The lecture, “This was not a part of my plan, but here I am!” detailed the twists and turns in Malerba’s career that took her from nurse to chief of the Mohegan tribe, to her current post as Treasurer of the United States.

Chief Malerba ’83, H’10, DAA ‘17, was welcomed to the Deans’ Lecture by USJ President Rhona Free and was introduced by Dean of the School of Pharmacy and Physician Assistant Studies Ahmed Abdelmageed, who called the new lecture series an opportunity to “engage our community in an evening of ideas and inspiration.”

U.S. Treasurer Lynn Malerba. Courtesy photo

“There is an old Yiddish saying, ‘Man plans, and God laughs.’ I had a plan for my life,” began Malerba, a member of the Mohegan Tribe who grew up in Uncasville, CT.

That plan was to become a nurse. One of seven children of “financially challenged” parents, Malerba received a scholarship from her high school, allowing her to attend Hartford Hospital’s Nursing School and get her RN diploma. She later attended USJ – when it was the Saint Joseph College – which had started a new RN to BSN (Bachelor of Nursing) degree.

“Saint Joseph College really changed my trajectory,” she told the USJ audience. “I knew I needed more education than just an RN diploma. Saint Joseph College gave me the space to learn new skills.”

With her new degree, Malerba left her job as an ICU nurse at Hartford Hospital to join Lawrence & Memorial Hospital where she eventually was named director of Cardiology and Pulmonology – all a part of her plan to work in the healthcare field in service of others. But three subsequent “twists” took her in new directions.

“The first twist was when I was on the tribal board working on economic development on our tribal land. I was asked to work in Health and Human Services for the [Mohegan] Tribe,” she said. “It was a leap of faith and I said ‘Yes.’”

Malerba became director of Mohegan Health and Human Services and served as vice chair of the Mohegan Tribal Council.

The second twist was when she received a call from tribal elders who asked her to consider becoming Chief of the Mohegan Tribe. She decided to follow in the footsteps of her great-grandfather and mother, both of whom held leadership roles in the tribe, “took the leap,” and became Mohegan Chief in 2010.

Twist number three was the call from President Biden’s administration asking Malerba to serve as U.S. Treasurer. “The first thing I did was google, ‘What does the Treasurer do?’” she joked. But she said yes and now oversees the operations of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the United States Mint. With her appointment, American currency now for the first time in history features the signatures of two women – Chief Malerba and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen.

“It has been quite an adventure,” Chief Malerba said.

Over the years Malerba has maintained close ties with USJ. A former member of the USJ Board of Trustees, she praised the University and its founders, the Sisters of Mercy.

“USJ changes with the times and meets the needs of its community,” she said. “The Sisters of Mercy are kind of sassy … they don’t sit back and let things happen. They use their voices for good.”

During a “question and answer” period, when asked what advice she would give to young women, she shared a tip that could apply to anyone:

“Embrace the opportunities that come to you,” she said. “When you embrace opportunities and say, ‘Yes,’ it could lead to this kind of adventure.”

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