Monday, March 31, 2025
Duncan steps down from USPS board
He has served as a governor since 2018
Robert M. “Mike” Duncan has resigned from the USPS Board of Governors because of health reasons.
The Postal Service has posted his resignation letter online.
Duncan has served on the board since August 2018 and was chairman from September 2018 to February 2021. Duncan’s current term on the board was set to expire this December.
At the time of his appointment, the board had lacked a quorum for nearly four years and had no governors at all for nearly two years. As chairman, he was instrumental in reconstituting the board and its committees.
“My fellow governors and I are grateful to Mike Duncan for his service to this board and to the Postal Service,” said Amber McReynolds, chairwoman. “In 2018, Mike was tasked with reestablishing the board’s governance and operations after it had gone more than a year without any presidentially appointed governors. His leadership and vision for the Postal Service have played a big role in our efforts to create long-term sustainability for this critical organization.”
“Mike Duncan’s business and political acumen was a great asset to the Postal Service during a period of historic transformation,” said acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino. “He has been an important leader for the board, and Postal Service leadership is happy to have had his counsel and insights during this critical time.”
Tulino added that Duncan’s tenure was defined by “steady leadership during a critical period of organizational renewal” and noted that he played a key role in the selection of the 75th postmaster general. “He led with dedication as the 23rd chairman. His leadership and deep commitment to public service and to the mission of the Postal Service has left a lasting legacy,” he said.
The board consists of nine governors appointed by the president of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate, the postmaster general and the deputy postmaster general. The governors select the postmaster general, and those 10 members of the board select the deputy postmaster general.
Are you protecting your digital data?
World Backup Day is a reminder to safeguard files
World Backup Day is Monday, March 31, and the Postal Service is reminding employees and contractors of the importance of backing up and saving digital data.
Data can be backed up and saved in multiple places, such as USPS-approved external hard drives or other removable media, and cloud storage.
Hard drive failures, ransomware attacks or theft of devices can result in data loss. Devices can be replaced, but data may be lost forever.
Employees and contractors should back up USPS data to approved USB drives and secure file locations.
More information can be found on the World Backup Day website. Additional information is available on the CyberSafe Blue and LiteBlue pages.
Heroes
She has her way on that highway
This rural carrier has stopped twice to aid motorists
Rural Carrier Kerry Honrath was recently delivering mail in Pulaski, WI, when she saw a vehicle roll across the four-lane state highway she was traveling.
Honrath safely pulled over and parked her vehicle on the shoulder. She checked for oncoming traffic and ran to check on the other vehicle’s driver.
The Postal Service employee found that the driver was able to exit the vehicle on his own, so she stayed and provided comfort until paramedics arrived.
According to Pulaski Postmaster Laura Weier, this is the second time Honrath has assisted a driver in an emergency.
The other incident occurred a week prior on the same highway as Honrath was driving home. She stopped to check on a man who had briefly lost consciousness behind the wheel but recovered in time to pull his vehicle over.
Honrath stayed with him until paramedics arrived.
Both motorists expressed their appreciation for Honrath’s help and have recovered.
Employees featured in “Heroes” receive letters of commendation through the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program. The nomination form is available on Blue.
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered March 23-29
A leadership transition, a cornucopia of heroes and a pioneering Appalachian Trail hiker made news
The headliner: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy officially stepped down from his role March 24.
“It is with great pride that I pass the baton to Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino until the governors name my permanent successor,” DeJoy said in a statement. “It has been one of the pleasures of my life and a crowning achievement of my career to have been associated with this cherished institution.”
“Louis is a fighter, and he has fought hard for the women and men of the Postal Service,” USPS Board of Governors Chair Amber McReynolds said in a statement. “I commend Postmaster General DeJoy for inspiring the Postal Service with strategic direction, a competitive spirit and a culture of achievement that comes from the successful implementation of large-scale change.”
In other news, Link covered the National Association of Letter Carriers’ recent hero awards luncheon.
Several of the honorees had already been featured in our “Heroes” column, including Tesfaye Dayasso, who received the group’s National Hero of the Year Award for helping a motorist escape a burning vehicle on a busy Minneapolis highway.
Other honorees included Brian Meyers Sr. of Johnstown, PA, who prevented a man from being stabbed by an assailant, and Rungphet Bodnar of Flint, MI, who used her dog spray to repel an attack on a little girl at a bus stop.
And last week’s “Heroes” column included a double dose of heroism: Kerry Honrath, a rural carrier in Pulaski, WI, stopped twice in the space of a week to assist motorists in medical distress.
In other tales of derring-do, Link spotlighted Gene Espy, now 98, who hiked the length of the Appalachian Trail in 1951, only the second person to have achieved that feat. Espy, a retired aeronautical engineer, worked for the Post Office Department in the late 1940s and attended the dedication ceremony for the new Appalachian Trail stamps in Dawsonville, GA.
Link also updated readers on the release of the Betty White stamp, including the dedication ceremony in Los Angeles and a USPS video on her life; the organization’s safe workplace policy; rules on property misuse; a new vice president for Central Area, Raj Sanghera; the resignation of Robert M. “Mike” Duncan from thee USPS Board of Governors; and an interest arbitration award between USPS and NALC.
Finally, we delved into the postal past with the second installment of our six-part series celebrating the organization’s 250th anniversary, and a “History” column exploring the postal system’s role in establishing Samuel Morse’s telegraph.
April 6, 2025
Datebook
Virtual supervisory job fair
The Postal Service will offer a virtual job fair for supervisory positions on Sunday, April 6, from 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern.
The fair will address the supervisory role, including responsibilities, potential career paths and how to find and apply for positions.
Sign language interpreters and closed captioning will be available, and after the fair, participants will be able to access a recording of it and the slides shown.
To participate, employees must complete an online registration form on MyHR, part of LiteBlue.
All participants must be a current career or noncareer Postal Service employee and attend while off the clock. Participation is voluntary.
Employees to get survey about computer usage
Postal Service employees with USPS-issued computers are being asked to complete a survey about their workstation experience.
This includes employees who use desktop and laptop computers, and those who use X2 convertible laptops/tablets.
The survey will be emailed to employees on Monday, April 7.
View past printouts
Printout details
What's included
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Duncan steps down from USPS board
He has served as a governor since 2018
-
Are you protecting your digital data?
World Backup Day is a reminder to safeguard files
-
Heroes
She has her way on that highway
This rural carrier has stopped twice to aid motorists
-
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered March 23-29
A leadership transition, a cornucopia of heroes and a pioneering Appalachian Trail hiker made news
-
April6Datebook
Virtual supervisory job fair
-
Brief
Employees to get survey about computer usage