Senate committee favorably recommends Erica Evans to lead Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services

Senator Evan Vickers, chair of the Senate Business, Labor and Confirmation Committee, told members on Aug. 18 that the committee would consider Erica Evans for executive director of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services, commonly known as DABs, and invited her to speak to the panel.

Evans said she was "truly honored to have been nominated by Governor Cox to serve as executive director of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services, better known to most as DABs." She described more than a decade of legal and public-service work in Utah and California and said, if confirmed, her first priorities would be operational efficiency and transparency.

The committee favorably recommended Evans to the full Senate by voice vote, recorded as unanimous (6-0).

Why it matters: DABs operates the state—s alcohol retail system and licenses and enforces alcohol laws in Utah; testimony to the committee described the agency as a large enterprise that returns substantial revenue to the state and supports prevention and public-safety programs.

Evans summarized her relevant background: six years at the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel; service as deputy director of legal and regulatory affairs at DABs overseeing licensing and compliance; and recent work managing internal operations for the Legislature. She told the committee she has drafted alcohol legislation and worked directly with licensed businesses and intends to continue a collaborative approach between the agency and the Legislature.

On the control-state model, Evans told Senator Cal Musselman that she "values the benefit of the control state model" and that her role would be to enforce the law "with fidelity" to how the Legislature directs. She said she has been comparing practices with other control states to better explain and apply the model in day-to-day operations.

Committee members pressed on retail operations and customer service. Evans said improving customer experience starts with internal operations: finishing an enterprise resource planning update, reducing paper processes, and building on a recently launched online licensing and compliance system that she said transformed that division's interaction with the public. "One of the mantras that Tiffany Clayson brought into the department that I continue to want to support is coming from a place of 'yes,'" she said.

Public testimony and endorsements accompanied the nomination. Steve Handy, chair of the Alcoholic Beverage Services Commission, told the committee DABs maintains 52 state stores, about 30 package agencies, roughly 900 employees, and a roughly $600 million enterprise that returns in the neighborhood of $100 million a year to the state general fund. Tiffany Clayson, the former DABs executive director who preceded Evans, and Dave Davis, president of the Utah Retail Merchants Association and Utah Food Industry Association, each urged confirmation, citing Evans's legal knowledge of "32B" and retail experience.

Discussion versus decision: the committee—s questioning and the public endorsements were part of the confirmation hearing (discussion). The committee then took formal action: Senator Sandell moved to forward Evans's nomination with a favorable recommendation to the full Senate; the committee recorded a unanimous favorable recommendation (6-0).

What remains: the committee—s favorable recommendation moves the nomination to the full Senate for final confirmation.

Ending: Evans thanked the committee and said she welcomed follow-up questions. The Senate committee adjourned and later considered two other nominations on the Aug. 18 agenda.