Commission
The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Commission is created under Iowa Code section 123.5 and is comprised of five members appointed by the governor subject to confirmation by the senate. Commissioners are appointed for 5-year staggered terms and are chosen on the basis of managerial ability and experience as business executives. Commissioners are eligible for one 5-year reappointment.
The commission is required by law to meet on July 1 of each year and at the call of the commission chairman or chairwoman or when any three members file a written request for hearing with the chairman or chairwoman. The commission acts as a policy-making body and serves in an advisory capacity to the Division administrator. Commissioners may review, affirm, reverse or amend all actions of the administrator in the wholesaling of liquor and intoxicating liquor, and in the licensing and regulating of Iowa’s alcoholic beverages industry.
Have questions, comments or concerns you'd like the Commission to address? Contact them here.
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Greg Nashleanas – Chairperson
Greg Nashleanas was appointed to the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Commission May 1, 2008, and is the current Chairperson for the Commission. Commissioner Nashleanas has served as Vice-Chair and Secretary in the past. Currently Commissioner Nashleanas is employed at L & L Distributing Co. in Sioux City, and has been since 1979 as a General Manager. Prior to his current position at L & L Distributing Commissioner Nashleanas owned Northwest Iowa Beer Distribution. In addition to his duties with the Commission, Mr. Nashleanas has served on the Board of Directors of the War Eagle Council of the Area Boy Scouts of America and Telco Credit Union, and has also been involved with the community, including the support and mission of treatment centers and the recovering community in the Siouxland area. Commissioner Nashleanas’s term will expire in April of 2013, but he is eligible for a second 5-year appointment.
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Jim Clayton – Vice-Chair
Jim Clayton was appointed to the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Commission February 14, 2005, and is the current Vice-Chair for the Commission. He has also served as Chairperson and Secretary. Commissioner Clayton is a graduate of Beloit College with B.A. degree and is the owner of The Soap Opera, a 30-year retail specialty store in Iowa City. He was the co-chairperson of The Stepping Up Coalition, a campus community initiative to reduce the harmful effects of high risk drinking by students at the University of Iowa, and served as the project coordinator from December 2002 until July of 2005. Previously, Commissioner Clayton owned and operated the Desoto Hotel in Galena, IL and managed the bar and restaurant in the hotel. Commissioner Clayton lives in rural Iowa City. His second term will expire in April of 2014.
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Claire Celsi – Secretary
Claire Celsi was appointed to the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Commission on May 1, 2010, and serves as the Secretary. Commissioner Celsi is a graduate of Drake University and a lecturer and adjunct professor at her alma mater where she has taught in the Business School and School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Commissioner Celsi serves on the School of Journalism and Mass Communication National Advisory Board. Additionally, she is the owner of The Public Relations Project, a consulting firm that assists businesses, government agencies and educational institutions in developing and implementing social media and public relations programs. An avid blogger, she’s been writing about public relations and social media for four years on her blog. Commissioner Celsi resides in Des Moines. Her first term expires in April of 2015, but she is eligible for a second 5-year appointment.
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Rick Hunsaker
Rick Hunsaker was appointed to the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Commission on May 1, 2006. Commissioner Hunsaker has served as Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary for the Commission. He is a graduate of Drake University, receiving a B.A. in 1988 and a Masters of Public Administration in 1990. He is the Executive Director of Region XII Council of Governments in Carroll, a regional agency serving 6 counties and 60 cities in west central Iowa. Commissioner Hunsaker serves on the Board of Directors for the Iowa Association of Regional Councils (current chair), the Association of Iowa Workforce Partners, Carroll Area Development Cooperation, and Western Iowa Advantage, an eight county cooperative marketing group. Mr. Hunsaker is a member of the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance. He is the current treasurer of Depot Center, Ltd., a local non-profit historic preservation organization. Commissioner Hunsaker resides in Carroll. Governor Branstad appointed him to a second term in 2011, which expires in April of 2016.
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Mary Hunter
Mary Hunter was appointed to the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Commission May 1, 2002. She has also served as Chairperson, Vice-Chair and Secretary of the Commission. Commissioner Hunter is a graduate of Drake University with a Business Management and Marketing degree and is currently employed at Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, as an Executive Director. Commissioner Hunter is a school volunteer and is involved with Variety Club, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the American Business Women's Association. She holds a leadership position as President of the ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) since January 2007. Commissioner Hunter’s second term will expire in April of 2012.
