The Montana Department of Labor and Industry is under new leadership. Gov. Greg Gianforte selected Sarah Swanson for the role of commissioner.
Swanson has served as the department’s director of strategic engagement since 2021 and worked as chief of staff for the state Office of Public Instruction before that. She previously managed a four-store John Deere equipment business based in northeast Montana.
In a statement, Swanson said she intends to “address the long-standing disconnect between employers and education, to modernize IT systems and to deliver meaningful red-tape relief to Main Street.”
Former labor commissioner Laurie Esau resigned in July following a DUI arrest.