Leading From the Middle: Meet the Panelists

Leading From the Middle

Join Manager Resource Vault for Leading From the Middle, a leadership panel featuring Willie Bunton Jr., Brandy Lathan, and Terence Ambler. The session will be recorded via Zoom on October 10, 2026 at 10:00 AM Central Time. A Zoom link will be provided. The recorded session will be posted in Manager Insights by the end of the week.

Meet the panelists and learn more about the professional experiences they bring to the conversation.

Willie Bunton Jr.

With more than 25 years of professional experience spanning the casino gaming, hospitality, federal emergency management, and logistics industries, I have built my career around leadership, service, and a commitment to helping people succeed.

Throughout my career, I have consistently progressed from line-level positions into supervisory and management roles. I have always had a strong desire to lead, develop people, and make the workplace a better experience for my fellow employees. Having worked firsthand at the line level, I understand the challenges employees face and have been able to bring that perspective to conversations and decisions involving upper management.

My career has provided me with a unique combination of frontline casino experience, middle and upper management leadership, federal logistics expertise, and emergency-response experience. These experiences have shaped me into a leader who understands operations from the ground up and values both the employee and organizational perspective.

Stay Thirsty My Friend.........,

Willie Bunton Jr.

Brandy Lathan

Brandy Lathan is a seasoned Casino Shift Manager with 26 years of gaming industry experience. She began her leadership career in Table Games at the age of 23 as a Dual-Rate Supervisor in Shreveport, Louisiana. Throughout her career, Brandy has developed extensive expertise in both Table Games and Slot Operations, successfully leading teams and managing casino operations in diverse environments.

Driven by a passion for employee development, Brandy is dedicated to mentoring team members and helping them recognize and maximize their strengths. Over the years, she has trained and developed Dealers, Supervisors, Table Games Managers, and Casino Shift Managers, contributing to the growth of numerous gaming professionals. Her leadership philosophy is rooted in the guidance and experience she gained from exceptional mentors throughout her career, shaping her into the respected and people-focused leader she is today.

With a commitment to operational excellence and team development, Brandy continues to foster high-performing teams while delivering exceptional guest experiences in the gaming industry.

Terence Ambler

Executive Profile

Terence Ambler Sr. Operations Leader & Account Executive | Shreveport, LA

Professional Biography

Terence Ambler is a high-performing Senior Operations Leader and Account Executive with a proven track record of driving operational excellence, maximizing profitability, and scaling highperforming teams across complex industries. A Shreveport native, Terence combines local roots with a versatile executive skill set spanning casino operations, secured logistics, retail banking, customer experience management, and telecommunications.

Throughout his career, Terence has specialized in stepping into high-stakes operational environments and introducing structural rigors that protect assets, streamline workflows, and enhance client satisfaction. Currently serving as the Senior Casino Table Games Shift Manager at Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana, he leads multi-tiered operational teams, manages shift budgets, and ensures strict regulatory compliance and game protection across the floor.

His leadership background highlights a broad depth of multi-industry expertise:

• Secured Logistics: As Branch Operations Manager for GardaWorld Cash Services, he directed multi-site transport and vault processing operations across East Texas and North Lousiana, utilizing rigorous audit schedules and continuous process improvements to boost productivity and reduce operational risk.

• Customer Experience & BPO Operations: At Teleperformance USA, Terence served as Senior Operations Manager and CX Training Manager, executing strategic process improvements across call center operations, aligning financial projections, and designing training programs for financial services and retail banking partners.

• Financial & Risk Management: Over a six-year tenure at JP Morgan Chase Bank as an Assistant Branch Manager, Terence directed critical branch operations, maintained toptier audit compliance across vault and cash systems, and minimized risk across the Retail Banking Platform.

Terence holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Southern University A & M College in Baton Rouge and earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Frost School of Business at Centenary College in Shreveport. Known for his motivational leadership style and financial acumen, Terence excels at building cohesive teams, managing cross-functional budgets, and bridging the gap between high-level executive strategy and frontline execution.

Event Details

Date: October 10, 2026

Time: 10:00 AM Central Time

Format: Recorded via Zoom

Access: A Zoom link will be provided

Recording: The recorded session will be posted in Manager Insights by the end of the week.