Sarah McNaught has announced that she will end her service as chairman of the Indiana Horse Racing Commission, effective July 2, 2012.

McNaught shared her decision to step down at the June 25, 2012 Indiana Horse Racing Commission meeting. Her term was set to expire in September of 2014. Governor Mitch Daniels has tapped William Diener to replace McNaught as chairman of the commission.

McNaught served as chairman of the commission for seven years. During McNaught’s term, the commission established 'Integrity ’06,' an initiative to ensure greater compliance with the commission’s rules by enhancing deterrents and improving the ability to detect specific integrity-based regulation violations, and engender greater confidence of racing patrons nationwide in Indiana’s pari-mutuel horse racing. The commission also established comprehensive out-of-competition testing rules while McNaught was chairman and was the first state in the United States to adopt the Racing Commissioners International model rule regulating anabolic steroids.

"It was indeed a great honour to serve in Governor Daniels' administration, as we on the commission tried to uphold the highest standards of safety and integrity for the sport," McNaught said.

Diener is an attorney who practiced at Ice Miller, LLC until his retirement. His practice focused on the representation of regulated industries, including horse racing and riverboat gambling. Mr. Diener received the Chairman’s Award from the Indiana Horse Racing Commission in 2007. He currently resides in Indianapolis and volunteers for IPS No. 42 and the Pendleton Correctional Facility.

“I am honoured Governor Daniels appointed me to serve as chair of one of the finest commissions in the State of Indiana, and which commission, under the guidance of executive director Joe Gorajec, is a model for other state horse racing commissions in North America,” Diener said. “I am at the same time humbled, knowing the very high bar which the immediate past chair has set, but I pledge my best to ensure integrity and safety in the pari-mutuel industry.”

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 the newly-appointed chairman, the commission consists of the following members: Jason Barclay, Doug Grimes, Jim Lauck, and Steve Schaefer. The members of the commission are appointed to four-year terms. No more than three members of the commission can be from the same political party.

(IHRC)