Spanberger declined to reappoint Virginia ABC head

Gov. Abigail Spanberger has declined to reappoint Dale Farino as CEO of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, ending his tenure after more than two years in the role. Longtime agency executive Thomas Kirby is acting CEO, the governor’s office confirmed late Friday.

Kirby, who joined Virginia ABC in 2001 as a special agent in the Hampton and Richmond regional offices, most recently served as chief operating officer and overseer of Virginia ABC’s Bureau of Law Enforcement.

Kirby also served as interim CEO beginning in November 2023 after then-CEO Travis Hill resigned. Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed Farino, who was vice chair of the Virginia ABC board, to be permanent CEO in April 2024.

Hill, who became CEO in 2018 after serving as chief operating officer, led Virginia ABC’s transition from a state agency to an independent authority. He resigned in November 2023 after reports that employees had embezzled money from seven ABC stores in 2022. The Youngkin administration had also publicly criticized the authority’s declining profits and rising costs.

Farino joined Sandston-based Breakthru Beverage Virginia in 1993 and retired in 2023 as executive vice president after holding numerous leadership positions. He also served as president of the Virginia Wine Wholesalers Association from 2019 to 2023. Earlier in his career, he worked for Tidewater Wholesalers and Coca-Cola Bottling. A former Marine Corps artillery officer, Farino graduated from the University of Richmond.

The leadership change comes as Virginia ABC faces slowing alcohol sales and changing consumer habits.

In May, the Virginia ABC Authority expected to return about $231 million in proceeds to the state’s general fund by June 30, the end of the fiscal year, exceeding the state’s profit transfer requirement by about $500,000.

To do it, they found about $5.2 million in operating-expense underruns.

In its fiscal 2025 annual report, Virginia ABC said it expects retail sales to continue declining in fiscal 2026 because of changing drinking habits, competition from beer, wine and marijuana, and persistent inflation.

In a 2025 report by Gallup, only 54% of adults said they consumed alcohol. It is the lowest percentage since the Washington, D.C.-based analytics firm began tracking Americans’ drinking behavior in 1939.

“This coincides with a growing belief among Americans that moderate alcohol consumption is bad for one’s health, now the majority view for the first time,” Gallup said in a statement.

A May 26 letter sent to Spanberger from Diageo, a multinational alcoholic beverage company, and 10 state and national industry organizations, requested that she reappoint Farino.

“The alcohol industry nationwide is facing some of the most significant sales declines and market disruptions in generations, including changing consumer preferences and declining volume trends across several beverage categories,” the letter stated. “This is exactly the moment when Virginia needs experienced leadership that understands both the business realities of the alcohol marketplace and the significant operational responsibilities of ABC.”

On Tuesday Farino sent an email to the authority’s employees announcing Friday would be his last day in the role, which he described as one of the highlights of his career.

“Together, we have faced challenges, celebrated successes and remained focused on serving the public interest,” Farino wrote.