In his seventh year as CEO of the Connecticut Sun, Mitchell Grossinger Etess oversees team operations on behalf of the Mohegan Tribe, representing the ownership in all matters pertaining to the day-to-day functioning of the franchise on both the administrative and basketball sides of the organization.

Born into a family of hoteliers, Etess brings literally a lifetime of experience in the hospitality industry to his role as Chief Executive Officer of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (MTGA) and President and CEO of Mohegan Sun. Etess joined Mohegan Sun as a member of the casino’s pre-opening team in 1996 as Senior Vice President of Marketing, and was responsible for marketing, food and beverage, sports and entertainment and hotel operations.

In 2004, Etess was promoted to President and CEO to oversee the overall management and operation of Mohegan Sun, the Northeast’s premier entertainment destination. In 2006, Etess was appointed CEO of the MTGA, assuming responsibility of the overall management and operation of Mohegan Sun and it’s sister entities, including Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs – Pennsylvania’s first slots casino and harness race track in Wilkes-Barre – and five off-track wagering facilities in Pennsylvania.

Prior to his position at Mohegan Sun, he served as Vice President of Marketing at Players Island Resort-Casino-Spa in Nevada. From 1988 to 1994, Etess was employed at Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, rising through the ranks from Public Relations Manager to Senior Vice President of Marketing. Before that, Etess was a partner in the advertising and public relations firm of Gordon Etess Associates in Pinehurst, N.C., working there after serving as General Manager at CCA/Holly Inn in Pinehurst.

Before 1985, Etess worked in virtually every capacity at his family-owned Grossinger’s Hotel in Grossinger, N.Y. It was here that Etess, raised at the hotel, received his early training in the hospitality industry.

A graduate of Columbia University, Etess resides in East Lyme with his wife Karen, and their two basketball-playing daughters Piper and Maxie.