The United States will have its first Native American Treasurer

US President Joe Biden has announced his intention to appoint Marilyn Mallerba, the leader of the Mohegan tribe, as the nation’s treasurer, the first time a Native American signature has appeared on a US currency.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who visited the Rosebud Sioux tribe in South Dakota yesterday, also announced the creation of a new Treasury Office of Tribal and Indigenous Affairs, which will report to the Treasurer and manage tribal relations.

Malierba’s appointment would also add Yellen’s signature to US currency, which was banned without an acting cashier. Since Yellen took office, dollar bills bearing the signature of former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been printed.

The appointment helps narrow down a long list of high-level job openings at the Treasury.

The treasurer position has been vacant since January 2020, when Jovita Carranza left the position to become a business manager in the administration of former President Donald Trump. The treasurer oversees the mint, printing and engraving office, and the $270 billion gold storage facility in Fort Knox and is a key contact with the Federal Reserve.

“With this announcement, we commit ourselves even more deeply to the Indian nation,” Yellen said. “Chief Malerba will expand our relationship with tribal nations, and will continue our joint efforts to support the development of tribal economies and economic opportunities for their citizens.”

Malerba has been the leader of the Connecticut-based Mohegan Tribe since 2010 and previously chaired its tribal council and was its Executive Director of Health and Human Services.