Frank R. Pignanelli

Frank R. Pignanelli
Government Relations Committee Chair
Partner
Foxley & Pignanelli
USUO Board member since July 2002 (prior to that, Utah Opera Company Board member since 1990)

Frank R.  Pignanelli is native to the state of Utah and graduate of the University of Utah (History BA 1981, Juris Doctorate 1984).  He is a partner in the firm Foxley & Pignanelli, which specializes in government relations and public affairs in behalf of various national and local organizations. Consistently ranked as Utah’s “Best Of State” in government relations, the Foxley & Pignanelli team offers decades of experience in strategic political and legal problem solving, media and public relations work, public policy initiatives, and campaign consulting.

Frank is one of the youngest Utahns ever elected to state office, where he served in the House of Representatives for 10 years, six as Minority Leader. Frank was a practicing attorney and active in general litigation until 1993 when he was appointed Vice President and General Counsel of BlueCross BlueShield of Utah.

Frank also serves on the Advisory Board for the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at The University of Utah. He is a recipient of Emeritus-Lifetime membership in the Vest Pocket Business Coalition, and is the longest serving member of the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera Board.

Additionally, Frank writes a Sunday column on political activities in Utah for the state’s second-largest daily newspaper, the Deseret News. An adjunct professor with the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, he co-teaches a Campaign Management course focused on current trends in political and marketing activities. He is a frequent speaker and political commentator for various civic and business gatherings throughout the state.

Frank is married to D’Arcy Dixon Pignanelli, President/CEO of Special Olympics Utah. The three Pignanelli children rarely missed a performance in the Lollipops and Family series of the Utah Symphony during their childhood years. He has been a member of the Utah Opera Board since 1990 and believes the best Opera is sung in, or authored by an, Italian. He was elected chair of the USUO Government Relations Committee beginning September 2025.