Casino Enterprise Management

Janie Dillard

Executive Director of Gaming
Choctaw Casinos

Janie Dillard, executive director of gaming at Choctaw Casinos, has been a hard worker since the age of 13. Dillard says her drive and work ethic come from her parents, who she began imitating at her first job as a waitress in a small Oklahoma café. Dillard says her parents never told her they couldn’t afford something she wanted. She was told, “You can work hard, so work hard and you can get it.” And she did.

This drive pushed Dillard through the ranks of the Choctaw Nation to get to where she is today. Dillard started as a bingo floor supervisor at the Choctaw’s first gaming facility outside of Durant, Okla. “I thought, that’s a challenge that I would love to be a part of,” Dillard recalls. She had been working at an office job for the tribe and was married with two young sons at the time.

Dillard’s husband at the time disagreed with her desire to take the new job. “Which I guess is what helped me realize he and I had different career paths,” Dillard says. “He didn’t see a woman wanting to have a career in an environment like that. He thought that was more a man’s world. And I said I don’t care if it’s a man’s world or not, I just think it’s a great opportunity for me to showcase what I can do for our tribe.”

Dillard loved the job and would stay at work late into the night to watch the money being counted and know right away what that night’s deposit amount was. She managed to start a successful career while going through a divorce, despite knowing that the career she loved was a major contributor to the ending of her marriage. “But this is what I wanted to do. This is the career I wanted. This is the way I wanted my path to go,” Dillard says. “I realized that just after I started with bingo, and I never looked back. I never let it hold me down.”

Dillard’s career grew as the Choctaw Nation’s gaming business grew from a bingo hall to a 1,400-slot floor casino to a nearly 4,000-slot floor casino at one of its 18 gaming locations. Dillard’s roots keep her grounded, which she believes is very important as she now serves as executive director of gaming for Choctaw Casinos. “I have been very blessed by this position that I am in,” Dillard says. “I could easily go back to any of those positions that people have right now, housekeeping or whatever. I’ve worked through all those different areas of this operation and I know what people deal with on a day in and day out basis of getting up every day, coming to work, maybe not really feeling like I want to go to work today, but I’ve got bills to pay. I’ve been there, I’ve done that. I have gone and pawned jewelry to be able to go cover an NSF check that I had.”

Astonished by her own success at times, Dillard is most proud of the work she and the 3,000-person team at Choctaw Casinos have done that has resulted in creating many beneficial programs and services for their community. Dillard explains: “With the help of gaming revenue, our tribe has built clinics, hospitals and community centers for our seniors. The money that we generate from our gaming operation funds nearly 90 percent of our tribal budget and continues to enhance the quality of life for our tribal people and communities.”

Dillard’s passion for her job carries her through the challenges she meets. Some of those challenges are ones a man in her position may not face. She gives an example of walking into construction meetings to discuss projects at Choctaw properties. Most of the time, the room is full of men. “And they look up at you like, ‘What are you doing here? Are you in the wrong meeting?’”

Dillard says before she walks into these situations, she prepares herself by becoming knowledgeable on the topic and psyching herself up. “So that you’ve got the confidence and you can sit down at that table and earn their respect,” Dillard says.

As a strong leader, Dillard says she believes one of her responsibilities is to be a role model to her team members. She says, “I think a lot of my role is being a mentor for people to grow, work hard, be loyal and remain dedicated.” This is why Dillard shares her personal challenges and successes with others—to help them see that hurdles can be overcome.

One of Dillard’s mentors is actually a past Great Women of Gaming winner. Carole Carter is now the owner of e-gads! and was previously CEO and president at Harrah’s St. Louis. Dillard says: “Oh my God, I’m in the same category as Carole! She’s somebody that I want to be like when I grow up!” At that point I had to break it to Dillard that this might mean she has grown up. 

To women who aspire to be like Dillard one day, she recommends to not be afraid and step out of their comfort zone. “Work hard, be committed and believe you can do anything and everything. Earn the respect of others, but do not demand it,” she says.

When Dillard isn’t working hard, you can find her spending time with her family. She is married now and has two adult sons. One lives in Oklahoma and has a daughter and the other lives in Nebraska and has a new baby boy. He is currently serving in Iraq with the Air Force.

Even a go-getter like Dillard needs a little down time, and her favorite place to spend it is on the farm with her husband, who she considers her best friend. She explains: “I can just enjoy the country life and enjoy my animals. That’s peace to me; that’s what it’s all about.” SKC