Montana and Government

David G. Sanders, a fourth-generation Montanan, currently serves as the chief of staff for Montana State Auditor I Commissioner of Securities and Insurance James Brown. Sanders was formerly executive director of the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC). The PSC regulates private investor-owned electric, natural gas, telephone, water and sewer utilities, and certain motor carriers. Additionally, the Commission oversees intrastate railroad safety and natural gas storage and pipeline safety.

Prior to his service in the Montana state government, Sanders founded a governmental and public affairs consultancy specializing in public policy analysis, elections analysis, and political and strategic communications consulting. David provides public policy analysis and strategic advice in the fields of politics, international affairs, international trade, energy, transportation, financial services and regulatory policy. The election analysis service Sanders founded currently provides detailed, daily political and public opinion analysis of the U.S. political environment to more than 80 Fortune 500 firms, national and international industry trade associations, labor organizations and political action committees.

Prior his experience in the private sector, Mr. Sanders was the CEO of the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC), the U.S. government-owned corporation that operates and maintains the U.S. sections of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system, the international waterway that connects the industrial and agricultural heartland of North America to the rest of the world.  While leading the U.S. St. Lawrence Seaway, Mr. Sanders led a reform agenda that dramatically improved the performance of the waterway in the areas of safety, system reliability, competitiveness and economic impact. Policy reforms that Mr. Sanders introduced led to the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation’s designation as the first U.S. government agency to become fully quality-assured under the ISO 9001 quality assurance regime.  

Under his leadership, the SLSDC became the first U.S. government organization to have a "performance-based budget” approved by the U.S. Congress. During his tenure,, Sanders led international trade development missions to more than 25 nations. These trade development efforts to expand U.S. and Canadian trade opportunities spanned six continents and more than doubled the international cargo throughput through the international waterway in less than seven years.     

Having been the architect of the performance management system for his agency that was rated best in the U.S. government, while leading the Seaway agency, Mr. Sanders became a member of the U.S. Department of Transportation's senior management team and the U.S. Secretary of Transportation selected Mr. Sanders to lead the U.S. DOT Systems Change and Accountability Working Group.  There he provided leadership to new strategic planning and performance planning efforts that were rated best in government by the Government Accounting Office and the Government Reform and Oversight Committees of the U.S. Congress.   

Prior to his work at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Mr. Sanders served as the Minority Staff Director of the Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Sanders was the member of the Committee’s professional investigative staff responsible for international trade policy, international export policy, bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, export administration, export control policy, intellectual property protection, and international development policy and multilateral financial institutions.  While serving in the Congress, he became recognized for his expertise on international trade policy and practice, especially as it relates to the export of U.S. products to Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. 

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