Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has appointed attorney William Diener as chairman of the Indiana Horse Racing Commission to replace Sarah McNaught, who has stepped down effective July 2.
According to a release, McNaught, whose term was scheduled to expire in September 2014, told the commission June 25 that she was leaving the position she has held for seven years.
During McNaught's tenure as chairman, the IHRC established an initiative to ensure greater compliance with the commission's rule by enhancing deterrents in improving the ability to detect specific integrity-based regulation violations and to engender greater confidence in the state's pari-mutuel industry, according to the release.
In addition, the IHRC said the commission established comprehensive out-of-competition testing rules while McNaught was chairman and was the first state in the United States to adopt the Association of Racing Commissioners International model rule regulating anabolic steroids.
Diener is an attorney who practiced at Ice Miller, LLC until his retirement from a practice focused on the representation of regulated industries, including horse racing and riverboat gambling. Diener, who resides in Indianapolis, received the chairman's award from the IHRC in 2007.
Diener received his bachelor's degree from Wabash College, his law degree from Indiana University, his master's degree in English literature from Butler University, and his master's degree in law from George Washington University. Diener's first meeting likely will be scheduled for August. His term will expire in September of 2014.
In addition to Diener, the commission consists of Jason Barclay, Doug Grimes, Jim Lauck, and Steve Schaefer. Commissioners are appointed to four-year terms and no more than three members of the commission can be from the same political party.