Last November, I wrote an open letter to then President-elect Barack Obama about his choice to be Director of the US Mint. In that letter, I asked for someone more qualified than the current director.
Earlier this month, David Ganz wrote an article describing his experiences with Mint directors and his suggestion as to the qualifications for the next Mint director. According to Ganz, the successful Mint directors in recent history has had the following qualifications (quoting from his article):
- Are political, most typically on a national level (consistent with the President’s policies)
- Have a working relationship with either the Treasury secretary, the President or both
- Are good listeners
- Hear their own bureaucracy but reach out to other sectors
- Don’t necessarily have technical knowledge but are quick studies
- Have an entrepreneur’s spirit
- Aren’t lemmings
- Speak enthusiastically to the various segments of the Mint’s constituency
- Come from various segments of society
- Work well with members of Congress (both sides of the aisle)
- Understands what staff’s role actually is.
- Know were the buck stops
Ganz concludes that, “[none] of this definitely says who should be the next Mint director. But this list surely defines who is unlikely to be successful by type and experience.”
I hope the president and his staff has read these comments and finds a proper director for the US Mint.