Bresnahan Named Executive Director of State Lottery

Treasurer Steven Grossman has appointed Lynn resident Beth Bresnahan as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission, drawing on the management and marketing expertise that has led to record-breaking profits at the Lottery in recent years.

“Beth is driven by results and her strategic marketing approach has been a boon to the cities and towns that depend on Lottery profits for unrestricted local aid,” said Grossman. “Her innovative management style is one of the main reasons that the Lottery has generated such unprecedented levels of revenue, and I’m delighted that she is assuming this top leadership role.”

Bresnahan, a 1992 St. Mary’s High School graduate, said she was excited to become the executive director of the nation’s most successful lottery, one that generated $4.85 billion in sales in 2013.

“I appreciate the Treasurer’s confidence in my capabilities and am honored he has asked me to undertake this leadership role at the Lottery,” said Bresnahan. “Our team has worked to build an even more efficient and profitable business model during the last three years. I look forward to guiding the Lottery on a continued path of growth and success.”

Bresnahan was the Communications Director at the Lottery from 2005 through 2007. She returned to the Lottery in March 2011 and has been the Assistant Executive Director and Director of Marketing and Communications.

In her position as Executive Director, Bresnahan oversees a staff of more than 400 employees. The Mass. Lottery has 29-31 Instant Games each year in addition to Mega Millions, Powerball, Lucky for Life, Mass Cash, Megabucks Doubler, the Daily Numbers Game, Keno, and Jackpot Poker. The Lottery Commission also administers Bingo games and all charitable gaming in the state.

Bresnahan grew up in Lynn and attended Washington Community Magnet School, Breed Junior High, and St. Mary’s High School. Interestingly, Bresnahan received a rare double promotion for her academic prowess, skipping the second grade and going directly to the third grade.

“I was always the youngest student in my class,” said Bresnahan who graduated high school at the age of 16.

Bresnahan said she has fond memories of her high school days at St. Mary’s and is currently a member of the school’s Board of Trustees. Her sister, Carmel, is a junior at St. Mary’s High School.

“St. Mary’s built the foundation for one, me being able to go off to college and really build a career,” said Bresnahan. “What I learned in that environment and how they fostered me as a student prepared me to eventually take on a much bigger role in life.”

Bresnahan spent her freshman year at St. Joseph’s College in Maine before transferring to the University of Massachusetts/Amherst where she received a degree in Communications as a journalism major.

Bresnahan worked briefly in college sports information at the University of Lowell [now UMass/Lowell] and had media relations positions at Hockey East, the ECAC, and the American Hockey League before taking a position in media relations with the Commonwealth.

“In each stage of my career I took on additional responsibilities to find myself now as the executive director of the Lottery,” said Bresnahan.

Bresnahan is closely following the expanded gaming licensing process that could result in three casinos in Massachusetts.

“The gaming environment in the landscape of the state is about to change tremendously in the next year to two years,” said Bresnahan. “So as one of the only forms of gaming currently in the state, we’re watching the development of the license approval process very closely. One interesting piece of the legislation enabling casino gaming in the state is that each of the licensed casinos must be lottery agents. They must be one of our retailers so if they’re going to offer Keno, it is the Massachusetts Lottery’s Keno and they’re required to be partners with us.”

Beth is the daughter of Lynn City Councilor Wayne Lozzi and Kathy Lozzi. She has two brothers, Wayne and Zachary, and a sister, Carmel.

“I’m a Ward 1 resident,” said Bresnahan proudly. “I love living in Lynn. People often say to me, ‘You work on the South Shore [Lottery headquarters are in Braintree], will you ever move to the South Shore?’ “You can’t get a North Shore girl to live on the South Shore. It’s not possible.”