On her first day at Clearwater Casino Resort, Suquamish tribal member Rochelle Stockwell was on her feet.
She was 18, fresh out of South Kitsap High School, working as a slot floor attendant. The entry-level job meant she did everything from helping guests to fixing slot machine issues to cashing out winnings. Every day was a study in perpetual motion — constantly moving while learning the rhythms of the casino from the ground up.
That willingness to step in, learn fast, and say yes would become a defining trait of her career. Stockwell started at the casino in 2004. She has been there ever since, building what she calls a “say yes” work ethic into a leadership style that is hands-on, people-focused, and rooted in understanding the work at every level.
“For somebody that’s wanting to do that, you come in, you do everything it takes to work hard,” Stockwell said. “The people I’ve seen move up are the ones who are willing to say, ‘Yes, I’ll do that.’”
Stockwell grew up in Port Orchard. Her mother is Lily Stockwell, and her grandmother was the late former Tribal Council Member Ivy Cheney. Her very first job was at an A&W in Port Orchard, where she worked as a cashier and later a shift manager. Her twin brother, Richard, worked there too. The siblings later worked together at Clearwater for years before her brother moved on to a career at the Navy’s shipyard in Bremerton.
Growing up, Stockwell tagged along to PME meetings and casino events with her mom. She remembers meeting Clearwater General Manager Rich Purser years before she ever worked for him.
“The first time I met Rich,” she said, “was at PME board meeting. I don’t know how I managed to sit through all those long meetings as a kid,” she says now with a laugh.
As an adult, she steadily rose through one of the casino’s largest operational departments. Her path in slots included cashier, supervisor, shift manager, assistant manager, manager, and eventually manager of the entire Slot Department.
Meanwhile, she was also working on her education. She completed the one-year University of Washington Foster School of Business Leadership Development Program in 2012 and earned a Business Executive Development certificate in 2014. She was also named to the Kitsap Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list in 2013.
By the time she moved into senior leadership in 2014, she says her most valuable education came from years learning the floor under the mentorship of the people she worked with and for.
Today, as Clearwater’s Assistant General Manager, she helps oversee casino resort operations alongside Purser, with Clearwater Chief Operating Officer Irene Carper and Port Madison Enterprises CEO Rion Ramirez. Her responsibilities span nearly every guest-facing area of the property.
“Slots, table games, sportsbook, security, hotel staff, the food and beverage department,” Stockwell said. “A lot of those departments we help oversee and make sure the casino and hotel are running smoothly.”
It is a job built for unpredictability.
“Sometimes it’s staffing. Sometimes it’s dealing with guests,” she said. “Sometimes it’s being a project manager for construction. There’s always something different.”
A people-first approach
When Stockwell talks about leadership, she does not frame it as authority. She frames it as care.
“To me, it’s about making sure you’re being a good co-worker — you’re seeing what your departments and the people in them are going through,” she said. “You should be the person that’s making their job easier.”
She credits mentors who helped shape her approach, including Purser, Ramirez, Angie Huang, and Shelley Wood. Strong leaders, Stockwell said, stay collaborative and humble.
“Not assuming anything,” she said, “but always staying tuned in to make sure your team has what they need to do their job.”
Sometimes that means solving a problem. Sometimes it just means listening.
“Often, someone just needs to be heard,” she said. “Sometimes it’s reassuring someone they’re on the right path.”
She has also learned what does not work. Stiff, command-and-control-style leadership inevitably makes things worse. When conflict arises, Stockwell tries to focus on the work, not personalities.
“You don’t make it about the person,” she said. “You make it about the issue. What’s best for the whole operation.”
Tested during COVID
That leadership style was tested during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the casino closed to the public, Stockwell was among a small group still coming to the property each day. The floor was quiet, lights on, machines running, but almost no people.
“It was eerie,” she said.
As the casino prepared to reopen, Stockwell and other leaders had to make decisions balancing safety, uncertainty, and the needs of employees returning to work.
“Trying to assure people that things were going to be okay was hard when nobody really knew,” she said.
The experience reinforced the importance of communication, flexibility, and taking care of people first.
Growing leaders from within
Stockwell is quick to emphasize that Clearwater’s leadership culture is not built by one person.
Internal training and development programs, she said, help create shared expectations across departments and give new supervisors tools before problems arise.
“If we’re not doing that training, issues build up in other ways,” she said. “That foundation matters.”
Among those programs is a two-day new hire orientation that introduces employees to Clearwater’s values and purpose. “It’s not just about making money,” Stockwell said. “It’s about supporting the tribe and the community.”
Clearwater also requires all new supervisors – whether they’re home grown or coming from outside with years of leadership experience – to attend a 10-week Fundamentals of Supervision Course, meeting weekly for several hours. Topics include team building, de-escalation, customer situations, and turning ideas into action.
“Cherry Olsen runs that program. The time and dedication she puts into it is just amazing,” she said. “You get a group of newer supervisors together, and they build relationships and have people they can go to.”
PME’s Manager Boot Camp focuses on evaluations, performance tools, and company policies. Meanwhile, the Manager-in-Training Program is reserved exclusively for Suquamish tribal members, often those in college exploring career paths.
Stockwell said Clearwater also makes a point of interviewing Suquamish applicants even when a position is not the right fit, working to find long-term opportunities where possible.
The company employs just over 700 people, with about 50 Suquamish tribal members at the casino property. While hours and holiday schedules can be challenging, Stockwell says she’s proof the casino offers a real career ladder.
“There’s a lot of advancement opportunity,” she said. “If you’re willing to put in the work.”
National recognition
In December, Stockwell received national recognition for the career she has built.
She was named to the 2026 class of Native American 40 Under 40 honorees by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. The program recognizes emerging Native leaders who have made significant contributions to their professions and communities.
Stockwell will be honored at the Reservation Economic Summit in Las Vegas this March.
Asked about the award, Stockwell deflected attention back to the people she works with and the leaders who nominated her. She also sees it as a reflection of the tribe and enterprise she represents.
“I feel like it’s more representing this place and our tribe,” she said. Then, perhaps best summing up her approach to leadership, adding “Honestly, I would rather be in the background, making sure our people are taken care of, just doing the work.”
