Search for a new Postmaster General (PMG) - could the wait be over?

USPS Informational Webinars on Service Standard Changes

The new service standard changes took effect April 1st, 2025. The new measurement is using a 5-D to 5-D versus the less granular 3-D to 3-D. Phase one of this change will be adding in an additional day into single piece First-Class mail that is entered more than 50 miles from an origin Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC) and non destination entered Marketing Mail and Periodicals.

New Mailing Standards for Domestic Mailing Services Products

The Postal Service, published on May 1st in the Federal Register a proposed rule for the structure changes as part of the proposed July 2025 postage increase. A final rule will be published once the Postal Regulatory Commission approves the R2025-1 Market Dominant rate change.

Takeaways from the National Postal Forum 2025

Last week concluded a very successful National Postal Forum in Nashville, TN. GrayHair participated in six sessions at the forum on topics of Address Quality, Hot topics in Mail, Bridging the Gender Gap with leadership tips, and working with Postal and Client Data at Scale.

July 2025 Postage Increase

The U.S. Postal Service recently filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of mailing services price changes to take effect July 13. The new rates include a 5-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp (increasing from 73 cents to 78 cents). The bulk mail price file has yet to be posted on the PRC site.

This is the first National Postal Forum in my recollection in which we did not have a permanent Postmaster General (PMG) in office. There have been transitional periods in USPS leadership, such as when an acting PMG is in place due to retirement, resignation, or before a successor is officially named, but historically, that replacement has been named prior to the NPF.

If attendees were hoping for an unveiling in Nashville, then they may have left disappointed.

Louis DeJoy resigned nearly six weeks ago on March 24th, 2025. At that time, Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino was appointed as acting PMG. The USPS Board of Governors (BOG) then hired the firm Egon Zehnder to lead the search for the 76th PMG. We have been told the firm was given the guidance to act expeditiously in hopes of having a name ready by the NPF.

The NPF came and went, and we still did not have a permanent replacement named.

The wait may be over.

On May 6th, five years to the day that Louis DeJoy was identified as the 75th PMG, the Washington Post reported that the President and the U.S. Postal Services Board of Governers board are expected to name FedEx board member and former Waste Management CEO David Steiner as Louis DeJoy’s replacement – becoming the 76th Postmaster General.

Mr. Steiner is a lawyer and corporate executive. He served as a member of the board of directors of Vulcan Materials and as CEO at Waste Management Inc. He is also a Director at TE Connectivity Ltd., Greater Houston Partnership, and Tyco Electronics Corporation. He holds the role of Lead Independent Director at FedEx.

Mr. Steiner received his graduate degree in 1986 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University.

The USPS Board of Governors is the governing body that must ultimately vote and name the PMG.

When full, the USPS Board of Governors is made up of eleven members, nine voting members who are presidentially appointed and Senate committee approved, with no more than five belonging to one political party, and the PMG and Deputy PMG making up the final two members (non-voting).

The current BOG has five governors: Chairwoman Amber McRenyolds (I), Derek Kan (R), Ronald Stroman (D), Daniel Tangherlini (D), Roman Martinez (R), and the non-voting acting PMG Doug Tulino. Governor Martinez is in a holdover year and can be replaced at any time, leaving five openings for the President to fill. President Trump just announced the appointment of Anthony Lomangino to the BOG. Mr. Lomangino (R) will still need to go through the Senate committee and a confirmation hearing before becoming the fifth governor. Anthony Lomangino has been involved in multiple recycling and waste management companies in Florida, and is a Palm Beach resident. His political contributions to super PACs supporting Trump exceed $9 million.

Traditionally, when going to the committee, there is a counterpart named simultaneously from the alternate party when the seats are open, but one has not been named yet.

The BOG has met several times in closed session under the allowable Sunshine Act over the last three weeks.

The next open session is Friday, May 9th, which follows a closed meeting on Thursday, May 8th, at the Postal Service headquarters, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, in Washington, DC. Public attendance is permitted on 5/9, but there will not be an open comment period to address the BOG. The meeting begins at 10 am ET and can be streamed live online or viewed as a recording three hours after.

The agenda for the 5/9 meeting includes: