WASHINGTON – The National Association of Letter Carriers announced today the appointment of Jennifer L. Alvarez as Director of Legislative and Political Affairs and Tucker McDonald as Political Director for the 300,000-member postal union. Alvarez succeeds George B. Gould, NALC’s long-time lobbyist, who will retire at the end of the year.

NALC President William H. Young, in making the appointments, said America’s letter carriers “deserve the high level of skill and experience Alvarez and McDonald bring to their legislative and political work” and expressed confidence that the two “would carry the message of NALC to Capitol Hill loudly and clearly.”

Alvarez, a native of Huntington, New York, has worked as the union’s Special Assistant for Legislation since February 2004. Prior to coming to the NALC, she worked six years on the staff of the Postmaster General as a Governmental Affairs Representative for the U.S. Postal Service and served as a Presidential appointee in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs at the Agriculture Department during the Clinton administration.

McDonald, who grew up in Lubbock, Texas, has been a Special Assistant for Political Education since July 2005. Prior to that, he served as a Regional Field Coordinator in the NALC’s grassroots political program. Before joining the union’s staff, he gained broad experience in gubernatorial and presidential politics.

Alvarez and McDonald will head up a nine-person Department of Legislative and Political Affairs that is responsible for NALC’s legislative and political programs. They will track and monitor legislation that affects letter carriers and other working people, lobby Members of Congress and executive branch officials of the government on their behalf, raise money for NALC’s PAC, the Committee on Letter Carriers Political Education (COLCPE) and work to elect Democrats, Republicans and Independents who support the political and legislative agenda of the nation’s letter carriers.

NALC’s new legislative team can be reached at (202) 662-2833.