The Center for Alcohol Policy (CAP) presented Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Authority Deputy Secretary to the Board Chris Curtis with its Leadership in Alcohol Regulation Award yesterday during the 11th Annual Alcohol Law and Policy Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. The national award recognizes the work of regulators who oversee the alcohol industry and promote public safety.
In presenting this year’s award, CAP Advisory Council Member Patrick Lynch said, “Chris’s span of service with Virginia ABC and his experience mediating between the legislature, industry stakeholders and Virginia ABC is what impressed us. His listening ear and balanced approach to regulatory initiatives makes him this year’s very deserving recipient of the Leadership in Alcohol Regulation Award.”
“Chris’s collaborative nature and vast knowledge of alcohol policy and regulation make him an asset to both the regulators he works with and the community in which he works,” said Virginia ABC Chief Executive Officer Travis Hill. “He’s a significant contributor to shaping alcohol policies that enhance public safety; he has aided other states in their policy-making and has led Virginia to its position as a thought leader among them. I am personally indebted to him for his sage advice and counsel that provide such benefit to Virginia ABC and the commonwealth.”
Chris Curtis’ career with Virginia ABC spans more than four decades. He started with Virginia ABC as a store clerk while he pursued an undergraduate degree in political science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. After graduating, he accepted a position as a special agent in Virginia ABC’s Bureau of Law Enforcement. For nearly 30 years, Curtis held various positions within the Bureau, including director until retiring from law enforcement in 2005.
He then served as a regional program director at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation’s National Center for Alcohol Law Enforcement until returning to Virginia ABC in 2011 as deputy secretary to the board. In this role, he serves on the executive leadership team, supporting the chief executive officer and Virginia ABC’s board of directors in the daily operation of the agency to include strategic plan guidance, and developing legislative and regulatory proposals.
Curtis is the second Virginia ABC executive to receive the Leadership in Alcohol Regulation Award. In 2013, the first year CAP presented the award, former Virginia ABC Board Chair J. Neal Insley was a co-recipient.
