NASCA Announces Giles as an Alternate on its Executive Committee

Friday, December 10, 2021

LEXINGTON, Ky – The National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA) announced the election of Misty Ann Giles as an Alternate on its Executive Committee.

Giles currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer under Governor Gianforte, who also appointed her to serve as the Director of the Montana Department of Administration in that capacity.

In her role as Director, Giles oversees government operations that provide business services to other state agencies. In addition, her purview includes the regulation of banks and other state financial institutions and operates to provide a wide range of additional services to citizens, businesses, and other government entities. While serving as Director, Giles has worked to streamline agency operations and continues to lead renewed efforts to bring better and more efficient services to Montanans.

Director Giles will serve the association well in an Executive Committee role with over a decade of state and federal government experience. Giles likewise looks forward to serving on the Executive Committee. “I am grateful for the opportunity to join the National Association of State Chief Administrators Executive Committee. I look forward to working with the Committee to share best practices, collaborate on emerging issues, and support its initiatives,” said Giles.  

Before assuming the COO and Director role, Giles served as Chief of Staff for Rural Development at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). As Chief of Staff, she directed and oversaw all aspects of daily operations related to the $239 billion dollar loan portfolio delivered by nearly 500 employees and 477 offices nationwide.

Giles has managed 13 operational realignments and modernizations within Rural Development and overseen core initiatives such as the successful implementation of the Farm Bill and ReConnect broadband program. She also served as the focal point of contact and spokesperson to the Office of the Secretary and Deputy Undersecretary for Rural Development on complex matters, with the responsibility to ensure proper and timely attention was devoted to high level, high priority, urgent and controversial issues, problems or situation which arose in the course of responding to operational challenges or policy initiatives generated by the Office of the Secretary, Department-level executive offices, Congress, and the White House.

Giles also served as Deputy Chief of Staff where she focused on regulatory and fiscal policy for Rural Development. As Senior Advisor to the Office of Congressional Relations and the Office of the Secretary, Giles advised on a range of congressional and policy issues related to agricultural marketing, animal and plant health, infrastructure, broadband, housing, water, climate and sustainability, and transportation, managed requests from the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight.

Before joining USDA, Giles served seven years in leadership roles for both former Governor Sonny Perdue and former Governor Nathan Deal. While working for Perdue, she served as Policy Advisor over public safety and regulatory issues and managed one of the largest legislative portfolios within the policy team. Perdue appointed her Deputy Director over the Public Safety and General Government Division at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget where she directed fiscal policy for 45 state agencies.

Under Governor Deal’s leadership, she continued to serve in this role and was promoted to Deputy Director of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. As Deputy Director, she directed 75 staff and a portfolio that included federal and state grants totaling $220 million and collaboration with 600 state and local sub-grant recipients.

Giles holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego (USD). She served as the Editor-in-Chief of the San Diego Law Review and as a Teaching Assistant for Legal Writing and Research. She was the first part-time student to ever serve in these roles at USD. She also holds a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts from Georgia Southern University.

For more information about NASCA, please visit www.nasca.org.