Uploaded May 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
On March 25, 2024 the US Mint released the Patsy Takemoto Mink Quarter. The Patsy Takemoto Mink Quarter is the 12th coin in the American Women Quarters™ Program. The Honorable Patsy Takemoto Mink was the first woman of color to serve in Congress. She fought for gender and racial equality, affordable childcare, and environmental protection. She is best known for championing Title IX, legislation which opened new opportunities to women in education and school sports.
Who was Patsy Takemoto Mink? What is the American Women Quarters Program? Join us for this second webinar collaboration between the UC Irvine School of Social Sciences and the US Mint to learn more about the stories coins tell and the significance of celebrating trailblazing women on the nation's money.
Panelists include:
Michele Thompson
Program Lead, American Women Quarters™
Chief, Program Management Office
United States Mint
Michele Thompson is a classically trained marketing professional with over 20 years of federal and private sector experience in strategy, product development and program management. Since joining the U.S. Mint in 2015, she has led numerous strategic marketing initiatives including the annual holiday and military campaigns, and has been instrumental in developing and implementing a new Program Management Office, where she currently serves as chief. Thompson is currently the program lead for the American Women Quarters™ Program, a multi-year coin program honoring diverse accomplishments and contributions of prominent women. In this role, she leads a cross-functional team of experts through the ideation, strategic development, and overall execution of this groundbreaking initiative.
Michele earned an MBA focused on brand management from Cornell University, and a bachelor's degree in arts from George Washington University.
Tracy Scelzo-Chavez
Program Lead, American Women Quarters™
Program Analyst, Program Management Office
United States Mint
Tracy Scelzo-Chavez serves as a program analyst at the United States Mint in Washington DC. Since joining the United States Mint in 2010, she has successfully led marketing, communication, strategic and event planning efforts for the organization. She currently serves as program lead for the American Women Quarters™ Program, a historic, groundbreaking circulating coin program focused on celebrating the achievements of inspiring American women and the contributions they have made to our nation.
Tracy holds an MBA from Fordham University and a master of arts in communication from Johns Hopkins University.
Gwendolyn Mink, Ph.D.
Independent Scholar & Author
Gwendolyn Mink is the daughter of Patsy Takemoto Mink. She is an historical political scientist who has written about racism and nativism in US labor's political formations at the turn of the 20th century; women and gender in 20th century US social policy history; and gender, race, and low income motherhood in the contemporary politics of poverty policy.
Judy Tzu-Chun Wu
Associate Dean in the School of Humanities
Professor of History and Asian American Studies
Director of the Humanities Center and the Center for Liberation, Anti-Racism, and Belonging at UC Irvine
Judy Tzu-Chun Wu is the co-author with Wendy Mink of Fierce and Fearless: Patsy Takemoto Mink, First Women of Color in Congress (New York University Press, 2022), the recipient of the 2023 Mary Nickliss Prize from the Organization of American Historians for the most original book in United States Women's and/or Gender History.
On March 25, 2024 the US Mint released the Patsy Takemoto Mink Quarter. The Patsy Takemoto Mink Quarter is the 12th coin in the American Women Quarters™ Program. The Honorable Patsy Takemoto Mink was the first woman of color to serve in Congress. She fought for gender and racial equality, affordable childcare, and environmental protection. She is best known for championing Title IX, legislation which opened new opportunities to women in education and school sports.
Who was Patsy Takemoto Mink? What is the American Women Quarters Program? Join us for this second webinar collaboration between the UC Irvine School of Social Sciences and the US Mint to learn more about the stories coins tell and the significance of celebrating trailblazing women on the nation's money.
Panelists include:
Michele Thompson
Program Lead, American Women Quarters™
Chief, Program Management Office
United States Mint
Michele Thompson is a classically trained marketing professional with over 20 years of federal and private sector experience in strategy, product development and program management. Since joining the U.S. Mint in 2015, she has led numerous strategic marketing initiatives including the annual holiday and military campaigns, and has been instrumental in developing and implementing a new Program Management Office, where she currently serves as chief. Thompson is currently the program lead for the American Women Quarters™ Program, a multi-year coin program honoring diverse accomplishments and contributions of prominent women. In this role, she leads a cross-functional team of experts through the ideation, strategic development, and overall execution of this groundbreaking initiative.
Michele earned an MBA focused on brand management from Cornell University, and a bachelor's degree in arts from George Washington University.
Tracy Scelzo-Chavez
Program Lead, American Women Quarters™
Program Analyst, Program Management Office
United States Mint
Tracy Scelzo-Chavez serves as a program analyst at the United States Mint in Washington DC. Since joining the United States Mint in 2010, she has successfully led marketing, communication, strategic and event planning efforts for the organization. She currently serves as program lead for the American Women Quarters™ Program, a historic, groundbreaking circulating coin program focused on celebrating the achievements of inspiring American women and the contributions they have made to our nation.
Tracy holds an MBA from Fordham University and a master of arts in communication from Johns Hopkins University.
Gwendolyn Mink, Ph.D.
Independent Scholar & Author
Gwendolyn Mink is the daughter of Patsy Takemoto Mink. She is an historical political scientist who has written about racism and nativism in US labor's political formations at the turn of the 20th century; women and gender in 20th century US social policy history; and gender, race, and low income motherhood in the contemporary politics of poverty policy.
Judy Tzu-Chun Wu
Associate Dean in the School of Humanities
Professor of History and Asian American Studies
Director of the Humanities Center and the Center for Liberation, Anti-Racism, and Belonging at UC Irvine
Judy Tzu-Chun Wu is the co-author with Wendy Mink of Fierce and Fearless: Patsy Takemoto Mink, First Women of Color in Congress (New York University Press, 2022), the recipient of the 2023 Mary Nickliss Prize from the Organization of American Historians for the most original book in United States Women's and/or Gender History.
