AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER HANDLES THE TRUE TASK OF MAKING MONEY

By Sharon Dukes

"I make money."

That could be the personal credo of many Americans who work. But for the men and women employed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) -- that statement is literal. These are the people who actually make the dollars the rest of us like to collect, spend and save.

It was, in fact, one of the BEP’s top-ranking officials, William W. Wills, who made that literal statement about his work during a recent interview. Wills is the Bureau’s chief operating officer (COO), and one of the top ranking officials in charge of the production of all U.S. paper currency. Wills joins a long line of African-Americans who are a part of the history of the creation and production of currency at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

At present, he is the only African-American to head one of five directorates of the BEP. He is only the second African-American to hold the position of COO at the BEP. He began his career at the BEP in 1966 in the Office of Engineering and subsequently was promoted to positions of increasing responsibility.

While his official government title is COO, internally he is one of five associate directors. His responsibilities include oversight of all manufacturing of U.S. paper currency, U.S. postage stamps and miscellaneous security products. The BEP prints currency at two facilities -- at the BEP’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the Western Currency Facility in Fort Worth, Texas. Wills manages operations that encompass approximately 1450 employees in both facilities. So how does one run a plant that is 1500 miles away.

“Thank goodness for technology,” said Wills, who travels to Fort Worth for three days each month. Since he must spend most of his time in D.C., Wills, who believes “face time” is essential and makes certain he interacts with employees as much as possible. He uses video conferencing technology to meet with staff “face-to-face” at both locations every Monday morning.

A lively and enthusiastic man, whose energy is infectious and uplifting, Wills adds education to his massive and challenging responsibilities at the Bureau. This includes internal education of staff through apprenticeships and mentoring along with external education for students and others.

Wills attended North Carolina A & T University in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Mondell Technical Institute in New York, New York, where he received a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1963.

To his credit and despite his busy schedule, he has implemented internship and co-op programs at NC A & T University, and at other Historically Black Colleges and Universities nationwide.

As a matter of fact, Wills, along with many divisions within BEP, is always actively recruiting students and potential employees and providing ongoing educational opportunities for trainees and staff alike.

But for Wills, who with his wife, Isodora, is the parent of two adult children, Maurice and Batina, education does not stop there. He also is committed to educating the public about their money – not about how to spend or save money, but how to authenticate it, to protect the public from currency counterfeiters.

As part of the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to stay ahead of counterfeiters, who are increasingly turning to digital methods, Wills is now overseeing the production of a more secure newly redesigned $20 note. It will be introduced into circulation in the fall of 2003.

It’s The New Color of Money; it is safer because it is harder to fake and easier to check, smarter to stay ahead of tech-savvy counterfeiters, and more secure than ever. The most noticeable difference in the notes is the subtle green, peach and blue colors featured in the background.

The new look, part of the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to stay ahead of counterfeiting – particularly of the $20 bill – retains three important security features that were first introduced in the late 1990s. Among them, the security thread, a vertical strip of plastic embedded in the paper, which can be viewed from both sides of the bill. “USA TWENTY” and a small flag are visible along the thread. The second security feature is the watermark or faint image similar to the large portrait that is actually a part of the paper and can be seen from both sides of the note when held up to the light. The third security feature is color-shifting ink, which causes the numeral “20” located on the lower right corner to change from copper to green when tilted.

New designs for the $50 and $l00 bills will be introduced in 2004 and 2005, respectively. No decision yet as to whether $5 and $l0 bills will get a new look, but Wills said $1 and $2 bills will remain the same.

With the purchasing power of African-Americans estimated at about $700 billion, BEP officials have partnered with African-American organizations to create a public education campaign to ensure that the public knows this new currency is on the way.

“We want all paper money users worldwide to recognize the next generation $20 currency note and know how to authenticate its security features,” said Wills.

Indeed, overseeing the successful production of money is a challenging task, but William W. Wills, born in Enfield, North Carolina, handles the daily challenges of ensuring consistency in two facilities that produce what is arguably the most important product made in America.

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Photo Caption:

William W. Wills, the top African American executive at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, oversees the printing of all U.S. currency, including the new $20 bill with new features in color. The newly designed $20 note will be issued this fall.

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