Maria M. Delaney
ABRA Director
Maria M. Delaney is the first Director of the District of Columbia's Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration. She was appointed in July, 2002. Ms. Delaney has led the agency’s efforts to revive the District’s underage drinking compliance efforts and its training and coordination of enforcement efforts with the Metropolitan Police Department, and has also worked with other law enforcement agencies in all areas.
Prior to her appointment in DC, she rose to the rank of the Director of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Liquor Control Division. One of Ms. Delaney’s accomplishments was to bring state, federal and local law enforcement agencies together in combating underage drinking while investigating hidden/straw ownerships. In her 25 year law enforcement/regulatory tenure, she has worked: as an inspector for the Connecticut Motor Vehicle Department, investigating odometer cases and stolen vehicles; as an investigator for the Connecticut State's Attorney's Office, ensuring that there was probable cause of arrest and search warrants that were applied for by various law enforcement agencies, ensuring the prepping of the witnesses including police officers, and finding witnesses to the crime; as an investigator for the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office in the Organized Crime and Narcotics Unit assigned to the DEA Task Force; and for the District of Connecticut's United States Attorney's Office in the Asset Forfeiture Division.
In 1975, she received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of New Haven in Law Enforcement and Business Administration. She has attended several career courses in search and seizure, laws of arrest, management, diversity training and professional ethics. She also attended continuing professional development classes offered by the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association, International Chief's of Police (IACP), and the FBI National Academy Association.
