Craig Purser serves as the leading advocate for America’s more than 3,000 independent beer & beverage distributors. In this role, Purser is responsible for the strategic development and tactical execution of the association’s mission in the areas of leadership and advocacy. He leads the charge to strengthen the three-tier system of beer distribution and state-based alcohol regulation.

During his tenure at NBWA, Purser has been a consensus builder among industry partners, control advocates, public health officials and elected leaders. Under Purser’s leadership, NBWA worked with a wide variety of stakeholders to help Congress pass the Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Act.

A veteran of Capitol Hill and numerous political campaigns, Purser served on the staff of former U.S. Senator and Assistant Majority Leader Don Nickles (OK) and managed the election of U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (OK). Purser has been recognized by the leading association publication CEO Update as a Top Association CEO and as a Top Association Lobbyist by The Hill newspaper. In 2002, he earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and was recognized as a Young and Aspiring Association Professional by Association TRENDS.

Purser serves as a trustee for the U. S. Capitol Historical Society and the Center for Alcohol Policy (CAP). He also serves as a Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Association Committee of 100. He is a member of the ASAE’s Key Industry Association Committee (KIAC), the Association Executives Council of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) and is the past Chair of the Bryce Harlow Foundation’s Board of Governors. He has served as a guest lecturer at the University of North Carolina, the George Washington University, and the University of Oklahoma.

A native of Oklahoma, Purser is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. He and his wife, Gretchen, reside in Alexandria, Virginia, and have three children.