Board of Directors
Palmetto Chapter Board of Directors
Lianne Watford
President
President
I am an Independent Business Owner with a history of working as a Senior Business Analyst in the insurance industry for over 20 years. I specialize in the areas of policy, claims and billing system support, customer training, account management, development of business requirements, specifications and test planning. Prior to the insurance industry, I received an Associate degree in Commercial Education, worked in Banking for over 10 years, and have held a South Carolina Real Estate License since 1995. However, my most coveted accomplishment is the Certified Business Analyst Professional (CBAP) designation in 2014. I live on beautiful Lake Murray with my husband and 14 year old Cocker Spaniel. In my spare time, I enjoy my 12 grandchildren and boating.
I am currently a contract Business Analyst at SC Dept of Health and Environmental Control, working for the IT Governance Officer. Previously, I was a Business Analyst/Business Solutions Consultant/Implementation Consultant for several software companies covering document management, electronic workflows, data protection and change management software. I am retired from the US Navy Reserve after spending a year supporting the US Army during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. I have over 15 years’ experience in IT Operations prior to consulting. I enjoy spending time with my wife and, when possible, with my two grown children.
I have 19 years of business analysis and software experience including requirements gathering, process design, configuration, testing, cutover, and post-go-live support on large-scale implementation projects and smaller enhancement projects. My ERP implementation and Team Lead experience includes Sales Order Management, Advanced Pricing, Advanced Preferences, Agreement Management, Inventory, and Purchase Order Management. I have also served on projects as a SME in the areas of JD Edwards Security and Segregation of Duties Analysis (SOX). While at Land O’Lakes Inc. I mentored junior IT and business staff, as well as developed curriculum and taught classes for Business Analysis boot camps.
I have over 30 years of Business Analyst experience in both the Banking industry and in the insurance industry. I hold a degree in Business/Banking and Finance from the University of SC. I joined Colonial Life Insurance in 2007 as a Business Analyst, member of the Portfolio Management organization. Within 2 years I advanced to the position of Senior Business Analyst. In March of 2018 I moved to the SAFe Field Train where the teams focus is on improvements for Colonial Life’s field agents. My husband and I live in West Columbia, SC in the home where I grew up. In our spare time we enjoy hiking in the mountains, our 18-year-old Chihuahua, "Jerri" and working to maintain a home that is over 60 years old
I have been a Business Analyst with EDENS in Columbia, SC for over 4 years. After launching a new intranet and enterprise content management platform, I continue to support application enhancements and upgrades along with other business process improvement initiatives. I relocated to SC from Grand Rapids, MI where I pursued a career in ecommerce and software implementation with a regional coffee roasting company. Projects included accounting platform development and migration, retail point-of-sale system, and a ground-up ecommerce platform. I am currently studying for my CBAP certification. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Computer Science programming certificate from Frostburg State University located in western Maryland. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband and two sons who love to bike, play soccer and be in the water.
I am currently a Business Systems Analyst at BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina for four years and a full-time student as Walden University working on completing a doctoral program in Management with my major in Organizational Change and Leadership. I have a Masters of Arts in Information Technology Management and mentoring colleges to increase their knowledge of Business Analysis and encouragement to complete courses/trainings/lectures with the Business Analysis Curriculum and work towards getting their Business Analysis Certifications to enhance their role and value to the organization.
I'm currently an IT Business Analyst in the Insurance industry. I have worked in the Insurance industry for 9 years. As a BA I have the flexibility of working with multiple teams to manage and implement the strategic visions of the organization. Some of my experiences within my Business Analyst career have included managing projects, training, facilitating status meetings, configuration, testing, system support and implementations. In my free time I enjoy traveling with my husband. I also enjoy spending quality time with my son and attending his sporting events.
Vice President of Marketing
Vice President of Community
Any one of these could be you! Please consider joining us.
If you are interested please contact us at president@palmetto.iiba.org.
Vice President of Community
Any one of these could be you! Please consider joining us.
If you are interested please contact us at president@palmetto.iiba.org.