Gov. Gary R. Herbert has announced appointments to his cabinet and senior staff:
Tani Downing has been appointed as the Executive Director of the Department of Administrative Services. Downing currently serves as the state risk manager for the State of Utah. Prior to her current position, she held several additional positions within state government, including deputy chief of staff and general counsel to Gov. Jon Huntsman, executive director of the Utah Department of Workforce Services, and associate general counsel to the legislature.
Jaceson Maughan has been appointed as Commissioner of the Utah Labor Commission. Maughan was appointed as deputy commissioner and general counsel for the Utah Labor Commission in April 2013. Prior to his appointment, Maughan worked as legal counsel for the Department of Workforce Services. He has also served as an assistant attorney general with the Attorney General’s Office, where he represented the State of Utah in the recovery of Medicaid funds, condemnation actions, and child support issues.
Jill Remington Love has been appointed as Executive Director of the Department of Heritage and Arts. Love brings more than twenty years of service experience in government, including work with Salt Lake City Mayors Ted Wilson, Palmer DePaulis and Ralph Becker. Most recently, she served in Mayor Ralph Becker’s cabinet as director of community and economic development, responsible for planning, housing and neighborhood development, the Salt Lake City Arts Council, and economic development for Salt Lake City. Love previously served 12 years on the Salt Lake City Council.
Paul Edwards has been appointed as a Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor over communications and policy. Edwards will serve as primary spokesman for the Herbert administration. He currently serves as editor and publisher of the Deseret News. Prior to joining the Deseret News, Edwards served as executive vice president and provost at Southern Virginia University, as the president of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and as vice president for academic affairs at the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University.
Sal Petilos has been reappointed as Executive Director of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Petilos was appointed as acting director of the department in 2012. He began his career in state government as an internal auditor with the Office of the Legislative Auditor General. Petilos then joined the Utah Department of Administrative Services internal audit team, and was eventually promoted to director of internal audit. He served as deputy director of the Department of Administrative Services prior to being appointed director of DABC.
“I look forward to welcoming these talented individuals to my administration,” Gov. Herbert said. “These individuals are uniquely qualified for the positions to which they have been appointed. I am confident that each will serve with dignity and integrity as we labor together to ensure that Utah remains the best place to live, work and raise a family,”
The appointments of Tani Downing, Jaceson Maughan, Jill Remington Love and Sal Petilos are subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate.
