Submitted by Patrick Cassidy, Communications Director
(June 21, 2022) —- Congressman Joe Courtney issued the following statement after President Joe Biden announced the appointment of Chief Lynn Malerba, Lifetime Chief of the Mohegan Tribe, to serve as Treasurer of the United States. Chief Malerba is the first Native American to serve as U.S. Treasurer. To underscore the Department’s commitment to Tribal nations, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and the Department also announced the establishment of a new Office of Tribal and Native Affairs, which will be led by the new Treasurer and will coordinate Tribal relations across the Department.
“President Biden’s appointment of Chief Lynn Malerba as Treasurer of the United States is an inspired choice of a person with the highest integrity and competence,” said Rep. Courtney. “Chief Malerba brings a unique life experience to this position—a Native American leader of the Mohegan tribe that has contributed to our nation’s tribal people and the state of Connecticut and New England in countless ways. Chief Malerba’s training and service as a registered nurse also contributes to her perspective to the mission of Treasurer. She is a caring, empathetic person who will always be focused on the public good in her new role. Eastern Connecticut and the Mohegan Tribal Nation could not be more proud of this well deserved and historic event.”
Chief Malerba became the 18th Chief of the Mohegan Tribe in 2010. She previously served as a member of the Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee. Chief Malerba’s appointment as Treasurer of the United States will also mean that for the first time in U.S. history, a Tribal leader and Native woman’s signature will soon be seen on the nation’s currency.
