Leonard Olijar
Director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Assumed office
May 2015[1]
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byLarry R. Felix
Personal details
Born
Leonard Richard Olijar

September 1959 (1959-09) (age 64)
Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Residence(s)Centreville, Virginia, U.S.
EducationPennsylvania State University (BS)
University of Colorado Denver (MS)

Leonard R. Olijar is an American government official who has served as the director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing since 2015. As director, Olijar is responsible for managing the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, an agency within the United States Department of the Treasury tasked with producing Federal Reserve Notes, paper currencies, and United States Treasury securities.[2]

Early life and education

Born in September 1959, Olijar grew up in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Burrell High School, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Pennsylvania State University in 1980, followed by a master's degree in accounting from the University of Colorado Denver in 1987.[3]

Career

Olijar began his career at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1989 as a systems accountant. In 2006, he became chief financial officer of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. In January 2013, Olijar became the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.[4] Olijar was nominated to serve as Director by Barack Obama in 2015.[5] As Director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Olijar is responsible for the redesign of the $10, $20 and $50 bills, a process former U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew described as "painfully slow", particularly as it relates to the replacement of Andrew Jackson by Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, announced by Lew in 2016.[6]

Personal life

Olijar resides in Centreville, Virginia, with his wife, Suzanne. They have two daughters.

References

  1. ^ "U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing - Office of the Director".
  2. ^ "U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing - Office of the Director". www.moneyfactory.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  3. ^ "Director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing: Who Is Len Olijar?". AllGov. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  4. ^ Apuzzo, Matt; Caldwell, Alicia A.; Press, Associated (2008-08-03). "HE WHO CARRIES A BUNCH OF MONEY". SFGate. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  5. ^ Fernandez, Marisa. "Obama appointees say Trump administration didn't delay $20 redesign". Axios. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  6. ^ Linskey, Annie (2021-06-05). "When will Harriet Tubman adorn the $20 bill". The Washington Post.
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