Government affairs

Today, President Biden nominated Dan Tangherlini and Derek Kan to serve on the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors (BOG). If confirmed by the Senate, Tangherlini and Kan would serve on the BOG until 2028. The nominees would replace BOG members John Barger and Ron Bloom, the current BOG chairman.

Tangherlini, a Democratic nominee, currently serves as the managing director of Emerson Collective, a private philanthropic firm. Until 2017, he was the president of SeamlessDocs Federal, a technology firm that focused on simplifying government forms and data collection. His previous government roles include serving as the administrator of the General Services Administration under President Obama and serving as chief financial officer at the Department of Treasury from 2009 to 2013. From 2006 to 2009, he served the District of Columbia as city administrator and deputy mayor. He also served in the management of the Biden Transition team with responsibility for the Postal Service’s Agency Review Team.

Kan, a Republican nominee, is currently an executive with Deliverr, a California-based e-commerce fulfillment startup company. He previously served as the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget from July 2020 to December 2020. From 2017 to 2019, he served as the under secretary of transportation for policy. He also served as an Amtrak board member and as a general manager for Lyft. Prior to that, he served as an advisor for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and as chief economist for the Senate Republican Policy Committee.

“I look forward to meeting with Mr. Tangherlini and Mr. Kan before their nominations are taken up for approval by the Senate,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “On behalf of NALC, I want to thank Ron Bloom for his strong support of letter carriers and his exceptional public service to the U.S. Postal Service.”

As required by the Postal Reorganization Act, the president nominates the nine-member BOG, which is responsible for overseeing the executive management of USPS. By law, no more than five members can be affiliated with the president’s political party. The Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold confirmation hearings on the two nominees, most likely in early 2022. Before serving, board members must be confirmed by a majority in the Senate. 

NALC will update letter carriers when these nominees are considered by the Senate.