jokingly say, “Oh, you’re not in control of this right now”. When we’re going to dinner and they don’t come up with an answer, I’m like, “Okay, we’re going to this, this, and this!” and my parents will say, “No, you’re not in charge”. (I laugh) I think I’m a pretty similar person with different filters, obviously, from when I’m hanging out with my family and friends versus here (at Westgate). I’m very private about my personal life. And I have been for almost my entire life. I guard my personal life because it’s the one thing that only mine. So, here I’m very guarded with my private life.
You kind of have to be because, for some people, it’s like ammo. That personal life you hold dear and when someone uses it towards you–it’s hurtful.
Exactly.
So, I read in an article from the Las Vegas Weekly in 2017 that, I didn’t even know this about you, that you helped with the renovations of that. What role did you play in initiating that and are there future renovation plans that you have for the future?
When Westgate bought the property in 2014, the property was really in need of significant investment. When we started renovations, as the work went on they started to notice I had a little bit of an eye for detail and design. So, when the north tower needed to be redone they were like, “Work with our designers to put something together”, I asked, “Would you be okay if I put a palette together for the north tower renovations?” There were 900 rooms over there. They were like, “Yeah, okay,” and they loved what I did. I didn’t know I was a designer. (We laugh) I’m not very good in my own house. (She laughs) Yeah, it was a great moment and after that, they were like, “Ask Cami what color she wants to paint that wall or this or that!” Now for the next renovations, the great exciting thing is that we’re doing these 530 rooms in the east tower. Since that time in 2017, they have built an entire design team. So, the new rooms that are being designed, are being designed professionally! (She laughs) It’s beautiful! I can’t wait to show you guys what’s coming out and how beautiful they are. We have some renderings–they’re exciting! They keep me very involved with it!
Well, no matter if there’s a great design team, your creative side will still come out!
Yeah! I really enjoy that part, the creativity.
Where can people follow the Westgate? Are there any events, coming up, that you’d like to announce?
(VP of Public Relations & Community Affairs, Gordon Prouty, helped answer this question)
He says: You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Westgate Resorts is the main website. But if you go to Westgate Las Vegas, that gets you to the website of Westgate in Las Vegas. There are ongoing shows in the Cabaret theater. The four shows we have here are all in the top 10 on TripAdvisor(Referring to Soul of Motown, The Magic with Jen Kramer, The Bronx Wanderers, and Barry Manilow). That’s a pretty rare occurrence. Soul of Motown is the top-rated concert in Las Vegas. And Barry Manilow is back in April as well! We have, within 40 feet of each other, 3 of the top 5 restaurants in Las Vegas (Referring to Edge Steakhouse, Fresco Italiano, and Benihana). We have the World’s Largest Race and Sports Book. We also have the convenience of the Monorails if you don’t want to spend your whole time at our casino. (I laugh)
Back to Cami: He’s our walking advertisement! (We laugh) It goes back to the point of what I said earlier: Have people around you that can handle anything!
Now we’re going to talk about Cami… Who were the female role models that you grew up with?
I had a lot! I was raised with very strong women! Both my grandmothers were strong and smart. My grandmother wrote for a newspaper, had awards for articles. She was brilliant! My other grandmother was a strong Danish and hardworking. My mom. My mom is the strongest woman I know! She’s always so supportive. So, I grew up with that. And my best friend’s mom, too. I have such strong women around me. As far as in this business, Diana Bennett. She has been a pioneer for women in our industry, for many years! She is my, for this industry, my role model! She is just classy, strong, smart, a philanthropist. She is just everything; just a real human being. I have been really blessed with strong women in my life and that has been a gift.
That’s always rewarding.
I also have a wonderful dad! My dad is the ‘work hard, and be good to people’ person, whereas my mom is ‘don’t take any crap from anybody, and you go out and do this’. (We laugh) Yeah, I have been very blessed.
It’s always great to have awesome parents.
Yeah!
When you’re not working, what do you like to do?
If I can travel, I’m happiest when I can get on a plane for twelve hours and land somewhere, in a different country.
If you were to give yourself, Cami, three adjectives to describe yourself– What would they be and why?
Okay… (She thinks for a moment) Well, the first one is easy. The last two are hard. The first one is easy: Caring. I think I’m just for people. I care passionately for people. I care about the property. I care. The second: Passionate. When I’m passionate about something– watch out. The tenacity that goes with my passion can be intense! If people come against what I’m passionate about, I can be really intense. I will say that. (We laugh) The third one… Gordy and I talk about this all the time, I think I’m funny! I think I’m really funny! (We laugh) But people argue with me and say, “You’re really not that funny!” But I think I am.
You have your own sense of humor!
I do! But that's kind of a joking one. I do think hardworking is another part of who I am.
But you know I won’t count that! You said “funny”, so I’m sticking with funny, because if you feel that way– it’s not about what other people are saying, it’s about how you feel!
When I tell people “I’m funny” and when people say, “No, you’re not,” I like to tell them, “I’m more funny!” But I think my quick-wit is funny. I think that is part of who I am. My parents taught me to find humor in everything. Even in the worst situations, find humor. I think that has helped me so much through challenging times. You can find humor in just about everything.
To be honest, I thought I would never have a chance to interview someone so important and so inspiring to women everywhere. Luckily, my colleagues convinced to just ask Cami for this interview and to my surprise, she said yes. I already admired Cami but getting to interview someone in her position was a dream. That's the kind of person Cami is. She is in charge of a whole company on the Las Vegas strip, but she will always give her employees and guests the time of day. No matter who you are, Cami will take the time, out of her busy schedule, to make sure your voice is heard. It is rare when you get that from anyone, let alone the boss. Women like Cami have always struggled to make their voices heard. It is still a problem today. But with people like Cami around, it makes me feel like we're at a turning point in history. It's okay to let your voice be heard, even if you're the only one speaking. It's okay.
Thank you, Cami, for taking the time to speak to me. Thank you for taking the time to speak to all women, and men, everywhere! I know I said it during the interview and I'll say it again: You are an inspiration for anyone to thrive in the work place and showing that women have a place at "the table" too!
Thank you Gina Dawson and Jeffrey Gonzalez, for believing in me and giving me the confidence to ask Cami for this inspirational interview.
Also, thank you Gordon Prouty and Ericka Alvarez, for making this interview possible!
If you or someone you know have a story that you would like to share, please contact me. This is all experience for me. I would love to share any and all stories I can!
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