David Motl is the Third Acting Director of the United States Mint since 2011
Now that it looks certain that the United States Mint will soon have a properly appointed Director for the first time since George W. Bush’s nominee, Ed Moy, was sworn in as the 38th Director of the United States Mint on September 5, 2006, the period of Acting Directors will come to an end.
The mint has had a series of Acting Directors (Deputy Directors) since Moy’s resignation on January 9, 2011. Richard Peterson, Rhett Jeppson and David Moti served as very capable custodians of the Mint. The current custodian is David Motl, Deputy Director.
All three Acting Directors can share the credit for improving the designs on United States coins and medals. They made significant internal changes to an institution that is otherwise slow to change. The result of their efforts to improve the art on coins and medals was recognized by the 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative coin which was the first American coin design to win a Krause Coin of the Year award since 2007
Longstanding Director Vacancy
The office of Director dates back to the creation of the U.S. Mint under the Coinage Act of 1792. While the Director initially served at the pleasure of the President, the Coinage Act of 1873 established a five-year term. The Director serves as chief officer of the U.S. Mint, and operates with general directions from the Secretary of the Treasury.
President Barak Obama nominated Jeppson to become the 39th director of the U.S. Mint. However, the nomination never came to a vote of the full Senate. The U.S. Mint has not had a presidentially appointed director since Edmund C. Moy left the position in January 2011. The Trump Administration has not indicated who the President may nominate as U.S. Mint Director.
Who is David Motl?
As detailed by the U.S. Mint, Acting Deputy Director Motl has worked for the federal government since 1986. He began his career as an accounting intern with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and quickly assumed greater responsibility. In 1996, he became an Accounting Officer for Federal Prison Industries in Washington, D.C.
Motl’s next position in the Federal Prisons was as Superintendent of Industries for the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. In the executive position, he oversaw the employment of over 350 inmates and operations of four factories. Two year later, Motl was appointed Associate Warden of the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey. In this role, Motl ran the largest Prison Industry Operation in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, consisting of five factories and employing over 900 inmates, as well as educational and recreation programs for the 4,000 inmates housed at the facility. He later returned to a finance position as Deputy Controller for Federal Prison Industries.
In June 2006, Motl was selected as the Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the United States Mint. Six years later, he became the Chief Financial Officer. From January 2016 through January 2017, Motl served as Acting Deputy Director for Management. During his federal career, Motl has received several awards, including the Mint’s Rittenhouse Medal for Excellence in Leadership.