Jill Archunde Santell has been a resident of Las Vegas for the last 31 years. Originally from upstate New York, this small town girl had big dreams that came true.
She moved to Las Vegas after graduating from Niagara University with B.S. in Hospitality Administration, to open the MGM Grand. She had a successful 26-year career with MGM Resorts starting as a Front Desk Clerk and worked her way up to General Manager at the Signature where she held that role for 8 years. During her tenure at Signature, she was also selected to be part of the Executive MBA program at UNLV and graduated in December 2018.
In May, 2019, she opened her own consulting firm where she served as a coach to small businesses on employee engagement, leadership development and how to create emotional connections with their customers. During Covid which hit small businesses hard, including her own, this resilient leader was provided the opportunity to take on a role as Senior Vice President Operations West Coast for The Service Companies. She views this role as her most challenging as it was during a time when it seemed like the entire work force had retired and also required her to be away from home and her family. It was also one of the most rewarding because of the teams she was able to help build and the connections she made with “some of the most hard working and loyal service hospitality” employees in the world.
As the world started to recover from the Covid pandemic, a new opportunity presented itself with the opening of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Jill accepted the role of Director Learning, Development and Service Excellence. In that role, Jill has rounded out her hospitality experience to include both Operations and Human Resources functions and is responsible for the overall service, leadership development and compliance strategy for Fontainebleau Las Vegas. She is also a part-time instructor at UNLV for the Hospitality and Business schools.
Jill’s favorite title to date is “Mom”, a role that she considers a blessing and a privilege. She is Mom to Eva, 11 years old and wife to Angel, the love of her life.
Jill was introduced to SHERO through her fellow EMBA graduate, Juliette Ozols. She is inspired by this team that is focused on making an impact not to just the individuals but to the overall community of Las Vegas. The programs that create awareness in schools, the life skills training and the many partnerships with other Volunteer organizations are unique to other organizations and something that Jill is excited to help develop by growing the Volunteer network for SHERO.
The Superhero that Jill identifies with is Wanda Maximoff, also known as the Scarlet Witch because of her journey of personal growth and resilience. She is a character with whom many women can relate on an emotional level because of her caring nature and willingness to fight for what she believes in. She is a symbol of strength and a reminder that our emotions can be a source of power.