The new director of the Department of Alcoholic Beverages Control (ABC), Timothy Gorsuch, has spent most of his professional life working for the agency. As the new chief regulator of the state’s alcoholic beverage industry and its 85,000 licensees, he directs more than 200 special agents in criminal investigations and enforcement matters.

Gorsuch received an associates degree in administration of justice from Shasta College in 1986 and a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice from California State University, Sacramento in 1988. The native Californian also received a certificate of leadership in law enforcement from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy at the University of Virginia in March of 2009.

Gorsuch was a construction manager specialist for the U.S. Department of Defense after he left CalState. He started his career at the ABC in September 1993 as an investigator in the San Jose district office. Two years later, he was picked for ABC’s Special Operations Unit in Sacramento where he also served on a California Department of Justice Interagency Narcotics Task Force in Northern California.

In 1999, Gorsuch was promoted to supervising investigator and assigned to the Stockton district office. He was bumped up to district administrator two years later and during the next five years he served as the district administrator in the Sacramento district office and as ABC’s legislative officer. In 2006, he was promoted to deputy division chief of Northern California and in 2007 was appointed as the acting assistant director of administration.

Outside the workplace, Gorsuch also served as a major-battalion executive officer in the California Army National Guard for 1983-2004.

Gorsuch was appointed ABC chief deputy director in 2008 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and was reappointed to the post by Governor Jerry Brown in June 2013.

Gorsuch replaced ABC Director Jacob Appelsmith, who left to become chief campus counsel at University of California, Davis in September 2013. Governor Brown announced his appointment as director in October. Gorsuch is a Republican.

Gorsuch is married to his wife Susan and his interests include rock climbing, mountain climbing, snowboarding and wake boarding.

–Ken Broder

To Learn More:

Director Timothy Gorsuch (Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control)

Tim Gorsuch (LinkIn)

Governor Appoints Timothy Gorsuch ABC’s Chief Deputy Director (Department of Alcoholic Beverages Control) (pdf)