BYU MPA Job Blog

Francine A. Giani, Executive Director, Utah Department of Commerce

Appointed July 2005

Lecture Class - 12:30-1:45pm TNRB 260 
Thu, October 3rd
Lunch at Brick Oven 11am-12:10pm

Ms. Giani is responsible for policymaking and management over eight Division Directors and the mission of the Department of Commerce.  With responsibility for issuing over 300,000 licenses and regulating hundreds of industries, the Department of Commerce is one of Utah’s chief regulatory agencies.  Divisions within Commerce include the Office of Property Rights Ombudsman, Office of Consumer Services, Division of Consumer Protection, Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Division of Public Utilities, Division of Real Estate and Division of Securities.

The Utah Department of Commerce is tasked with enforcing statutes that keep the business in Utah fair and ensure that consumers receive fair treatment in business transactions.

In addition to her role at Commerce, Governor Gary R. Herbert appointed Francine A. Giani as Interim Director of the Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control (DABC) in August 2011 to assist in managing the agency after the former director was asked to relinquish his position.  Giani was later confirmed as the full-time DABC Executive Director by the Utah Legislature during a special interim session in September 2011.  During her tenure at the DABC, Giani was responsible for implementing sweeping changes based on a legislative audit and internal investigation into employee practices and policies. Giani maintained her dual leadership role over Commerce and the DABC until June 2012 when a new executive director was appointed to that agency.

Previous to her appointment as Executive Director, Giani served as Director of the Division of Consumer Protection from 1992 – December 2005.  Her efforts helped strengthen Utah consumer protection laws and solidified relationships with the business community and consumer advocates.

More recently, Giani was appointed by Governor Herbert to a seat on the State of Utah Security Council in 2012.  The Utah Security Council creates IT security strategies and policies across all state agencies.

Francine Giani is a steadfast consumer advocate who presents speeches, creates public service announcements and participates in media interviews to help educate the public against fraud.  Giani has been honored for her dedication to public service through the following awards; Brigham Young University’s Romney Institute of Public Management ‘N. Dale Wright Distinguished Alumni Award’ in 2011 and Utah Business Magazine’s “30 Women to Watch” in 2012.

Before her appointment to the Governor’s Cabinet, Giani served as a press secretary and policy advisor to former Utah Governor Norman H.  Bangerter from 1984 - 1992, served as a Republican Party State delegate, and sat on the Centerville City Council member from 1992 - 2000.

She obtained her Bachelors of Arts Degree from Hunter College in New York City where she launched her career working for ABC Television.  She later received a Masters of Public Administration from the Romney Institute of Public Management at Brigham Young University.

Giani makes her home in Centerville with her husband, Rick, and their twin daughters.  She enjoys watching her daughters’ high school volleyball games, their singing recitals as well as family camping trips and hikes in Utah’s National Parks.