Director and Staff Information

Mike Dolan, Executive Director
Michael A. Dolan joined the Ohio Lottery Commission March 28, 2007. As Director, he oversees a state agency with sales of $2 billion a year, administering instant and on-line lottery game products through a statewide network of licensed retailers. The agency is charged with maximizing Lottery game profits for use in public education. As Executive Director of the Ohio Lottery Commission, he also oversees the administration of Ohio’s charitable bingo licensing and monitoring.

From 1996 to March 2007, Mr. Dolan represented the 21st Ward of Cleveland on Cleveland City Council. As a member of city council, he served as Chairman of the Aviation and Transportation Committee and Vice-Chair of the Parks, Recreation and Properties Committee. As councilman, Mr. Dolan helped secure funds for an expansion of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. He also helped draft legislation and provided oversight for numerous economic development projects in Cleveland.

Mr. Dolan currently serves on the Board of Directors at Fairview General Hospital, the West Park YMCA Advisory Board, and as a trustee for the Colleen DECRANE Family Foundation. He is also a former trustee of the Golden Age Center of Cleveland.

Mr. Dolan, a trial attorney, practiced law in the Cleveland office of McIntyre, Kahn and Kruse Co., L.P.A. He also served as the City of Cleveland’s assistant director of law from 1992-1997 and as an associate for Watts, Hoffmann, Fisher and Heinke Co., L.P.A.

Mr. Dolan received his law degree from Case Western Reserve University.

Dennis Berg, Deputy Director, Office of Finance
Dennis R. Berg assumed the position of Deputy Director of the Office of Finance in January 2005, a position he briefly held in 1996 as well.

He has been employed at the Ohio Lottery Commission since 1991. His experience at the Ohio Lottery has allowed him to touch virtually every aspect of the agency’s business operations.

Mr. Berg has been employed in public service since 1985, starting in the Finance Department of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. He joined the Financial Reporting and Control Department for the City of Cleveland in 1986.

Mr. Berg earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cleveland State University. A Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner, he is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Mr. Berg also holds an Ohio Financial Accountability Certificate issued by the Auditor of State.

Traci Pinkney Deputy Director, Office of General Services
Traci Pinkney was named deputy director of the Office of General Services in January 2008, for the Ohio Lottery Commission. In this capacity, Traci oversees a variety of agency support functions, including Bureaus of Agent Licensing, Vehicle Fleet Administration, Office Services, Warehouse Operations and the Customer Call Center.

Ms. Pinkney began her tenure with the Lottery in 1986 as an intern. Over the last 22 years, Traci has held various positions with the Lottery, including public inquiry supervisor in the Customer Call Center and team member in the Office of Strategic Planning.

Ms. Pinkney was also employed by betpin & associates inc., a consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, political consulting, and campaign management.

Ms. Pinkney received both a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s degree in business from the University of Phoenix. Traci resides in Cleveland and is a member of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., an associate board member of Recovery Resources and a disaster action team leader for the American Red Cross.

Michael Petro, Deputy Director, Office of Information Technology
Michael Petro was named Deputy Director of the Office of Information Technology in June 2002. His career at the Ohio Lottery began in 1978. At the time he left the Lottery in 1985, Mr. Petro supervised the agency's programming staff.

In 1985, he joined Curtis Industries, where he served as a project team leader until 1989. In 1989, Mr. Petro joined Ecotran, a software company, where he served as Vice President of Product Development until 1998. Ecotran was subsequently purchased by Trapeze Software, and Mr. Petro led their development group until 2002.

Mr. Petro holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics, as well as a master’s degree in computer and information science. Mr. Petro is a member of the Mathematical Association of America.


Jeannie Roberts, Deputy Director, Office of Communications
Jeannie Roberts was named Deputy Director of the Office of Communications on May 12, 2008.
In her position, Ms. Roberts oversees all aspects of the Ohio Lottery’s communications and public relations efforts and serves as the agency’s spokesperson.

Ms. Roberts brings 20-plus years of media experience to the Lottery. She served as a beat writer and columnist for daily newspapers in Florida and Michigan, including stints covering Southeastern Conference football, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.

Prior to joining the Lottery in June of 2007, Ms. Roberts was a freelance magazine writer, publishing in numerous national magazines and on Internet sports writing sites. Locally, she was a regular contributor to Cleveland Magazine and served clients such as Case Western Reserve University and the Eliza Jennings Senior Care Network.

Before beginning her media career, for which she has been professionally recognized with numerous awards, Ms. Roberts attended Florida State University.

John Martin, Deputy Director, Office of Sales Management
John Martin was named the Lottery’s Deputy Director of Sales Management on March 16, 2009. Mr. Martin is charged with increasing statewide sales in order to maximize the Lottery’s annual transfer to the Lottery Profits Education Fund.

Prior to joining the Lottery, Mr. Martin was the General Manager of Colortone Staging & Rentals in Solon. Under his guidance, Colortone experienced consistent revenue growth and record profitability. Mr. Martin, who is a 1978 graduate of John Carroll University in University Heights, OH, has extensive sales and marketing knowledge. He has experience with recruiting, hiring and training a regional sales force targeting custom solutions for the retail and consumer packaged goods industries.

Candace McGraw, Deputy Director, Office of Charitable Gaming
Candace S. McGraw was named Deputy Director of Charitable Gaming in October, 2008. In this role, Ms. McGraw is charged with overseeing the licensing and site inspection of all charitable organizations offering bingo throughout the state of Ohio.

Ms. McGraw joined the Lottery in January, 2008, with 20 years of public sector experience. Prior to joining the Lottery, she served in a number of capacities with the City of Cleveland, including Deputy Director of the Cleveland Airport System, General Counsel for Cleveland City Council, and Assistant Director of Law. In addition, she has provided aviation consulting services for programs offered by the Department of Homeland Security. Ms. McGraw serves on the boards of Cleveland Foundation's Suite 1300 Services and Kent State University's College of Technology Industrial Advisory Board.

Ms. McGraw holds a bachelor's and master's degree from Duquesne University and a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Carol Brown, Deputy Director, Office of Internal Audit
Carol Brown currently serves as the Ohio Lottery Commission’s Deputy Director of the Office of Internal Audit. Mrs. Brown first joined the Ohio Lottery Commission in 1989 as an accountant in the Office of Finance, and later served as a fiscal specialist. In 1993, she became an internal auditor, and in July 2002 was named Manager of Internal Audit.

Prior to joining the Ohio Lottery, Mrs. Brown worked in the private sector handling taxes and financials for corporations, partnerships and sole proprietors.

Mrs. Brown is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting, with a minor in data processing, from Dyke College.

John O'Donnell, Deputy Director, Office of Security
Jack O’Donnell has been the Ohio Lottery Commission’s Deputy Director of Security since May 2002. He oversees a staff responsible for securing the safety and security of the agency’s employees, game products and drawings. The Office of Security investigates stolen ticket incidents, initiates background checks for employees, vendors and retailers, and provides general security needs to protect the safety and reputation of the agency. A 25-year law enforcement veteran, he comes to the Lottery from the City of Beachwood, where he was Commander of Investigations.

Mr. O’Donnell is a graduate of the Police Executive Leadership College and is a certified Law Enforcement Executive, one of 110 in the State of Ohio.

Pam DeGeeter, Chief Legal Counsel
Pam DeGeeter was named Chief Legal Counsel Oct. 16, 2007, and in her role oversees all legal matters that come before the agency.

She joined The Ohio State Lottery as Assistant Legal Counsel in May 2007, bringing both private sector practice and government-related experience to the Ohio Lottery. Prior to joining the agency, she served as a judicial staff attorney for Judge David T. Matia. From 1997 to 2005, Ms. DeGeeter worked for Smith & Smith of Avon Lake, a general practice law firm. While working in private practice, Ms. DeGeeter served as a guardian ad litem for the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court. A former member of the Cleveland Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Executive Committee, she currently holds membership in both the Cleveland Bar Association and the Ohio Bar Association.

Ms. DeGeeter graduated summa cum laude from Cleveland Marshall College of Law, and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Miami University of Ohio. She resides in Parma.

Terri Tancredi, Deputy Director, Marketing Services
Terri Tancredi was named Deputy Director of the Office of Marketing Services Sept. 4, 2007. In her position, Ms. Tancredi oversees all aspects of the Ohio Lottery’s marketing efforts, including advertising, promotions, sponsorships, point-of-purchase and merchandising.

Prior to joining the Lottery, Ms. Tancredi served as Director of Intranet and Brand Strategy for Big Lots Inc., a Fortune 500 company with more than 1,400 stores in 46 states and annual revenues exceeding $4 billion.

She brings with her extensive retail knowledge at the field, regional and corporate levels. Her career spans more than 20 years with experience in marketing, sales promotion, merchandise presentation, creative services, advertising, packaging, brand strategy and the Intranet.

Ms. Tancredi began her retail career at Gold Circle, a division of Federated Department Stores.

Gwendolyn A. Penn, Deputy Director, Office of Product Development
Gwendolyn A. Penn was named Deputy Director of Product Development in February 2009. Ms. Penn manages the activities of the Bureaus of Online and Instant Ticket Products as well as the Instant Ticket Warehouse. Before this appointment, she was the Online Products Manager.

Ms. Penn began her Lottery career in 1988 as a temporary worker in Security. Over the past 21 years, Ms. Penn has worked in a variety of positions within Executive, Administration and Finance. Ms. Penn is also a part-time instructor teaching management courses at a local college.

Ms. Penn holds a Master’s of Management and a BSBA with a specialization in management from Myers University. Ms. Penn is active in her church where she is the financial secretary and bookkeeper. Ms. Penn resides in Cleveland with her husband James and family.