Meet The Rudloffs: Robert and Laurie Rudloff '80
Robert and Laurie Rudloff, Class of 1980, first locked eyes as freshmen on the eve of Valentine’s Day at a campus gathering in Adams Hall in 1977. Now, more than four decades and three children later, the two northeasterners, who hail from Atlantic City, New Jersey and Brandon, Vermont, have collectively built a thriving family, home, and professional career in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“The education we received at Castleton gave us invaluable, practical life skills,” said Robert of the couple’s shared Spartan experience. “It was a great fit.”
Robert launched his career in the gaming industry as an internal auditor in 1980. He landed his first interview with a casino company, before even receiving his Castleton diploma, at the Golden Nugget Atlantic City and has been making a name for himself within the internal auditing and fraud examination sector ever since.
“I was very intrigued by the gaming industry,” said Robert.
In 2003, he joined MGM Resorts International, one of the world’s leading casino gaming, hospitality, and entertainment companies, and now serves as the Senior Vice President of Internal Audit where he leads a 100-person team across a variety of national and international locations. His responsibilities include performing financial, operational, information technology, anti-corruption, and gaming regulatory compliance audits.
“It’s our responsibility to make sure that we are operating in accordance with government regulations, policies, and procedures. We are also looking for opportunities to improve the business from an operational and efficiency standpoint, as well as manage the company’s ethics hotline,” explained Robert, whose casino industry experience now spans 40 years. “My accounting degree was a great foundation for my current work.”
In addition to his professional duties with MGM, Robert was inducted into the IIA American Hall of Distinguished Audit Practitioners in 2015 and currently serves as a member of the Audit Committee International Association of Gaming Advisors.
Laurie’s passion for both learning and teaching has been a driving force for her personal and professional endeavors. After earning a degree in Education at Castleton, she spent a brief period working in a faith-based school team-teaching general studies to first-grade students in southern New Jersey, before taking on her true calling.
“The most important thing to me was being a mother. I have always wanted to be a mom and we were blessed with three sons,” said the dedicated mother of three. “I made sure that I met their needs and that they each reached their potential.”
Raising her children has been one of her greatest accomplishments and brings Laurie a constant stream of joy, especially with the addition of two grandchildren. She is also an active volunteer in her local community and large church parish, serving more than 6,500 families.
Despite several out-of-state relocations and her family’s cross-country move to Las Vegas, Laurie’s green mountain heritage and memories remain an important aspect of her identity.
“Vermont and my little town of Brandon are so important to me,” she said, adding that she and Robert recently purchased a part-time home on Lake Bomoseen to better experience all that the state has to offer. “They are a part of who I am.”
Both Robert and Laurie emphasized the importance of continued learning in and out of the classroom. The two agreed that their Castleton journeys allowed them to grow as a couple and individually.
“I can go back to things I have been able to do successfully in my career and I can tie a lot of them back to things that happened at Castleton, both in the classroom and outside of the classroom,” said Robert. “It’s what you, as a student, put into your educational experience that makes a difference.”