Ventris Gibson is the first African-American Director of the United States Mint. She became the seventh woman to hold the office after President Joe Biden nominated her in late 2021.
Former U.S. Navy air traffic controller Gibson immediately came to value the Mint’s purpose. She told CEO Magazine: “It’s a very noble one. And it speaks to who I am and the love I have for my country, for our institutions like the Mint, and for the work that we do.”
Born in Roseland, Virginia, the 68-year-old was brought up in Washington, DC, by parents who had six children. After high school, she joined the Navy and worked as a traffic controller.
She was quite interested in journalism, though, and thought about enrolling, but opted against it because of the school’s two-year waitlist. She continued to serve in the Navy as an air traffic controller, hoping to land a position with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after her duty was over.
Nonetheless, she obtained a post with Veterans Affairs first. The groundbreaker told AfroTech, “At that time, President Carter had imposed a freeze on hiring federally. Thus, I went to VA (Veterans Affairs) to see what my benefits were as a veteran, and they pretty much asked me if I wanted a job because I was an African-American, female, Vietnam-era veteran. I said, ‘Sure,’ while I was waiting for FAA to call.”
She spent 23 years working in human resources (HR) at the VA, finding passion for her profession and moving up the ranks progressively. Gibson became the VA’s “highest-ranking woman veteran responsible for human resources management and civil rights programs affecting 230,000 employees.”
She eventually secured a job at the FAA in 2003, where she served for almost nine years in positions such as assistant administrator for human resources, deputy assistant secretary for resolution management, and deputy assistant secretary for human resource management at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Then, after 35 years of public service, Gibson retired but returned to work after a year when she was offered positions within the federal government.
She returned to work for another seven years, taking on some temporary jobs and others that became permanent. Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser called her and asked her to join her senior executive team. She was asked to oversee human resources for the city’s 37,000 employees.
As Gibson prepared to retire once more, the White House called her to join the U.S. Mint, which is responsible for “manufacturing and distributing circulating, precious metal and collectible coins and national medals, and providing security over assets entrusted” by the government.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Gibson started as the acting director/deputy director in October 2021. Nine months later, the Senate oversight committee unanimously confirmed her as the 40th director.
The pioneer began actively preserving history in the process, according to AfroTech. One of her immediate initiatives was to honor the legacy of the late Harriet Tubman, well-known for her role as an Underground Railroad conductor.
She is currently leading the Harriet Tubman Commemorative Coin program, which was created in line with Public Law 117-163, the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act, according to a press release from the U.S. Mint. It includes $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins depicting Tubman at different stages of her life and work.
Gibson told the outlet, “When we think about Harriet Tubman and the sacrifice she made, she is one of my favorite heroes. Thus, when her commemorative coin came out, it resonated with me because I embrace that she sacrificed so much to lead people from being enslaved to freedom. While we aren’t called to do that today, we are called upon to make a difference. We’re called upon to be exceptional leaders.”
The collection will be available until December 31, 2024.
