{"id":25395,"date":"2022-06-21T05:00:28","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T09:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=25395"},"modified":"2022-06-21T02:24:36","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T06:24:36","slug":"historic-appointment-tribal-leader-named-treasurer-of-the-united-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/06\/21\/historic-appointment-tribal-leader-named-treasurer-of-the-united-states\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Historic appointment’: Tribal leader named Treasurer of the United States"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\n\t\t\tChief Lynn Malerba at White House Tribal Nations Conference\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
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Chief Lynn Malerba of the Mohegan Tribe provides an opening prayer at the White House Tribal Nations Conference.Malerba provided the prayer on November 16, 2…<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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Indianz.Com Video: Chief Lynn Malerba at White House Tribal Nations Conference<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n
‘Historic appointment’: Tribal leader named Treasurer of the United States<\/div>\r\n
Tuesday, June 21, 2022<\/div>\r\n
By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAnother Native woman is making history at the highest levels of government thanks to President Joe Biden.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nLynn Malerba<\/a>, the lifetime chief of the Mohegan Tribe<\/a>, has been chosen to serve as Treasurer of the United States<\/a>, the Biden administration announced on Tuesday. She is the first Native person to serve in the leadership role, which has been vacant for more than two years. \r\n

<\/p>\r\nAs Treasurer, Malerba will serve as a key adviser to Secretary Janet Yellen<\/a>, who is creating history of her own as the first leader of the Department of the Treasury<\/a> to visit Indian Country. Coinciding with the announcement, the pair are meeting in the afternoon<\/a> with leaders of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n \"Lynn<\/a>

Chief Lynn Malerba of the Mohegan Tribe is seen on the right posing with Indian royalty following the conclusion of the White House Tribal Nations Conference in Washington, D.C., on September 26, 2016. The event was the eighth and final one of the Barack Obama presidency. It was not carried on by Donald Trump during his one term in office. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nIn addition, Malerba will oversee the newly created Office of Tribal and Native Affairs at her department. The developments direct fresh attention to a federal agency where Indian Country’s needs have often been overlooked.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cI am deeply honored that Chief Malerba will serve as the nation\u2019s Treasurer and spearhead the department\u2019s new Office of Tribal and Native Affairs,” Yellen said in a news release<\/a> as she traveled to the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota<\/a>. “This is an historic appointment.”\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cHer leadership and experience will deepen our commitment to help expand economic opportunities for all tribal communities,” Yellen said of Malerba.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nMalerba has already been furthering her expertise as part of the Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee<\/a>. She was one of the first members named to the panel, which was established through an act of by Congress<\/a> in order to address long-standing issues affecting taxation, economic development and finance \r\nin Indian Country.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cI am honored and humbled by Secretary Yellen and the Biden administration\u2019s commitment to ensuring that all voices are heard by Treasury as we work together to create an equitable and just society,\u201d said Malerba, who became the first woman to serve chief of her tribe<\/a> following a stint as the first woman chair<\/a>.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cIt is especially important that our Native voices are respected,” Malerba added. “This appointment underscores this administration\u2019s commitment to doing just that. I am excited to serve our communities as Treasurer and for the work ahead.\u201d\r\n

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\r\n\"Lynn<\/a><\/div>\r\n
Chief Lynn Malerba of the Mohegan Tribe addresses the White House Tribal Nations Conference in Washington, D.C., on September 26, 2016. The event was the eighth and final one of the Barack Obama presidency. It was not carried on by Donald Trump during his one term in office. Photo: National Congress of American Indians<\/a><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nSince Malerba’s position does not require confirmation from the U.S. Senate<\/a>, she can begin her work immediately. Besides advising Yellen and overseeing the Office of Tribal and Native Affairs, her portfolio as Treasurer includes the U.S. Mint<\/a>, which just released a quarter featuring the likeness of Wilma Mankiller<\/a>, who was the first woman elected to lead the Cherokee Nation<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAnd in another first for a Native person, Malerba’s signature will soon be appearing on U.S. currency, along with that of Yellen’s<\/a>. The Treasurer position<\/a> has direct oversight of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nMalerba has been a consistent presence in Indian policy affairs<\/a>, including the White House Tribal Nations Summit that President Biden revived last year after it had gone dormant during the prior administration. She provided the opening blessing on the second day of the event<\/a> on November 16, 2021.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAlso on the second day, Secretary Yellen announced her intent to become the first leader of the Department of the Treasury to travel to Indian Country<\/a>. She said she was motivated to do more after learning about the struggles faced by entrepreneurs on tribal lands.\r\n

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\n\t\t\n\t\t\tShayai Lucero – Earth & Sky Floral – White House Tribal Nations Summit\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
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Shayai Lucero, a Pueblo entrepreneur, gets a special shout out during the White House Tribal Nations Summit!Lucero owns and operates Earth and Sky Floral Des…<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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Indianz.Com Video: Shayai Lucero – Earth & Sky Floral – White House Tribal Nations Summit<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nNot long after taking office earlier in 2021, Yellen heard from \r\nShayai Lucero, a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna<\/a> who runs a business on her tribe’s reservation in New Mexico. She said she realized that her department, despite being one of the most important in the U.S. government, was falling short as the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a> took a toll on people’s livelihoods.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“As we surveyed our department in those early days, we realized we didn’t have the adequate personnel, or resources, to help her,” Yellen said of her conversation with Lucero<\/a>, owner and operator of Earth & Sky Floral Designs and Gallery<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAs COVID-19 impacted American Indians and Alaska Native at disproportionate rates, the Biden administration worked closely with Congress to pass the American Rescue Plan Act<\/a> in March 2021. The law provided $20 billion in relief to tribal governments, plus another $10 billion for Indian Country programs, for a combined historic investment of more than $30 billion.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe initiatives are being touted<\/a> as Yellen meets with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe on Tuesday. Ahead of the high-level engagement, President Scott Herman told Indianz.Com that the United States must continue to do more to carry out its treaty and trust obligations.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n “America must honor its treaties, and that means protection and restoration of Indian lands, education, health care, roads, agriculture, housing, broadband, and help to make our reservations livable homes,” Herman told Indianz.Com on Tuesday morning. \r\n

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