President Nominates Two New Members for USPS Board of Governors
On November 19th, President Biden announced the nomination of two new members to the United States Postal Service Board of Governors. Both Nominees have extensive government experience and are expected to replace two appointees of the former president as both of their terms have expired or are set to expire.
Quick overview of the USPS Board of Governors
The Board of Governors is the governing body for the Postal Service. The board, which is nominated by the President, oversees the entire scope of activities for the organization. This includes oversight of such key elements as pricing, budget, and direction of the organization. The Postmaster General (PMG) and the Assistant Postmaster General are also board members but are also actively involved in the management of day-to-day operations.
The Board currently consists of nine governors, all appointed by the President with advice and approval of the Senate. The nine governors are then responsible for the selection of the PMG. The bi-partisan Board, minus the PMG, has the ability to also remove the position.
Who are the members of the current Board of Governors?
The current Board consists of members appointed by former President Trump along with three new members appointed by President Biden in April of this year. John Barger and Chairman Ron Bloom are two Trump appointees whose terms are ending.
Here is a quick view of the members:
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- Ron A. Bloom – Chairman. Democrat elected by Donald Trump. His term ended on December 8, 2020, but he will be staying in the position until a new chairman has been appointed.
- Roman Martinez IV – Vice Chairman. Republican elected by Donald Trump
- Robert M. Duncan – Governor – Republican elected by Donald Trump
- John Barger – Governor – Republican elected by Donald Trump – Term expires on December 8, 2021
- William Zollars – Governor – Republican elected by Donald Trump
- Donald Lee Moak – Governor – Democrat elected by Donald Trump
- Ron Stroman – Governor – Democrat – Elected by Joe Biden – Former Deputy Postmaster General
- Amber McReynolds – Governor – Independent elected by Joe Biden
- Anton Hajjar – Governor – Democrat – Elected by Joe Biden
These issues caused grief to an already exhausted public. This flooded into questions about the overall direction of the organization under its new leadership and if some of these issues could have been averted.
Who are the two new nominees?
The two gentlemen nominated by President Biden have limited experience in the postal industry, but have extensive experience in both the private and government sectors. You can read the official press release here or get a brief synopsis of each nominee’s career below.
Daniel Tangherlini
Dan Tangherlini has served in leadership roles in the public, non-profit, and private sectors.
His private sector work experience includes various roles in technology firms and providing consulting and facilitation support to businesses and nonprofits with an emphasis on finance and real estate. His government experience includes serving as the Administrator of the General Services Administration and Chief Financial Officer at the Department of the Treasury, as City Administrator and Deputy Mayor of Washington, D.C. under Mayor Fenty; as Interim General Manager of DC’s Metro; the first Director of the D.C. Department of Transportation; the CFO of the DC Metropolitan Police Department; and various roles in the Federal Government at the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
Derek Kan
Derek Kan is currently an executive at Deliverr, an eCommerce fulfillment startup. Prior to this role, Mr. Kan served as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President and also served as the Under Secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Prior to his service, Mr. Kan was the General Manager for Lyft and a Director of the Amtrak Board, for which he was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate. Earlier in his career, Mr. Kan was a policy advisor to the former Senate Majority Leader. Before his time on Capitol Hill, Mr. Kan served as a Presidential Management Fellow at the White House Office of Management and Budget.
PMG Louis DeJoy
What does this change mean for the current Postmaster General?
While the postmaster general works for the USPS board for an indefinite term. The board is provided with the ability to remove the PMG at a point they feel he/she is not performing at the level necessary for the position. While the addition of the two new members does increase the number of democrats, the make-up now stands at four Democrats, four Republicans, and one Independent, which will allow the PMG to continue on in his role.
It can be stated that the White House has expressed concern with the leadership of the PMG DeJoy, but has confirmed that his position is decided by the Board.