Christy Bjornson Named Director of Alcoholic Beverage Control Division

Christy Bjornson (Photo provided by the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration)

Former Arkansas deputy prosecuting attorney Christy Bjornson has been named director of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Division.

The move takes effect Monday. Bjornson follows Doralee Chandler, who stepped down in January to join Attorney General Tim Griffin’s legal staff. Trent Minner, regulatory administrator for the state Department of Finance and Administration, has been serving as interim director.

Bjornson, a Little Rock native, was a deputy prosecuting attorney in the Sixth Judicial District, which covers Pulaski and Perry counties, for about seven years before she joined the Department of Finance and Administration’s field audit office in June as attorney supervisor.

In her new role, she’ll lead an agency that oversees more than 6,400 alcohol permits across the state and regulates the manufacturing and distribution of alcohol.

The agency also oversees operation of the state’s medical marijuana facilities, placing Bjornson at the forefront of recent licensing lawsuits that have cast a shadow over the growing industry.

“With years of legal experience and as a leader in our Field Audit Division, Christy understands what it takes to ensure compliance with a complex set of rules,” Jim Hudson, secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration, said in a news release. “It is also critical to have a Director who can maintain relationships with permit holders, law enforcement and leaders on the local and state level. Christy is the leader ABC needs as the Division’s responsibilities continue to expand.”

Bjornson holds a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Central Arkansas and a J.D. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.

“I am truly humbled to have the privilege of serving Arkansans as Director of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division,” Bjornson said in the release. “The agency’s hardworking staff oversee and process thousands of permits each year, and I am eager to continue serving the people of Arkansas as a member of the team!”