The U.S. treasury secretary announced the appointment of a Native American woman to a top post and the creation of a new office Tuesday while visiting a South Dakota reservation.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. She was joined by the newly appointed treasurer of the United States, Marilynn Malerba, a lifetime chief of the Mohegan Tribe and the first Native American to serve as the nation’s treasurer. In that job, Malerba will oversee the U.S. Mint, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and Fort Knox, and will serve as a liaison with the Federal Reserve.
Malerba will also lead the newly created Office of Tribal and Native Affairs.
Malerba says she is excited for the office to get started on projects that will help tribal communities.
“For us to have an Office of Tribal and Native Affairs and to have a Native woman be the first Native treasurer ever in the United States is really important to me, because we will be able to see some of those projects come to fruition."
Yellen says the new Office of Tribal and Native Affairs was developed to underscore the department’s commitment to tribal nations.
“Reservations are centers of economic opportunity for millions of tribal and non-tribal members — and they merit deep investment by the federal government and our private sector partners."
Rosebud officials say the two are the first high-ranking officials of the Treasury to visit a South Dakota reservation. The Rosebud Reservation is located on the southern edge of central South Dakota.
