Rosie Rios

In light of the pandemic economy, which is different from the financial crisis in 2008 and the federal government's response to it, Rosie Rios shares her insights on the lessons learned from her experience as an original member of the U.S. Department of the Treasury/Federal Reserve Transition Team, Treasurer of the United States for seven years, and President Biden's Treasury Transition Team, and how they apply to the present economic recovery.

During her nearly eight-year term as CEO of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the United States Mint, Treasurer Rios utilized her expertise in business to train her workforce of almost 4,000 employees to enhance production despite limited resources in the federal government. Her efforts resulted in saving over $1 billion within the first five years while also boosting employee morale at both bureaus to an unprecedented level during record production. Rios also garnered the admiration of her colleagues and union partnerships, paving the way for future success.

As the first woman in the U.S. Department of the Treasury to be Senate-confirmed during the Obama administration, and the only one to be confirmed in 2009, Treasurer Rios recounts her nearly eight-year journey from the private world of finance to the public realm of empowerment. She spearheaded initiatives such as placing a woman on the front of U.S. currency for the first time in more than a century and establishing the Treasury's annual Women in Finance Symposiums, which led to coverage in Time Magazine. Her objective is to make structural changes in how women and girls are perceived in history and in our everyday lives, from classrooms to boardrooms. Rios continues to forge strategic partnerships to create additional educational and public initiatives, inspiring awareness and action as we approach the suffrage centennial in 2020 and the nation's 250th anniversary in 2026, challenging and influencing her colleagues and the nation one person at a time.

After her historic almost eight-year tenure as Treasurer of the United States in the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Treasurer Rios served as a Visiting Scholar at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard. In 2016, she initiated her first educational project, Teachers Righting History, followed by EMPOWERMENT2026 at Harvard. She swiftly discovered that her initiatives resonated with both girls and boys, prompting her to shift her focus to Millennials and Post-Millennials. Discover how her observations about these upcoming generations will impact the social, economic, and political landscape of our nation and what we can do to help guide them to become successful, involved, healthy, and empowered leaders of the future.

It is no longer a question of if but when digital currencies will become a globally recognized and legitimate option, and the implications for traditional financial institutions, central banks, and consumers are significant. As Treasurer of the United States from 2008 to 2016, Rios was responsible for overseeing consumer payments policy and the Future of Money initiative. Additionally, as Chair of the Advanced Counterfeit Deterrence Steering Committee, she acted as a key liaison with the Federal Reserve and the Cash Product Office, as well as the Secret Service on matters related to monetary security and financial crimes. Rios currently serves on the board of Ripple, where she shares her views on the necessary framework to democratize money and improve access to capital.