Gov. Greg Gianforte announced Monday that he has appointed state Rep. Marta Bertoglio as the director of the Montana Department of Commerce, the agency that administers state business development grants and conducts other economic development efforts.
Bertoglio, a third-term Republican from Clancy, fills a vacancy created in February after then-commerce director Paul Green, himself a former Republican lawmaker from Hardin, left the role to run Big Sky Economic Development, the regional economic development authority that serves the Billings area. Deputy Commerce Director Mandy Rambo had been leading the agency in the interim.
In a written statement Monday, Gianforte called Bertoglio a “driven leader” who had “been a strong partner in the Legislature.”
“With Marta at the helm of the Department of Commerce, I am confident in her ability to recruit businesses that create good-paying jobs, helping more Montanans achieve the American dream,” Gianforte said.
The governor’s announcement indicates that Bertgolio, a Deer Lodge native, had served as an Air Force officer after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1991. She and her husband returned to Montana in 2007 and she started Helena-based real-estate firm Uncommon Ground in 2016. She also served as a Montana City School Board trustee before being elected to the Legislature in 2020.
“Having grown up in a small Montana town, I know how important business is to helping build community,” Bertoglio said in the governor’s release. “By fostering resilient communities and making sure Montana is the best place to do business, we can create a bright future for our state.”
Excluding Rambo, Bertoglio will be Gianforte’s third commerce director since he took office in 2021. His initial appointee, Scott Osterman, resigned in late 2023, with Green being appointed in January 2024.According to the state’s employee pay dashboard, Green was paid $68.20 an hour as commerce director, equivalent to a full-time salary of roughly $142,000 a year.
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