The U.S. Postal Service will embrace change and aggressively pursue new business opportunities, Postmaster General Manager Megan Brennan said during her installation ceremony March 6.
“The story of the Postal Service is really about change. It’s about an organization that is continually changing and improving to better serve the American public,” Brennan said.
To achieve its goals, USPS will provide employees with more flexibility and better tools to serve customers. The PMG also called for new investment in infrastructure and improved operational efficiencies through better use of data and technology.
USPS also will repurpose facilities and improve processes, and it will invest in new vehicles and package sorting equipment, Brennan said.
Other priorities include using analytics to help grow the package business and developing strategies to improve customer service.
Brennan, the first woman to serve as PMG, said she’s witnessed “tremendous improvement” in the USPS over the years and cited employees as the source of the organization’s resilience.
“When I visit our facilities and meet with employees, I see it everywhere and at every level, and it’s the strength of our organization. We have an incredibly talented and dedicated workforce, and this should give us all confidence in our future.”
PMG Megan J. Brennan
Installation Ceremony Remarks 3/6/15
Thank you, Governor
Giuliano. I appreciate your kind words.
Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for being here, and thanks to those
of you who are watching from afar.
Today is a very special day
for me. It’s the culmination of a career
working for a treasured institution that continues to connect every
American.
As employees, we take pride in
the mission of the Postal Service. We
all feel a sense of ownership about the mission of the organization, and we are
all invested in its future.
This shared pride in our
mission is one of the things that makes taking the oath today so special.
I would like to take a few
minutes to recognize and thank some of the people attending today––including my
family, friends, and many of my colleagues who have supported me over the
years.
As my sister Erin mentioned, I have a number of family members who are
here today….and we definitely qualify as a postal family.
In fact, my family has worked for a combined 125 years for the Postal
Service.
Let me tell you how I arrived at that number.
I’m in my 29th year of service.
My Dad––who encouraged me to
take the Postal exam––devoted 43 years to the Postal Service. He claims it took him 11 years to become a
regular… My Dad worked night shift
while his 6 kids were young. He always
impressed upon us the importance of hard work, showing up and showing up
on time. He and my mom made countless
sacrifices for our family--Thank you Dad.
My oldest brother Kevin, who
taught me more about rural delivery than anyone, served his customers on RD2,
in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, for more than 36 years. We miss him to this day. My younger brother Brian walks a city route in Ashland, Pennsylvania,
and has nearly 17 years of service. And my sister Erin insisted that I mention her days as a casual when she
was a student at Penn State University.
My Mom never worked for the Postal Service; however, she did work for a
number of years in the mailroom at the Schuylkill County Courthouse ...
So we talk a lot about mail in my family…
I am grateful that my LARGE family could be here today. My brothers and sisters, my brothers &
sisters-in-law, my nieces, my nephew, my cousins, and lifelong friends––
All have been there for me throughout my career––both literally and
figuratively. I say “literally” because they’ve physically helped me move seven times
during my career––and I know a couple of them secretly hoped I would just stay
put. Thank you all….for all of your help and support.
I want to acknowledge and
thank my two immediate predecessors––former Postmasters General Pat Donahoe and
Jack Potter. At every point in my career,
I’ve had great mentors and learning experiences. Both Pat and Jack epitomize that role of
mentor and leader. Thank you for your
support and guidance over the years.
I also want to thank Governor
Louis Giuliano for his wise counsel and for always challenging the team to
improve process. I’ve also had the pleasure of
working closely with our other Board members.
Our Board is committed to our organization, our employees, and our long-term success. I appreciate their confidence
in me, and I look forward to working with them in the coming years.
I am also pleased to recognize our Union and Management Association
Presidents in attendance today including Mark
Dimondstein, President of the American Postal Workers Union; Jeanette
Dwyer, President of the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association; John
Hegarty, National President of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union; Fred
Rolando, President of the National Association Letter Carriers; Louis
Atkins, President, National Association of Postal Supervisors; and Sean
Accord, President of the National League of Postmasters of the United States. I appreciate the work you do representing postal employees. I look forward to working closely with you
to shape a stronger future for the Postal Service.
I’m also pleased to recognize
our Postal Regulatory Commissioners: (Acting) Chairman Robert Taub; and Commissioners Mark
Acton, Ruth Goldway, Tony Hammond, and Nancy Langley. Our Inspector General, David
Williams and our Industry partners. I look forward to working with
all of you. Thank you for being here.
I also want to acknowledge my postal colleagues. I am fortunate to work with such a capable
and committed Officer Corps lead by our Executive Leadership Team––Ron Stroman,
Jim Cochrane, Joe Corbett, Nagisa Manabe, Tom Marshall, Dave Williams, and Jeff
Williamson. Thank you for being such a
great team.
A special thank you to our Operations team––our Area Vice Presidents,
our Area and District Leadership teams, and the HQ Operations Vice Presidents
and team.
Finally, I‘d like to thank some people who couldn't be here in the room with
us today––and there are more than 600,000 of them–our employees. Our employees do great work
every day. They serve every community in
America, visiting every business and residence, and they do so with pride in
our mission. They make the Postal Service
such a resilient, reliable, and trusted organization. When I visit our facilities
and meet with employees, I see it everywhere and at every level, and it’s the
strength of our organization. We have an incredibly talented
and dedicated workforce, and this should give us all confidence in our
future.
The Postal Service is part of
the fabric of our shared history and culture.
We’re an indispensable part of the American economy and the everyday
lives of the public. There is a permanence to our
mission and the enduring role we play in serving the nation.
However,
the story of the Postal Service is really about change. It’s about an organization that is
continually changing and improving to better serve the American public.
As the first woman Postmaster
General, I’m representative of the many changes in the composition of our
workforce. Over a twenty-nine year
career, I’ve seen tremendous improvement with regard to opportunity and
removing barriers for advancement.
The Postal Service is a very
different organization in so many ways: the way we leverage the
talents and skills of our workforce, the way we use
technology, the way we develop
products and services, and how we compete for
customers.
People communicate in ways
today that no one could have anticipated 30 years ago, and the pace of change
in our economy, our marketplace, and our society will only accelerate in the
future. The challenge for the Postal
Service is to embrace a faster pace of change, to aggressively pursue
opportunities, and to constantly improve our competitiveness.
The market for delivery
services is changing dramatically. Technology and geo-spatial
information are driving new business models and compelling innovations in
delivery services. These changes in technology
and in the marketplace are good for the Postal Service.
New technology platforms will
do more than create business opportunities; they will enable the Postal Service
to revitalize how we engage the American public and fulfill our public service
mission. This is especially true as we
create more compelling ways of integrating mail and package delivery into the
digital lives of our customers. As we pursue integration of
the physical and digital, we will enable the business partners that use our
delivery platform to be far more effective in achieving their business
goals.
It’s an exciting time to be in
the mail and package delivery business; we are well- positioned to shape growth
opportunities for our industry and American commerce. The key to improving our
competitiveness and our prospects for growth is to continually invest in our
future. We will invest in the
development of our people to fully leverage their talents.
We will provide them with
greater flexibility and better tools to best serve our customers. We will invest in our
infrastructure. We are going to improve
the efficiency of our operations by investing in better use of data and
technology. We will invest in our network
by repurposing facilities and improving processes to better align with customer
needs. We are also going to invest in
new package sorting equipment and a new vehicle fleet.
We are investing in the
future of the Postal Service. We will
encourage a similar commitment among the industries we serve, and among
policymakers and other stakeholders.
One of the most important
steps we can take to invest in our future is a focus on speed-to-value through
innovation and use of data, particularly in our core business of delivery.
Going forward, it is critical
that in an increasingly digital world, our products stay relevant.
Given the rapid changes in the
world, we know that the way we serve today’s customer is not going to be adequate
to meet the needs of tomorrow’s consumer.
To shape the best possible
future for the Postal Service:
We will continue to improve
service and customer satisfaction at every point of contact.
We will work closely with our
customers to develop technology and growth strategies collaboratively.
We will create the most
efficient and technology-centric delivery platform in the world.
We will use best in class
technologies to drive product and process improvements, and to speed
innovation.
We will aggressively pursue
marketplace opportunities.
And, we will invest in our
future by investing in our employees, our processes, and infrastructure.
And, with your help, I am
confident that we will remain valued at every American residence…….and a
trusted resource to every American business far into the future.
Let me conclude by thanking all
of the men and women who choose to work for the Postal Service.
There are few organizations
that provide as much service to the public and are so well regarded in every
community. That’s a testament to our
employees and their constant commitment and dedication to our customers.
I look forward to serving as your
Postmaster General.
Thank you very much for your
support.
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