FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 25, 2024 No. 24-07

GPO MEDIA CONTACT: GARY SOMERSET 202.512.1957 | mb 202.355.3997 | gsomerset@gpo.gov 

GPO DEPUTY DIRECTOR BECOMES FIRST WOMAN TO 

LEAD BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING

WASHINGTON – 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.

GPO is the Federal Government’s resource for publishing trusted information for the 

Federal Government to the American people. The GPO is responsible for the production 

and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal 

Government, including U.S. passports for the Department of State as well as the official 

publications of Congress, the White House, and other Federal agencies in digital and print 

formats. GPO provides for permanent public access to Federal Government information at 

no charge through www.GovInfo.gov and partnerships with approximately 1,100 libraries 

nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library Program. For more 

information, please visit www.gpo.gov.

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