Leadership

A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Commerce Director Paul Green assumed leadership of the agency in 2024 after serving in the Montana House of Representatives. Director Green championed tax relief, economic development, red tape reform and workforce housing development while he represented House District 41.

Director Green has extensive leadership experience earned in the private and public sectors, as well as a strong background in economic development, serving as executive director of Two Rivers Economic Development Authority and as a leader with the Montana Economic Developers Association. He later started and ran a small business, and oversaw maintenance and civil engineering for Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Bureau of Land Management, respectively.

In addition to farming and ranching with his family near Hardin for nearly three decades, Director Green has held various volunteer leadership positions in the area. He has served on the Board of Directors for Little Horn State Bank since 2007, and in 2019, helped found the Big Horn County Search and Rescue for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Persons, where he served as director until 2022. For nearly 20 years, Director Green has coached football, baseball, softball and wrestling in Big Horn County.

Mitch Staley is a Dillon native and resident who joins the Department of Commerce from the private sector having worked in high tech marketing and business development for seven years with Helix Business Solutions. Prior to Helix, Mitch worked as a private communications consultant for some of Montana's most impactful initiatives.

Mitch is a graduate of Brigham Young University and holds a BA in Communications - Public Relations. Mitch has served as board president for the Beaverhead Chamber of Commerce, Bannack Association and as a member of the City of Dillon and Beaverhead County Planning Boards and loves his community. Mitch, his wife, Camille and their daughter enjoy being outdoors, riding dirt bikes, camping and home improvement projects.

Jenny Pelej is the Destination MT Division Administrator. Though she originally came to the state from Wisconsin, Jenny’s Montana connections run deep. The majority of her more than 19-year career in communications, promotions and policy has been spent working in government or non-profit organizations throughout the state. The remaining years of her career were spent with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Jenny holds a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources and Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree in Public Relations from Montana State University. Jenny loves trail running, fishing, skiing and exploring all Montana has to offer with her son. (And since she came to Montana, she has lived in Helena twice, as well as Billings, Kalispell, Missoula and Bigfork.)

Galen Steffens is the Community MT Division Administrator. Galen returned to the Department of Commerce after serving as the Water Quality Planning Bureau Chief at the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Prior to her time at DEQ, Galen was the Community Planning Program Manager at the Department of Commerce and also previously worked as a city planner for the City of Great Falls.

Galen grew up on a farm in Colorado and has lived in Montana for the past 20 years. She is a graduate of the University of Montana and is an avid backpacker and general all-around lover of the outdoors. Galen is passionate about making a difference in the state in which she lives, works and recreates. Galen lives in Helena with her two children, husband and dog.