Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Geno Fragnito, Susan McCarville, and Gary Sigfrinius to the Gambling Control Board.

Fragnito, of Woodbury, is the director of government relations with the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants (MNCPA). Previously, he has held positions with the Minnesota State Lottery as legislative coordinator and assistant to the director. He was also a committee administrator with the Minnesota State Senate. Fragnito earned his bachelor of arts degree from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. He is the president of the Spinnaker Cove Association Board of Directors and has been a guest instructor with the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management Masters of Business Taxation Program. Fragnito is appointed to a four-year term that expires on June 30, 2014, and replaces Gerald Dexter on the board.

McCarville, of Hopkins, has been an administrative employee with the city of Eden Prairie for 24 years and is also an owner of Mac’s Liquor Store in Hopkins. She served on the Hopkins Raspberry Festival Board of Directors, Executive Board and Finance Committee; was a gambling manager with the West Suburban Junior Kodiaks Hockey Team; is active in the Elks and Lions clubs, is a member of the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board; and – along with her husband – was the Hopkins Rotary’s “Community Persons of the Year” last year. She is a graduate of the Brown Institute in Minneapolis. McCarville is appointed to a four-year term that expires on June 30, 2014, and replaces Shirleen Hoffman on the board.

Sigfrinius, of Forest Lake, has been the Forest Lake Fire Chief for 16 years, serving full-time since 2004. Previously, he was a lieutenant colonel and the civil/military support officer with the Minnesota National Guard, where he directed the National Guard’s response in a number of floods and tornadoes as well as searches for Katie Poyier and Dru Sjodin. He enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard in 1970 and was commissioned as a Military Intelligence Officer in 1977. Sigfrinius earned his bachelor of arts degree in organizational management and communications from Concordia College in St. Paul, and is a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College. Sigfrinius replaces Christine Long on the board to complete a four-year term that expires on June 30, 2012.

The Gambling Control Board issues, suspends and revokes licenses of organizations, bingo halls, distributors and manufacturers of gambling equipment, registers gambling equipment, collects license fees and inspects records, conducts hearings to insure integrity of operations and compliance with all applicable laws and rules. The Gambling Control Board consists of seven members, including five appointed by the Governor.