WSLCB - Executive Management Team
(September 16, 2020) - Chief Nordhorn’s New Role

[ Event Details ]

Deputy Director Megan Duffy discussed Enforcement Chief Justin Nordhorn’s upcoming transfer to a new policy oversight position in the Director’s Office, and Nordhorn followed up with insights into his future role.

  • According to a WSLCB 2017 Topics & Trends bulletin, Nordhorn started with the agency in 1998 before becoming Enforcement Chief in 2011. In addition to the implementation of I-502 during his tenure as chief, the Enforcement division was also named Liquor Enforcement Agency of the Year in 2017 by the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association (NLLEA). Nordhorn served as NLLEA Board President from 2017-2018.
  • Duffy told board members that Nordhorn was “transitioning into a Policy and External Affairs Director position” with WSLCB “overseeing the Policy and Rules group” led by Kathy Hoffman. She said Hoffman had been “creating an internal structure to kind of carry out the work that’s been going on during COVID” and that Nordhorn’s role would “make it a more permanent fixture.” Furthermore, Nordhorn would become responsible for a “not yet formed outreach group which will also consist of existing employees throughout the agency.” Duffy explained that a centralized policy-making, interpretation, and communications structure had been recommended in the enforcement report produced by consulting firm Hillard Heintze in December 2019. She added that Nordhorn was expected to retain “his current position until we would find a new chief to run Enforcement” at which time he’d “shift into that director position” (audio - 3m).
  • While Nordhorn did not speak to his new duties, he did touch on subjects included in the portfolio Duffy outlined:
    • During his status update on the reorganization of the Education and Enforcement division, Nordhorn said he was collaborating with Director of Communications Brian Smith on “outreach efforts” which would feature a “video series” that was focused on external audiences. “Right now we’ve only been focused on the internal piece of that,” he observed, and “we want to either adapt those or polish them up to be able to share with the external stakeholders as well” to provide an “opportunity to see how we’re training folks and what the expectations are on those laws and rules” (audio - 12m).
    • Later, Nordhorn said that Enforcement was engaged in “a lot of assessments on our policies” and advisories the agency provides to implement a consultation and education approach throughout the division. He was complimentary of Hoffman, whom he said was “creating some structure around” the policy assessment process to plan for “the concerns that may be raised and what types of positions” WSLCB might “want to take if we see a legislative request come in.” Nordhorn framed this as basic preparation for “any type of position that the agency may want to take” (audio - 4m).

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