Women make a historic first for U.S. currency

By Leigh Hartman

When Marilynn Malerba assumes the role of treasurer of the United States, two women’s signatures will appear on U.S. bills, a historic first for U.S. currency.

President Biden announced his plan to appoint Malerba U.S. treasurer June 21. Malerba, who is chief of the Connecticut-based Mohegan Tribe, will be the first Native American to serve as treasurer.

Malerba’s signature will appear on all U.S. bills along with the signature of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. “I am deeply honored that Chief Malerba will serve as the nation’s Treasurer,” Yellen said June 21. “This is an historic appointment.”

Yellen is the first woman to serve as secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The Biden-Harris administration is the most diverse government in American history, with many Cabinet and executive branch officials from gender-diverse and minority groups across America that have been previously underrepresented at the highest levels of government.

As treasurer, Malerba will oversee the U.S. Mint, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Fort Knox, and serve as a senior adviser to Yellen. She will also oversee the Treasury Department’s newly created Office of Tribal and Native Affairs.

Malerba was appointed the first female chief in modern history of the Mohegan Tribe in 2010. She previously served in the tribe’s government and had a lengthy career as a registered nurse.

“I am honored and humbled by Secretary Yellen and the Biden Administration’s commitment to ensuring that all voices are heard by Treasury as we work together to create an equitable and just society,” Malerba said in a June 21 statement.