Patrick R. Donahoe was the 73rd

United States Postmaster General The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by ...

, having been appointed to the post on October 25, 2010. A 35-year veteran of the Postal Service, he reported to the Postal Service Board of Governors.

Biography

Donahoe is a 1977 graduate of the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

where he majored in economics. He also graduated from the

MIT Sloan School of Management The MIT Sloan School of Management (MIT Sloan or Sloan) is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT Sloan offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, ...

, where he was a

Sloan Fellow The Sloan Fellows program is the world's first mid-career and senior career master's degree in general management and leadership. It was initially supported by a grant from Alfred P. Sloan, the late CEO of General Motors, to his alma mater, MI ...

. Before being Postmaster, Donahoe served as the 19th deputy postmaster general. He entered the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

as a clerk in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

on the advice of his uncle Bob Burke, a mail carrier, who encouraged young Patrick to take the postal service exam. His predecessor, Postmaster General John E. Potter testified before the Senate that if the Postal Service is not able to readjust their payment toward the pre-funding of retiree health benefits, as mandated by the

Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) is a United States federal statute enacted by the 109th United States Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 20, 2006. The bill was introduced in the United Stat ...

of 2006, the USPS would be forced to consider cutting delivery to five days per week during the summer months of June, July & August. Donahoe echoed his predecessor's views on five-day delivery when he assumed office in 2011. On February 6, 2013, Donahoe announced that the Postal Service would implement five-day mail delivery beginning August 5, a move he claimed would save $2 billion annually. Later the same day, the national board of the postal union, the

National Rural Letter Carriers' Association The National Rural Letter Carriers' Association (NRLCA) is an American labor union that represents the rural letter carriers of the United States Postal Service. According to its statutes, the purpose of the Association is to "improve the methods ...

, voted unanimously to call for his dismissal. July 16, the House passed the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, which included language protecting six‐day mail delivery, thereby blocking Donahoe's plan. Donahoe retired on February 1, 2015 and Megan Brennan, the first female Postmaster General, was appointed as his successor the following February. Mr Donahoe is married and has two sons. After his retirement from the Postal Service, Donahoe now serves on the board of SG360°, a marketing firm. Donahoe also serves as Board Chairman for Postal Realty Trust, a NYSE listed company which is the largest owner of properties leased to the US Postal Service.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donahoe, Patrick R. 1950s births 1955 births Living people American people of Irish descent American people of Slovak descent MIT Sloan Fellows MIT Sloan School of Management alumni Obama administration personnel People from Pittsburgh United States Postmasters General United States Postal Service University of Pittsburgh alumni