Osage Casinos Announces New CEO Kimberly Pearson

Osage Casinos is now under new leadership with Byron Bighorse resigning as the Chief Executive Officer. The Osage Nation Gaming Enterprise Board announced Dec. 2 that Kimberly Pearson is the new CEO.

Bighorse announced his resignation to casino staff that morning after working eight years in the CEO post. Later that same day, the gaming board issued a statement on hiring Pearson as CEO, who is the first female to hold the position.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to resign as the Chief Executive Officer of our company. This decision has not come lightly, but it is ultimately the best path forward for Osage Casinos and my family,” Bighorse wrote. “I truly have had the pleasure seeing the company grow as it has in the last 17 years that I have been here. I look forward to seeing what more Osage Casinos can accomplish in the future.”

The gaming enterprise board issued the following statement in Pearson’s announcement.

“The last seven years have been a time of unprecedented growth for the Gaming Enterprise under Byron’s leadership and the Gaming Enterprise Board would like to thank Byron for his dedicated service to the Gaming Enterprise and the Osage Nation.”

Pearson, Osage and of the Grayhorse District, most recently served as Chief Operations Officer for Osage Casinos for nearly a year. “A longstanding employee of the seven-property gaming and entertainment organization, (Pearson) joined Osage Casinos in 2008 when she focused on training and leadership development. Most recently, she has served an integral role in expanding the assets of the Osage Nation through revenue generation and land acquisition. These assets have become current and future homes of Osage Casinos locations,” the gaming board added.

“Mrs. Pearson has played a critical role in the success of the Enterprise over the last several years and as the first female CEO it is a tremendous point of pride for us and we look forward to continued momentum under the leadership of Mrs. Pearson,” said Geoff Hager, chairman of the gaming board. “Our board’s priority has always been – and will continue to be – to provide critical funding for the Osage Nation.”

On Nov. 22 the 8th Osage Nation Congress voted to reclassify a confidential Gaming Commission report as a public document. The report focuses on Osage Casino management expenses. Congressman Eli Potts described the report as “appalling.” The Osage News has filed an open records request for the report.

An award-winning career

Byron Bighorse — Photo courtesy of Osage News

Bighorse started his gaming career in 1993 with the Cherokee Casinos enterprise. He started working for the Nation’s gaming enterprise in 2006 when it was known as the Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino. In addition to serving as General Manager for the Sand Springs casino, Bighorse also worked as the casino special events manager. He was hired as the Osage Casinos CEO in 2014 and led the casino through the COVID-19 pandemic, supervising over 1,400 employees. In 2020, Osage Casinos received 11 awards from Casino Player Magazine.

He is also the recipient of several awards over the years for his leadership of Osage Casinos. He received the 2016 Lewis B. Ketchum Excellence in Business Award at the 19th Annual Dream Keepers Awards, he was named in 2018 as one of Tulsa World’s Tulsans of the Year and in 2019 he was named one of the Journal Record’s Most Admired CEOs in Oklahoma and received the Distinguished Alumni by Oklahoma State University’s American Indian Alumni Society.

More stories about the Osage Nation at: https://osagenews.org/