FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Thank you Chairman Sarbanes, Ranking Member Gramm and Members of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. I am honored that President Bush has nominated me to serve as Director of the Mint and I thank you for the privilege of appearing here today. If confirmed, I will have the opportunity and the challenge to work with Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and to meet his high standards for operating a world class production facility. I will work to deliver the benefits of quality, efficiency and worker safety. President Bush has outlined an administration that is business-like in its approach to government. That is the approach I intend to take.

Americans have come to expect a safe and reliable currency in our pockets, in our cash registers, in the vending machines, and in the transit fare turnstiles across our nation. Our currency must be smart, with an electromagnetic signature; it must be durable to last through 30 years of trips to the beach, fast food counters, and through laundry machines. And our coinage must tell the story of our nation, passing along the chronicle of our nation' s rich heritage. We have a responsibility to educate the public about their history, for it was an urgent, but not a simple matter when the Senate and the House assembled in 1792, and set the standards for a Mint to create the nation' s coinage. The Coin Act also required the Mint to protect and account for the nation' s treasure, which it still does today. And I will have a challenge to encourage and maintain the enthusiasm of the coin collecting community.

If confirmed, I look forward to working closely with this Committee, the Senate and with members of the House of Representatives. I have had the pleasure of working with you before and look forward to doing so again. I believe in the idea that every American should serve their nation' s interests and should bring with them the ideas of other arenas. For me, those arenas are business and non-profit.

I was born in Chicago, Illinois, grew up in California, and graduated from Wellesley College in 1970. I worked in General Services Administration and received a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Northern Colorado. For the past 24 years I have managed and owned a wire and metal products manufacturing company servicing the construction industry with factories in Nevada, Arizona and California.

From 1989-1993 I served in the U.S. Agency for International Development and was confirmed twice by the Senate, once as Assistant Administrator for Private Enterprise and once as Assistant Administrator for Asia. Since that time, I have served on several non-profit and public corporate boards, traveled, and run my business. These experiences have exposed me to different aspects of America' s interests that, I believe, better prepare me for the challenge at hand. It would be an honor to again serve in government.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would be pleased to answer any questions.