Kara Fox-LaRose, a Mohegan tribal member who began her career at Mohegan Sun in 1996, has been named general manager of the $500 million resort casino the Cowlitz Indian Tribe is building in southwestern Washington, less than 30 miles from Portland, Ore.

Fox-LaRose, since 2013 the assistant general manager of Mohegan Sun Pocono in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the new facility, the Mohegan and Cowlitz tribes — partners in the project — announced.

The Cowlitz casino is scheduled to open in the town of La Center in the spring of 2017.

Fox-LaRose, a member of Mohegan Sun’s original management team, served as director of special events and then as vice president of marketing during her tenure at the Connecticut casino.

“Kara’s experience in various levels of management throughout her career at Mohegan Sun has readied her for this opportunity to lead the Cowlitz Tribe and Mohegan Sun in our joint effort to establish a premier entertainment and meeting destination,” Bobby Soper, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Her holistic appreciation of the business makes her the ideal candidate to introduce to the project the optimal business management practices that Mohegan Sun has to offer its valued partners.”

Bill Iyall, chairman of the Cowlitz, called LaRose “a highly accomplished professional.”

“Her expertise in entertainment marketing, operational leadership and community building will be an incredible asset to our work here to advance the economy and vitality of the community,” he said.

The Mohegans announced in December that the Cowlitz had secured financing for construction, which began amid long-running opposition to the casino project. The tribe, based in Longview, Wash., gained federal recognition in 2000, and a decade later the Bureau of Indian Affairs approved its application to have 152 acres taken into trust for a La Center reservation. That prompted a lawsuit by casino opponents that include the nearby city of Vancouver, Wash., and operators of existing gambling operations. A federal judge dismissed the suit in December 2014. An appeal of the dismissal is pending.

Agreements signed in 2004 call for the Mohegan authority to help develop the casino and manage it for seven years.

In its January edition, Global Gaming Business Magazine named Fox-LaRose one of “25 People to Watch,” its 2016 list of casino executives “most likely to lead the industry into a new era, and a new gaming paradigm.”

b.hallenbeck@theday.com

Twitter: @bjhallenbeck