One-on-One with Pamela Gallegos

But even if she could, she’d likely abstain. What’s fun for so many is just not her thing.

“I think maybe it’s because I have a finance background, I know the odds. It’s not entertaining for me,” she said. “It stresses me out. … Obviously I go to a lot of different properties, even Las Vegas and whatnot, (but) you know what? I’d rather go buy a pair of new shoes, something tangible I can walk away with.”

That doesn’t mean Gallegos isn’t visible at the Isleta Pueblo casino. She’s practically everywhere. A petite mother of three with all the energy and effervescence you’d expect from a former high school cheerleader, Gallegos regularly walks the property. She’ll talk to the on-site dishwasher, the custodial staff, the slot-machine enthusiasts. The woman charged with overseeing the 1,200-employee operation is also one of its most public faces.

“I think it makes a difference here in this state. I was born and raised here, so it’s important to me professionally as well as personally to show (guests) who I really am and what this property is really capable of,” Gallegos said.

In an industry known for transience — so-called “casino gypsies” move regularly from one high-ranking casino job to another — Gallegos happily stays put.

The North Valley native has consistently chosen to stay close to home. A former health-care business professional, she once turned down a job at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. She also passed on the opportunity to work at casinos around the Navajo Nation.

“I think at some point maybe I’ll find the need to move away and do some other things; I’ve been offered consulting jobs, and it’s just not for me right now,” Gallegos said. “This is where I need to be.”

She remains because she loves New Mexico and its potential, because she understands its people and its culture.

But she feels a sense of responsibility to be here, too. The self-described “rock” in her family, Gallegos has helped her family navigate its share of loss and heartbreak. An accident claimed one of her two brothers when he was just 33, and her father died five years later. Gallegos’ other brother is currently facing a terminal illness.

“(In) the here and now, being here for my brother and mother is extremely important to me,” said Gallegos, who is also a single mother of three. “… I think I’ve been the strong one in the family and I think that’s why I stay.”

Gallegos grew up in a strict and traditional but loving household. Her homemaker mother worked as a beautician when time permitted, while her father made his living in health care. An echocardiograph technician known affectionately as “Echo Bob,” Gallegos’ father had a reputation for his compassion.

“There are so many physicians here in town who knew him or knew of him,” Gallegos said. “Giving care like that and taking care of people — I think that’s where I got it.”

Gallegos followed her father into the health-care industry, albeit on the business side. She worked in finance for 10 years but grew increasingly concerned that the bottom line was taking precedence over patient welfare.

“I couldn’t do it. I had too many people sitting in front of me and saying ‘I’m leaving today because my health insurance won’t cover and I can’t afford it, so I’m going to go home and die,’” Gallegos said. “When you hear people say things and I’m the business person saying ‘Let’s make payment arrangements on your $40,000 bill,’ I just couldn’t do it anymore. It’s just disheartening.”

She found her way to tribal gaming and began working her way up the management chain. It’s what she calls a “man’s world,” and she still remembers attending out-of-state conference where her peers told her she looked more like someone’s secretary than a fellow executive. But her work has garnered attention: Casino Enterprise Management magazine honored her as one of its Great Women of Gaming in 2011, citing her friendly-but-strong leadership style.

Between work and raising three children, Gallegos said she has no time for anything else.

“I’ll tell you it’s really lonely at the top. When they say that, it really is,” she said. “I don’t have a lot of friends. I don’t have a personal life. My life is my family, my kids and my job.”

Q: What do you think are your strengths as a boss?

A: I’m a people person. I believe that you put your — and this is hard for some people to accept, even some of my directors — you have to put your family first. I say I have two families: I have my personal family and my Hard Rock family. If you put your family first and allow your employees to put their family first and take care of their needs at home, they’re going to be more productive here at work. If you understand they’ve got a sick kid or a sick parent or they’ve got a toothache, if you understand these things, they’re going to give you so much more back.

Q: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever witnessed a gambler do inside a casino?

A: Oh, my God. Some of them are really bad. Strangest thing? We’ve had a lot of things happen. We’ve had deaths. You name it, we’ve had it here. … A lot of them I don’t even think we can mention. You would be shocked what I see on a day-to-day basis. Not one thing. I think gamers in general are very — they have little habits. I’m sure you can walk around the floor and see them. They do funny things on the machine. I’ve seen someone spit on a machine. Spit, yes, which is way I have my cleaning people out there constantly. I’ve seen people not want to leave their machine so bad that they will relieve themselves on that chair just so they don’t have to move. You name it, I’ve seen it.

Q: What’s your favorite way to relax?

A: (Laughs) I take a bath every night, no matter what — even if it’s at 2 in the morning, because that is the time when I’m hoping my brain stops talking to me. Kids are in bed, calls hopefully stopped coming from the casino and I can just (be) calm, quiet.

Q: What’s your most prized possession?

A: A glass-blown cross that I have that my father bought me before he died. I would say I’m very proud of my family (too); my kids, absolutely, that’s where my heart is. And because my family supports what I do, it makes it so much easier to do what I do every day. My family means the world to me — my kids, my mother, my brother.

Q: Do you have any hidden talents?

A: I love to bake. I make really good butter cookies and pizzelles. … I bake really well. I love to cook when I can.