GPO Deputy Director Becomes First Woman to Lead Bureau of Engraving and Printing

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) Deputy Director Patty Collins has been named the 27th Director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen. Collins is the first woman to hold the position in BEP’s 162-year history. Collins leaves GPO after nearly four years serving as the Agency’s second-in-command.  She led GPO’s Plant Operations, Security and Intelligent Documents, Official Journals of Government and Customer Services business units. In this role, Collins oversaw the production of the U.S. passport, materials for Congress, the White House, and Federal Agencies. GPO Chief of Staff Steve LeBlanc will serve as GPO Acting Deputy Director.

“While I am sad to lose my partner in the GPO leadership team, I am thrilled for Patty and congratulate her on making history,” said GPO Director Hugh Nathanial Halpern. “I know from experience Patty’s leadership will be positive for BEP and the Nation. On behalf of the entire GPO team, we thank Patty for gracing GPO with her leadership, tenacity, and sense of humor. I know that all of her teammates wish her well in her new role.”

Prior to joining GPO in May 2020, Collins was a Principal consultant at the McChrystal Group where she focused on leadership development and guiding clients through complex challenges in the public and private business sectors.

She retired as a Colonel following a 24-year-career in the U.S. Army. She spent seven of those years within the Joint Special Operations Command. During her military career, Collins was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Balkans. A pioneer in her field, Collins was one of a small number of women to serve in Special Operations and was the first woman in the Department of Defense to complete the Military Free Fall Jumpmaster Course.

In 2006, following her return to Ft. Bragg, NC from Iraq, she was hit by a car while riding her bike to work. The injury was so severe Collins elected to have her leg amputated below the knee. Upon rehabilitation, she continued her military service for nine more years, which included a deployment to Afghanistan. She retired from active duty in 2015. In 2016 she represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the sport of triathlon. A native of Hackettstown, NJ, Collins holds a Master of Science from The Eisenhower School, National Defense University and a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University.