Billie Jo Waara, Director of Account Planning & Research
As Director of Account Planning and Research, Billie Jo Waara focuses on consumer insights research from a variety of secondary and primary sources, such as blog posts, ratings and review sites and trade publications. These insights help her and her travel industry clients with visitor profiling, clustering and other strategic tools that can impact tourism and hospitality ROI.
Billie Jo joined L&S in February of 2008 and previously served as the Director of the South Dakota Office of Tourism where she worked to increase visitor spending by record numbers in the state. Billie Jo also worked in marketing at Wells Fargo and gained an understanding of public finance and local government issues while serving as the Minnehaha County Treasurer. Lastly, Billie Jo was the Public Affairs and Research Manager for the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce where she led market research, public relations and marketing efforts.
Billie Jo has a Bachelor’s Degree in both Business Administration and International Government from Augustana College and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota.