Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Casino Queen recently named Jeff Watson as general manager. Watson is filling the position most recently held by Tom Monaghan, who stepped down for medical reasons during 2009.
Watson had been serving as acting general manager since May 2009, and he previously served as both general counsel and assistant general manager. As general manager, Watson will oversee 16 departments and 745 employees, and will be responsible for daily operations, including staff additions, promotions, compensation and benefits. He will also be the Casino Queen’s key contact for the Illinois Gaming Board.
A Belleville native, Watson began his legal career in 1994 working as a public defender for St. Clair County before joining a private practice as a partner of Belleville-based Dusek, Lopinot and Watson, which focused on criminal, municipal, family and general civil law. Watson joined the Casino Queen in 2000 as the company’s general counsel, a position he continues to hold today. In 2007, he was promoted, taking on additional responsibilities as assistant general manager and gaining significant insight into the day-to-day operations of the gaming facility and adjacent hotel.
Watson currently serves as a member of the Board of Commissioners for Metro, the region’s transit agency. He also is a member of the East St. Louis Bar Association, having served on the board of directors since 2007. He has been an active member of the board of the St. Clair County Bar Association, holding various officer positions from 2005 through 2008 before being appointed president in 2009. He served on the St. Clair County Board of Public Health from 2000-2003.
Comments
chasham (anonymous) says...
Jeff Watson will be a great GM for the Casino Queen, as he would have been a great lawyer, judge, financier, or college president or anything else he decided to become! It was my privilege to have been associated with Jeff for a brief time, and I was impressed with his overall ability and common-sense approach to problems! Congratulations, Jeff!
March 17, 2010 at 8:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )