Director Biographies

Billie Jo Waara

Billie Jo Waara is the Director of the South Dakota Office of Tourism. She manages a budget of $9.1 million and a staff of 23, directing marketing and promotional efforts to reach Governor Rounds’ 2010 Initiative goal to double the economic impact of tourism to the state by 2010.

Prior to joining Tourism in 2005, Waara served as a Marketing Manager for Wells Fargo in Sioux Falls . Her background includes experience in public finance and local government while serving as the Minnehaha County Treasurer. As the Public Affairs and Research Manager for the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, she gained valuable knowledge and expertise in market research, public relations and marketing.

She earned her bachelor’s degree at Augustana College as a double major in Business Administration and International Government. Waara also received her master’s degree, summa cum laude, in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota .

Waara is a native of Milbank , South Dakota . Billie Jo and her husband Clint have a new baby daughter, Mya, and they live in Fort Pierre, SD.