MGM National Harbor Appoints New President as Sphere Rollout Begins 2026

MGM National Harbor has appointed Chris Gumiela to the role of president and chief operating officer, effective immediately following the retirement of Melonie Graves.

Gumiela brings three decades of MGM Resorts institutional experience to the role, having spent his entire professional career with the company across multiple properties and divisions. His appointment reflects MGM's preference for promoting executives with deep operational familiarity across the corporate portfolio.

The timing of the leadership transition coincides with a period of strategic capital reallocation across MGM's regional properties. National Harbor, located in Maryland's National Harbor community south of Washington D.C., has become a focus point for entertainment venue upgrades and experiential gaming innovation—initiatives aligned with MGM's broader portfolio modernization strategy.

Gumiela's mandate will include overseeing operational performance across the resort's gaming floor, hotel, restaurants, and entertainment venues during a period when regional casinos face intensifying competition for premium customer segments and entertainment-driven visitation. His internal career trajectory suggests familiarity with MGM's technology infrastructure, customer loyalty systems, and operational benchmarking frameworks that drive performance management across the company's regional cluster.