Talbert Swan II, president of the Springfield branch of the NAACP, left, and MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis at a July 2013 vendor fair, co-sponsored by the Springfield Branch of the NAACP at Springfield Technical Community College.
SPRINGFIELD — MGM Springfield has named Bishop Talbert W. Swan II, pastor of Spring of Hope Church of God in Christ and president of the Greater Springfield NAACP; and two of its executives to a community advisory committee.
Swan; Seth Stratton, a city native and vice president and legal counsel at MGM Springfield; and downtown resident Arlen Carballo, director of financial planning and analysis at the casino, are MGM Springfield’s three appointees to the 11-member community advisory committee.
The MGM Springfield Community Advisory Committee — as required under the host community agreement — has members appointed by the casino, mayor, city council, affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, and the Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Commerce.
Swan was vocal in the run-up to MGM Springfield’s opening in August 2018, asking that the casino hire local people of color. The casino in a statement described Swan as a well-respected community leader in Western Massachusetts and strong advocate for community responsibility in the city.
Stratton is on boards for the the Springfield YMCA, World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts, DevelopSpringfield, Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council and the former Springfield Performing Arts Development Corporation. In recognition of his work, Stratton was listed as a member of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty in 2014.
Carballo joined MGM Springfield in 2018 with more than 10 years of experience in the gambling and hospitality industry. She is responsible for the overall strategic direction and management oversight of the nearly $1 billion downtown Springfield resort.