LONG-TIME IOWA LOTTERY STAFFER SERVES AS ACTING CEO FOLLOWING RETIREMENT OF DR. ED STANEK

DES MOINES, Iowa - Following Wednesday's retirement of Iowa Lottery CEO Dr. Ed Stanek, a long-time lottery staffer will serve as acting chief executive officer until a permanent successor is named.

Iowa law provides that in the absence of the CEO, the executive vice president of the lottery will act as its CEO. Ken Brickman of Des Moines has been the lottery's executive vice president and chief operating officer since May 1995. Brickman, 67, had also previously held comparable positions with the Illinois Lottery and Louisiana Lottery Corp. He received a law degree in 1970 from the University of Missouri and a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Economics from Culver-Stockton College.

The Lottery CEO is appointed by the governor and must be confirmed by the Iowa Senate. Stanek had been the lottery's CEO since its inception in 1985.

“I view my role as that of caretaker,” Brickman said Thursday. “I will not tender my name as a candidate for the CEO position. Whomever the governor appoints to fill the vacancy pending confirmation will need time to settle in to the position and begin to develop policy for the future direction the lottery will take.

“We will miss Ed but we will not miss a beat in continuing with our mission. We are all members of a winning team. The proof is in the proceeds we have transferred over the years and our excellent reputation with the citizens of Iowa.”