Rosie Rios became chair of the United States Semiquincentennial Commission in July 2022.
Rios previously served as the 43rd treasurer of the United States from 2009 to 2016. President Joe Biden designated her to lead the commission as it intensified preparations for America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Her appointment placed a former senior Treasury official at the center of the federal commemoration effort.
Rios replaced Dan DiLella, who had been designated chairman during the commission’s earlier organizational period. The commission also worked with CEO Joe Daniels, who resigned in 2022; the chair and CEO were separate roles, which can cause confusion in accounts of the organization.
The commission is responsible for encouraging and coordinating anniversary activities nationwide. It operates under the America250 banner and includes congressional members, private citizens, and federal officials. Rios’s chairmanship therefore relates to the commission’s governance, not to the presidency or to the separate White House initiatives associated with the anniversary.