WASHINGTON – The United States Mint is pleased to announce that Secretary of the Treasury John W. Snow has appointed three new members to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC), completing the full committee makeup of 11 members. The CCAC includes a diverse slate of experts in the arts, history, and numismatics, along with citizens from all walks of life.

“The advice we receive from the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee is the invaluable voice of the American people,” said United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore.

Secretary Snow has appointed Robert V. Remini of Wilmette, Illinois, a historian with a specialty in the Jacksonian era, to provide experience in the field of American History. Dr. Remini is the author of numerous historical works and is currently writing a history of the U.S. House of Representatives under the direction of the Library of Congress. Dr. Remini holds a B.S. degree from Fordham and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University.

To provide experience in the field of Numismatics, Secretary Snow has appointed Bill Fivaz of Dunwoody, Georgia. A coin collector for more than 50 years, Mr. Fivaz served on the Board of Governors of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) from 1985 to 1989. In 1995, he was the recipient of the ANA’s highest honor, the Farran Zerbe Award. Mr. Fivaz was also named ANA’s Numismatist of the Year in 2001. Retired after a 36-year career with the Nestle Co., Inc., Mr. Fivaz holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.

Secretary Snow has appointed Rita Laws of Eastern Oklahoma County to represent the interests of the general public. A member of the Oklahoma Choctaw tribe and a former secondary school history teacher, Dr. Laws has worked as a writer, researcher, adoption advocate and consultant for more than twenty years, and is a third generation coin and medal collector. The author of Indian Peace Medals and Related Items: Collecting the Symbols of Peace and Friendship, Dr. Laws holds a B.A. in Secondary Education from the University of Dallas and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Psychology from California Coast University.

Established by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to an Act of Congress in 2003, the CCAC advises the Secretary on theme or design proposals relating to circulating coinage, bullion coinage, Congressional gold medals, and national and other medals produced by the United States Mint. The Congressional leadership recommends candidates for four of the CCAC members to the Secretary of the Treasury. The other seven memberships are filled by the Secretary through an open application process. The Secretary exercises direction and authority over the body.