PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREW WELLMAN
The Vermont
Department of
Liquor Control
is focused on maximizing
resources while embracing
modernization.
By Melissa Niksic
A
Top officials at the Vermont Department
of Liquor Control include, from left,
Michael Hogan, Commissioner; Jan
Ciemiecki, Director of Retail Operations;
Barry Richardson, Warehouse Manager;
Bill Goggins, Director of Education,
Licensing and Enforcement; Tonia Pryce,
Purchasing Coordinator; and Marcia
Gardner, Director of Sales and Marketing.
StateWays I www.stateways.com I July/August 2013
s one of the smallest control states, one might
assume that Vermont must be focused on agency
expansion and maximizing revenues. While profits
are on a constant upswing, the Vermont Department of
Liquor Control (VDLC) isn't interested in making its agency
bigger—just better.
The VDLC, headquartered in Montpelier, VT, is unique
in several respects. Unlike most control states, the position of
Commissioner is not a political appointee. Instead, the state's
Governor appoints individuals to serve on the Liquor
Control Board of Commission, and the board then oversees
the Commissioner, who in this case is Michael Hogan. After
beginning his tenure with the department as an accountant in
1986, Hogan held several other positions within the organization, including Director of Operations. He was appointed
to the role of Commissioner in 1998, and has served in that
capacity ever since. Hogan is a member of the Governor's
Extended Cabinet and advises various committees in the
Vermont Legislature on alcohol beverage law.
"The department is operated like a business," explains
Stephanie O'Brien, Commission Chairperson. "It's a real
luxury to have Michael basically acting as a CEO of this forprofit organization. We're very proud of this continuity in
leadership within the department."
The Commissioner role isn't the only distinctive aspect
of the VDLC's leadership setup. The board itself is noteworthy due to its relatively small size, having expanded from a
three-member group to five members in 2012. The group
regularly convenes on a monthly basis, unless an emergency
situation warrants additional meetings. A citizen board, the
group is volunteer-based and is currently comprised of three
males and two females. (O'Brien, who has a background in
real estate development, was appointed as the board's first
female member back in 2007. She then became the first
female Chairperson in 2011.) In addition to a gender balance, the board members represent a diverse age range as
well as various areas of the state.
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