TUCSON, AZ, November 2, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Lawrence D. Leon has been recognized for achievement in casino and entertainment services.

Mr. Leon currently serves as the guest service program manager at Desert Diamond Casinos and Entertainment in Tucson, Arizona, a role he has held since 2012. In this capacity, Mr. Leon has spearheaded numerous initiatives to enhance both guest experience and employee engagement. He established the guest survey program, enabling guests to provide feedback through after-visit surveys and QR codes, and developed analytics to monitor guest sentiments and comments. Responding to guest concerns, he created service recovery guidelines to address negative experiences effectively. Mr. Leon also launched an evaluation program involving service evaluators and secret shoppers, using their assessments as diagnostic tools for continuous improvement.

To further support employee morale and retention, Mr. Leon introduced an employee rewards and recognition program in 2022 with assistance from a partner organization. He implemented employee engagement surveys, tracking results by property and department, and discovered that departments with frequent reward recognition achieved higher engagement scores and retention rates among the organization's approximately 4,000 employees. This data-driven approach led to consistently high guest service scores across properties, reinforcing his reputation for analytical thinking and organizational leadership.

Recognized as one of the longest-tenured employees of the organization, spanning over 35 years at Desert Diamond Casinos and Entertainment, Mr. Leon spent over 10 years, between 2001 and 2012, as a marketing and production coordinator. During this period, he managed three to five concerts each month, expanding his expertise in live concert production beyond his academic training. This role provided opportunities to meet renowned entertainers such as Ray Charles, B.B. King, Kenny Rogers, Olivia Newton-John, The Temptations, and many others. Mr. Leon also contributed significantly to marketing efforts by promoting events for winners, organizing giveaways and overseeing loyalty card sign-ups.

From 1995 to 2001, Mr. Leon worked as a poker room marketing and tournament coordinator at Desert Diamond Casinos and Entertainment. Although he had no prior experience with poker when the casino introduced the game in 1995, he attended poker dealer school and passed the audition under the guidance of the poker manager. In this position, Mr. Leon developed marketing plans for poker tournaments and collaborated closely with the casino-wide marketing department.

Mr. Leon began his journey at Desert Diamond Casinos as the head bingo caller in 1987, a role he maintained until 1995 while pursuing his undergraduate studies. His early work involved engaging directly with guests and laid the foundation for his future roles in entertainment services.

In addition to his casino career, Mr. Leon gained valuable experience in broadcasting as the floor director and studio technician at KOLD News 13 (CBS) from 1992 to 1993. He previously garnered experience as an audio board operator at KIIM-FM and KCUB-AM Radio Station on the Real Country Radio Network between 1991 and 1992.

Parallel to his civilian career, Mr. Leon dedicated 35 years of service to the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring as a colonel in May 2019. His military journey began when he enlisted in 1984 before starting college, and he received his commission as a second lieutenant upon graduating in 1989. By 2003, Mr. Leon had been promoted to major and was deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom as an operations officer with the quartermaster battalion in Iraq for one year.

Mr. Leon continued advancing through leadership positions that included battalion commander of the 418th Quartermaster Battalion from 2012 to 2013, battalion commander of the 336th Combat Service Support Battalion between 2013 and 2014, joint team lead at the Defense Logistics Agency in Fort Belvoir from 2014 to 2015, brigade commander of the 3rd Brigade, 94th Division (OD) between 2015 and 2017, and deputy commander of the 143rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command from 2017 to 2019. He also served as the division deputy/team lead for logistics in Northern Iraq during deployment supporting a special operations joint task force between 2018 and 2019. Notably, only the top 6% of lieutenant colonels are promoted to colonel, an achievement Mr. Leon counts among his proudest accomplishments, and only 5-6% are selected for attendance at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

A graduate of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Mr. Leon received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in media arts with an emphasis on audio and video production in 1992, followed by a Master of Science in management with a concentration in project management from Colorado Technical University in 2007, and a master's degree in strategic studies from the United States Army War College in 2017. Additionally, he completed the social behavioral research for students training and the responsible conduct of research for social and behavioral science doctoral learners training, both via the CITI Program in 2024.

Mr. Leon's commitment extends beyond professional obligations into civic engagement. Since 2014, he has volunteered on the production staff at Zion City Church, where he also contributes as the video director during live streams and broadcasts while playing drums on the worship team. He has been affiliated with the Association of Quartermasters since 2014, the Army War College Foundation since 2015 and the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society since 2023. He has been a life member of Veterans of Foreign Wars since 2025. Previously, Mr. Leon served as vice president of the board of directors for Higher Ground: A Resource Center after-school program, which tutors high-risk children, from 2012 to 2013, following his tenure as a board member at Faith Christian Academy Tucson between 2010 and 2012.

Born in Tucson as a sixth-generation native whose family settled there alongside Spanish cavalry officers during territorial times, Mr. Leon's roots run deep in the community he serves today, notably through his work with members of the Tohono O'odham Nation, whose history intersects with that of his ancestors. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated expertise in audiovisual production, broadcasting, concert production and entertainment services. His upbringing played a significant role in shaping his values and interests, influenced by his father, a World War II veteran who managed county revenue operations while leading a big band orchestra. Mr. Leon developed an early passion for music production by helping set up equipment from age seven onward. Meanwhile, his mother's background in finance inspired his analytical approach toward quantitative research.

Mr. Leon's distinguished military service has been recognized with several honors, including a Distinguished Order of Saint Martin Award from the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, a Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star Medal, along with multiple other awards bestowed by the U.S. military.

Currently pursuing a Doctor of Education with a focus on organizational leadership at Grand Canyon University, Mr. Leon's dissertation examines generational influences on workforce retention in the tourism, hospitality and casino gaming sectors, industries deeply affected by COVID-19 disruptions. As retirement approaches, he is considering future opportunities in hospitality consulting, where his extensive experience could benefit casinos worldwide through staff training programs and industry consulting services informed by insights gained throughout his multifaceted career. With encouragement from colleagues and professors alike regarding publication opportunities related to his dissertation research, Mr. Leon also looks forward to contributing thought leadership through speaking engagements or scholarly articles in industry journals moving forward.

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