David Ryder resigned as mint director. 1 1

[RWB]

Treasury Announces New U.S. Mint Acting Director

September 24, 2021

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced Alison Doone as the new Acting Director of the U.S. Mint. Doone previously served as Chief Administrative Officer at the Mint. Doone’s first day as Acting Director will be on October 1 as Director David J. Ryder leaves the bureau to pursue new opportunities.

“I’m excited to serve the U.S. Mint as Acting Director to help it continue its important work,” said Alison Doone. “I look forward to working alongside the devoted Mint employees across the country and supporting our ongoing efforts to ensure that we are operating efficiently and producing quality products for the American people.” 

“We thank Director Ryder for his dedicated service to the U.S. Mint and welcome Alison to serve in this role,” said Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo. “It is essential for the U.S. Mint to continue its critical operations to produce our coinage amid increased demand and safeguard American assets. I have confidence that Alison’s leadership will help us carry out this mission.”

“It was an honor to serve as the 34th and the 39th Director of the U.S. Mint,” said Director David J. Ryder. “During this global pandemic, the U.S. Mint has showcased American excellence. Not only did the Mint meet its primary mission of producing circulating coinage, but it generated near-record revenue by introducing wildly popular numismatic products at a time in which many of its peers around the world ceased operations. Thank you to all of the employees who work tirelessly and play a role in ensuring that the Mint can meet the demands of the public, deliver quality products, and operate effectively. I know that with Alison serving as Acting Director, the Mint will continue to do just that.”

Doone, a member of the Senior Executive Service since 2004, has served as the Mint’s Chief Administrative Officer since March 2021.

Before beginning her work with the Mint, Ms. Doone served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Education from August 2018 to March 2021; Deputy Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Energy from January 2013 to August 2018; Chief Financial Officer at the General Services Administration from September 2010 to January 2013; Chief and Deputy Chief Financial Officer at the Internal Revenue Service from August 2005 to September 2010; and, Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration from June 2004 to August 2005. Prior to her appointments in the SES, Ms. Doone served as a Senior Level (SL), Deputy Staff Director for Management at the Federal Election Commission from November 1999 to June 2004.

Ms. Doone holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s degree in finance from the University of Michigan.

###

It should be noted that the office of Treasurer of the United States remains vacant. The Mint Bureau reports to the Treasurer.

[Mohawk]

Maybe now there will be far fewer blatant gimmicks and low mintage wonders.  That'd be a nice change for collectors who are into modern U.S. and for those of us who deal in modern U.S. coins.

[Just Bob]

Apparently, Ms. Doone has never had a real job - in other words, a job in the private sector. I can't say that this fact gives me high expectations concerning our coinage.

I may just be overly cynical when it comes to lifetime government employees, though. 

[RWB]

Most government SES people have to manage much large organizations than equivalent private sector people. Further, public - means "public" -- private companies hide everything possible. So the two are not comparable.

When I was working my corporate "rank" was equivalent to the government SES Distinguished Senior Professional. I had about 100 people reporting to me. A government manager of the same "rank" could easily have had over 2,000 and often many more.

[Just Bob]

I didn't mean to imply that the she, or any government employee, does not know how to work. (Except, of course for MS Dept. of Transportation workers. They know how to lean on a shovel). My implication was that, never having worked in the private sector, many government workers have no clue how an average person lives, works, thinks, or carries out their daily life. My experience with career government workers is that they are out of touch with average folks.

[zadok]

On 9/27/2021 at 5:24 PM, Just Bob said:

I didn't mean to imply that the she, or any government employee, does not know how to work. (Except, of course for MS Dept. of Transportation workers. They know how to lean on a shovel). My implication was that, never having worked in the private sector, many government workers have no clue how an average person lives, works, thinks, or carries out their daily life. My experience with career government workers is that they are out of touch with average folks.

you can double down on that for elected officials n political appointees....but should exclude the career military govt employees, commonly referred to as soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines n veterans....id personally exempt the forest service, border patrol n a few other enforcement agencies as well...

[Mohawk]

On 9/27/2021 at 3:13 PM, Just Bob said:

Apparently, Ms. Doone has never had a real job - in other words, a job in the private sector. I can't say that this fact gives me high expectations concerning our coinage.

I may just be overly cynical when it comes to lifetime government employees, though. 

Can't be worse than Ryder with all of the gimmicky, stupid c-r-a-p that came out during his term.  Did we really need ASEs and AGEs with WWII Privy Marks and stupidly low mintages?  Or to start making proof ASEs at two different mints every year? Or the many low mintage wonders that only served to aggravate many collectors, such as the 2019-S Enhanced Reverse Proof ASE. Or a 5 ounce commemorative silver dollar?  I could go on and on but I won't.  We all know what's happened under Ryder's watch. 

Edited September 27, 2021 by Mohawk

[RWB]

Ryder was under constant pressure to make "more money, more money," regardless of the damage done by that pervasive attitude.

PS: Federal and state government employees cover most of the same range of work and income as those privately employed, only they tend to earn less for equivalent responsibility. I suggest that most people response differently in work situations than in social or family settings -- regardless of their employer.

[RWB]

Consider: A person responsible for a company with multiple manufacturing plants, extensive supply chains and product lines and thousands of employees whould be making several million a year in private employment. Ryder made a couple hundred K --- not even peanuts.

[Mohawk]

On 9/27/2021 at 8:43 PM, RWB said:

Ryder was under constant pressure to make "more money, more money," regardless of the damage done by that pervasive attitude.

I don't doubt that a bit.  It would explain a lot and it's an attitude that leads to a lot of shoddy products in many industries, which I feel happened under Ryder's watch for sure.  It'll probably continue....once someone has found a cash cow, they usually milk it for all its worth (no pun intended), but Ryder (and his bosses) opened Pandora's Box as far as garbage offerings from the U.S. Mint are concerned IMHO.  I think Ryder's term saw more U.S. Mint collectors get disgusted and walk away than any other Mint Director in recent times, which has done a lot of harm to the U.S. Modern segment of the hobby, which is a common entry point for many collectors and could thusly harm other areas in the hobby in the long run.

Edited September 28, 2021 by Mohawk

[Henri Charriere]

Could the products and services rendered during this man's bifurcated tenure be any worse without him.  Why does the U.S. Mint even need a director in the first place?  Just move one of the assistants waiting in the wings, and be done with it.  Or better yet, round everything off to a dollar and abolish it.

[Mohawk]

On 9/27/2021 at 11:05 PM, Quintus Arrius said:

 Or better yet, round everything off to a dollar and abolish it.

Now that's going to be an unpopular opinion around here, Quintus!!! But I can't say that you don't have a point.  Pretty much all of the coins minted now are completely useless in commerce aside from the quarter....you could do without all of the others.  The dollar could be useful, but the U.S. Government is unwilling to take the step necessary to make it useful, namely discontinuing the $1 note.  But until they do, the dollar coin falls into the useless category.  But until Laundromats catch up with your line of thinking.....guys like me are going to need those quarters if we want clean clothes........but, we don't need them with West Point mint marks.........

Edited September 28, 2021 by Mohawk

[Henri Charriere]

@Mohawk  I can only speak for New York City.  

The parking meters are gone.  You feed singles, fives or tens into a free-standing kiosk, and a card or slip is ejected which you place under your window wiper. 

E-Z pass is used by the majority of regular commuters using bridges and tunnels.  Many toll plazas have been eliminated.  If you run a Red light or use an HOV LANE (reserved for buses, a camera will be triggered and in due time you will receive a summons in the mail. If you ignore that and others, come registration time  you will not be able to renew your license.

Subways and buses have been using MetroCards for the past twenty years. They are now in the the process of switching over to tap-and-go One Metro New York [OMNY]; station agent toll booths no longer handle cash or tokens.  If there is still a "money train," it transports an armed guard, a mechanic to service the vending machines and a money man.  There are no more platoons of transit personnel carrying boxes of tokens into booths on their shoulders whose agents have been reduced to dispensing travel information to tourists.

Laundries have increasingly turned to durable card use. Empty, or near empty? You refill them by inserting the card and feeding the machine bills.

I believe it costs $49 to visit the city's newest, tall, glass enclosed skyscraper and partially glass bottomed deck that juts out over the street over a hundred stories up adjacent to Grand Central Terminal. I seriously doubt tourist are forking over bills.

Credit and debit cards in particular have no minimums due to the pandemic.

Even Coney Island sells you a round "ticket" good for $50 or $100 dollars worth of rides.

At my local pharmacy, they use credit slips. Some restaurants refuse to accept cash, a matter which is in litigation.

***

On the Federal level, letters tendered for resignation all read alike. Other than that lady who used a public address system at a Walmart to publicly lambast her employers and co-workers with a searing "F--- management" and "f---" this job before signing off, "I quit!" The only other woman I can think of who pulled a similar stunt was my sister.  And she's a retired M.B.A. who made out fine in the intervening years.   🐓 

[RWB]

In the private sector, the disgruntled simply show up with an assault rifle and kill people. (But that's what assault rifles are intended to do - so what's the problem?)

A couple of years ago, at one of the mint conferences, Ryder publicly announced he was being required by Treasury Sec Mnuchen to increase profit by at least 10%. So he wanted to sell more products to American suckers. (They gave out autographed $1 bills in the participant packets. Mine is around here someplace....)

Edited September 28, 2021 by RWB

[numisport]

On 9/27/2021 at 8:43 PM, RWB said:

Ryder was under constant pressure to make "more money, more money," regardless of the damage done by that pervasive attitude.

PS: Federal and state government employees cover most of the same range of work and income as those privately employed, only they tend to earn less for equivalent responsibility. I suggest that most people response differently in work situations than in social or family settings -- regardless of their employer.

I'm not sure how the Mint can make any money on their products not withstanding the overpriced nature and over-glorified appearance of the packaging. How about just make what we want, make what we want available and don't allow themselves to be subject to self imposed bullion shortages.

[RWB]

Leadership is required - a rare thing in an era of pervasive false information, lies, and greed.

[Mohawk]

On 10/9/2021 at 3:21 PM, RWB said:

Leadership is required - a rare thing in an era of pervasive false information, lies, and greed.

[Henri Charriere]

On 10/9/2021 at 3:21 PM, RWB said:

Leadership is required - a rare thing in an era of pervasive false information, lies, and greed.

I detect a subtle sense of self-promotion here.  Who better than you to run things?

[RWB]

On 10/9/2021 at 7:09 PM, Quintus Arrius said:

I detect a subtle sense of self-promotion here.  Who better than you to run things?

Nope. I've turned down political jobs - and would again. Anyway, at 2,367 years young, my patience with placing coins in a row is limited.

[Henri Charriere]

On 10/9/2021 at 9:07 PM, RWB said:

Nope. I've turned down political jobs - and would again. Anyway, at 2,367 years young, my patience with placing coins in a row is limited.

Perfectly understandable.