Strategic Partners
Playing it Forward
The Seneca Nation supports its own people and benefits surrounding communities with a variety of cultural, educational, and economic efforts.
Interviewee
Brenda Dysinger
Enduring values meet future forward technology at Seneca Gaming Corporation
The Seneca are the largest of six Native American nations which comprise the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy, a democratic government that pre-dates the United States Constitution.
Historically, the Seneca occupied territory throughout the Finger Lakes area in Central New York, and in the Genesee Valley in Western New York, living in longhouses on the riversides. The villages were well fortified with wooden stake fences, just one of many industrious undertakings.
Today, the Seneca Nation has a total enrolled population of over 8,500 citizens. The Seneca Nation supports its own people and benefits surrounding communities with a variety of cultural, educational, and economic efforts.
Our modern story begins in 2002, when the Seneca Nation of Indians (the Nation) was granted the exclusive right to build and operate the first stateside Class III gaming casinos in New York. Class III or “casino-style” gaming includes slot machines, blackjack, craps, roulette, and other table games typically associated with traditional casinos.
Despite having only 100 days from concept to the grand opening, the Nation was able to reconfigure an outdated Convention Center in Niagara Falls – walking distance to the one of the Seven Wonders of the World – into a casino. “It was pretty impressive,” Brenda Dysinger, MS, SPHR told Reboot. “Many people thought what the Seneca Nation was planning to do was impossible, but, more than two decades later, here we are. It all started with that dramatic transformation.”
The culture at Seneca Gaming Corporation (SGC) is rooted in the Seneca Nation culture. The culture is defined by Seneca values:
- Caring for One Another
- Working and Winning Together
- Giving a Voice to Everyone
- Securing our Future for seven generations
By living these values everyday with every interaction, the Nation fosters The Best 8 Hours™.
Prior to joining SGC, Dysinger, a Western New York native, held the top Human Resources roles at the Bellagio and Excalibur in Las Vegas and for California’s Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.
“What I love about Native gaming is the support for the community,” Dysinger affirmed. “Every decision you make impacts the welfare of the community. There’s a lot of pressure to make sure that you’re doing the right thing but a lot of reward knowing that you’re supporting people. The opportunity to come home and work for the Seneca Nation was really meaningful for me. I’m happy to be home.”
As CHRO, she helps set the organization’s 3-5-year strategic plan, determines what people and technology are needed to deliver the best outcomes, and motivates and inspires the HR team to act.
“We need to provide the right culture, and if we take care of our team members, the rest will come,” she said. “If you take care of your employees, they take care of your guests, which drives profitability, and we continue to move forward for seven generations to come.”
In addition to overseeing all things HR for SGC, Dysinger is one of two executive sponsors of SGC’s digital transformation along with CIO Les Leonard. Their first 20 years were about measuring growth and examining what makes SGC great. Currently these executives are powering that forward for their next 20-year journey. “It’s a very pivotal point for us. Looking especially in HR, we consistently evaluate what tools we need to be successful and ensure we are structured appropriately to support the organization today and into the future. As we continue to grow as an organization, we need to be prepared.”
Those first years were also about adopting new technologies, and like many companies, they attempted to create an automation network from bolting on different systems that weren’t designed to work with each other. Dysinger faced a morass of silos and tenuous connections.
The process management side added to the complexity of the immense undertaking and was a new concept for the entire company. During the testing phase, it became obvious that HR essentially had to map out the entire employee life cycle. “People really started to see how you can follow applicants all the way through every step that can potentially happen in the employee’s life cycle in the system. It was a pretty incredible process,” she said.
“Workday helped bridge gaps in the process which gave us the realization we didn’t have to operate in silos anymore, and it helped us come together as a team.”
To help identify companies with human capital management systems (HCMS) that would be best for their needs, SGC leveraged their partnership with the Info-Tech Research Group. “We also engaged a partnership with HRchitect who helped us go through the RFP process,” she added. “Those resources were able to help us narrow down who we should invite to the table. Workday, of course, was on that short list.”
Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) is a smart, flexible suite of HR solutions designed to work better together, powered by their next-gen AI, Workday Illuminate™. “We felt that Workday was the best match for us.” Workday provided customer references that gave SGC valuable insights into the challenges they faced and how Workday helped meet those moments.
Workday provided insights into the challenges inherent in digital transformation, which helped Dysinger and her team plan for contingencies. Staying close to the team, checking in, showing up, and living their values every day remedied any concerns that arose, as did equipping people with the time, space, tools, and resources they needed to be successful and supported. “It took over three years, and 8,000-plus hours to bring our Workday vision to life, but we did it!” she said.
Team members and managers now have real-time access to essential information — pay slips, schedules, time-off requests — anytime, anywhere, from any device. The app allows for on-the-go access which is essential in a busy hospitality environment. With centralized access to key employment data, managers can now make faster, smarter decisions — whether aligning staffing to meet demand or identifying and nurturing top talent within their teams. Administrative burdens have been dramatically reduced, freeing up leaders to focus on what matters most: people, performance, and culture.
Of SGC’s 3,000 employees, 42 make up Dysinger’s team. “We took this journey together. We said it’s all hands on deck, and everybody was involved. It brought us closer together. It made us stronger. It was tough, especially towards go-live,” she said. “We’re still learning, adjusting, and adapting. We will continue to leverage Workday’s capabilities to promote a positive employee experience, improve decision-making, and enhance employee engagement.”
The SGC team no longer has to chase transactions from one system to another or wonder which cyber space the digital transaction is stuck in. In addition, everything is in real time. Instead of waiting 2-7 days for transactions to flow through, approved transactions are instantly live.
Dysinger concluded, “We call it our HRIS journey, but it’s more than that. We are on an evolution to really support our company and the Seneca Nation for seven generations to come.”
