After a scathing audit, the state tourism board fires director Kathy McKillip.
She has been the director for the past 4 years since it became an independent agency.
This was a unanimous decision by the board to fire McKillip immediately. She was suspended with pay when the board met last week.
"We received the audit, and we were very concerned when we received the audit and that's why we addressed it very aggressively," said tourism board president John Chapo.
#BREAKING: State tourism board FIRES Kathy Mckillip. @action3news pic.twitter.com/jys6UKKPzY
— Nick Starling (@NickStarlingTV) May 26, 2016
The audit showed McKillip overspent over 4-million dollars on an advertising contract over 40-thousand for a speaker at their annual convention and reimbursing a contractor for alcohol and cigarettes.
The tourism board president John Chapo says they took the audit very seriously and its time to move on.
Chapo says current deputy director Heather Hogue will be interim director and will work closely with Governor Pete Ricketts, the legislature and the public to choose the next director.
