Former Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios Designated to be Chair of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission
Rios Becomes the First Woman to Lead the Bi-Partisan Commission
Washington, D.C. (July 27, 2022) — Former Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios has been designated as the Chair for the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, the Congressional Commission charged with planning the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
Rios was first appointed to the Commission on January 11, 2018, and was designated to be chair by President Biden. The Chair of the Commission was formerly held by Dan DiLella, who will continue to serve as a commissioner.
“I’m very proud to lead this historic effort, and I am grateful for this opportunity,” U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission Chair Rosie Rios said. “Bringing the country together to recognize the nation’s founding after 250 years is one of the greatest honors one can experience personally, but it will also provide an opportunity for all of us to share our collective experiences of what it means to be an American on a global platform. I deeply appreciate Dan DiLella’s leadership and that he will remain a vital part of the Commission. I will continue to build on all the progress made by Dan, fellow Commissioners, America250 Foundation President Joe Daniels and a talented and committed staff.”
“Rosie Rios has dedicated her life to making this country and the lives of others better,” Commissioner Dan DiLella said. “Like my fellow Commissioners, I wanted to serve the country and be a part of this special moment in our history to inspire the future leaders and protectors of our great democracy. Rosie recognizes the importance of this historic moment and will lead a successful 250th commemoration of which our nation will be proud and the world will remember.”
“Rosie is a uniter who brings a wealth of experience, an inclusive perspective, and a respected track record of serving the American people. She has dedicated her life to helping our nation live up to its ideals of liberty, freedom and justice through public service and civic engagement,” America250 President and CEO Joe Daniels said. “After four years of visionary leadership from Dan DiLella, Rosie is the best possible person to build on our strong foundation and ensure that the 250th inspires and engages all Americans around this historic milestone.”
Rosie Rios is the CEO of Red River Associates, an investment management consulting firm, and a co-host of Unicorn Hunters, a reality series focused on pre-IPO investments. She served as the 43rd Treasurer of the United States and was the CEO of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the U.S. Mint, including Fort Knox. She also initiated and led the efforts to place a portrait of a woman on U.S. currency for the first time in over a century. Upon her resignation in 2016, she received the Hamilton Award, the highest honor bestowed in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Rios was the longest serving Senate-confirmed Treasury official beginning with her time on the Treasury/Federal Reserve Transition Team in November 2008 at the height of the financial crisis. Following her tenure, she was a Visiting Scholar at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University with a focus on Millennials/Post-Millennials. Most recently, Rios served on the Treasury Transition Team for President Joe Biden with a focus on market liquidity and Treasury management.
In her role as Treasurer of the United States, Rois’ day-to-day responsibilities included overseeing all currency and coin production activities with almost 4,000-employees in eight facilities nationwide and an annual budget of approximately $5 billion. In the first five years of her tenure, she saved over $1 billion by implementing strategic efficiencies while meeting increased production demand and increasing employee morale at record levels. Her signature currently appears on a world-record $1.7 trillion of U.S. currency out of the approximately $2.2 trillion in circulation worldwide.
Rois’ entire career has focused on real estate finance, economic development, and urban revitalization in both the public and private sectors. Prior to her presidential appointment in Treasury, Rios was Managing Director of Investments for MacFarlane Partners, a $22 billion real estate investment management firm based in San Francisco.
Rois is a graduate of Harvard University and is the first Latina in Harvard’s 386-year history to have a portrait commissioned in her honor. Her portrait was officially unveiled at Winthrop House in May of 2019. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Her personal passion includes serving as Founder and CEO of EMPOWERMENT2026, an initiative that facilitates the physical recognition of historical American women. Its educational projects highlighting historical American women in classrooms across the country include Teachers Righting History and Notable Women, an Augmented Reality initiative in collaboration with Google. In August of 2020 she was honored as one of USA Today’s Women of the Century.
Prior to Rios’ designation, DiLella was designated as the Chairperson of the United States Semiquincentennial Commission in February 2018, following his prior appointment by Congress as one of the Commission’s 16 private citizens.
During his tenure as Chair, DiLella led building the infrastructure and operations of the Commission and the America250 Foundation. He helped to secure more than $20 million in federal and private funds. DiLella was key in the July 2021 public launch of America250’s PSA and public awareness campaign. Under his leadership, 30 state commissions were formed and 23 federal agencies signed partnership agreements with the nonprofit. Several national partners were created during DiLella’s time as Chair, including with Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and the National Football League. The NFL in 2021 partnered on an annual awards program recognizing Americans who exemplify the American spirit. The awardees were announced during the 2021 Thanksgiving NFL game.
Contact:
Michael Frazier, [email protected]
Michael Shulansky, [email protected]