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| MARY ROBIN CASTEEL - APPOINTED TO FULL TIME DIRECTOR OF ABC ADMINISTRATION |
(News release) – Governor Asa Hutchinson has appointed Mary Robin
Casteel as Director of the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control. Casteel
has served as interim director since the departure of former director,
Bud Roberts, in May.
“The
ABC faces a number of challenges in the near future, and continuity of
leadership will help ensure the success of the agency,” Governor
Hutchinson said. “Mary Robin has proven herself a capable leader and an
authority on ABC operations. We’re glad she’s agreed to stay on.”
Casteel,
a licensed attorney, had previously submitted her resignation and
planned to return to private practice. The former director, Bud Roberts,
resigned May 26th, and Casteel agreed to serve as interim director at
that time.
Casteel,
38, joined ABC in 2013. The ABC regulates the manufacture and sale of
alcoholic beverages in Arkansas, and currently oversees more than 5,000
permit holders in the state. Under the Arkansas Medical Marijuana
Amendment, which voters adopted in November, the ABC will also regulate
licensed dispensaries and cultivation facilities.
“We’ve
got a lot of work to do in the coming months related to medical
marijuana, as well as the always busy work of regulating alcohol,”
Casteel said. “But we have a good team, and I’m glad to remain a part of
it.”
Casteel resigned from the agency back on May 19th to go into a private practice of law, a a self proclaimed long-time goal.
