Jean Gentry was officially announced May 8 as the new chief counsel of the United States Mint, filling the vacancy created by the Oct. 24, 2014, departure of Daniel P. Shaver.

Shaver left the chief counsel of the U.S. Mint post after 14 years to become the chief counsel for NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Gentry is no stranger to the U.S. Mint. She has been serving at the Mint for 33 years, the last 22 as deputy chief counsel. Upon Shaver's departure, Gentry was named acting chief counsel.

Rhett Jeppson, the principal deputy Mint director, announced internally to U.S. Mint personnel Jan. 28 that Gentry had been named the Mint's chief counsel. Public announcement of her appointment to the top legal post at the Mint was delayed until all proper paperwork for the position was cleared.

Gentry holds her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland and her law degree from the University of South Carolina.

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