My name is Rachael Kneisly and I’m a team leader for the Postal Inspection Service in Washington, DC. My group focuses on combating drugs in the mail.
We’re hunters. We focus on drug trafficking organizations that send narcotics, money and illegal firearms through the mail, and use analytics and street work to stop them.
My team consists of 12 members. I have regular conversations with them about their investigative plans and help get the resources they need to get the job done.
For the past two months, I’ve been in an acting role as an assistant inspector in charge. I oversee six team leaders who manage units in Washington, DC, and Virginia. They handle narcotics investigations, workplace violence, robberies, burglaries, mail theft and security issues.
It’s somewhat like my normal team leader job, except I have a more division-wide strategic focus on performance and compliance matters.
I wanted to be a federal agent since I was 16 years old, so I went to college and got a degree in criminal justice.
After college, I spent nine years working in the security department at a Maryland bank. I started as a fraud investigator, eventually learning about compliance and physical security. I went on to hold several management roles and discovered my passion for leadership.
During that time, I worked with the Postal Inspection Service more than any other federal agency. That’s when I decided I wanted to become a postal inspector.
While at the bank, I got my master’s degree in forensics studies and certification as a fraud examiner. I wanted to stand out to get a job with the Inspection Service. Luckily, I did.
I joined the agency in 2013, and about six years later, I began overseeing our Leadership and Employee Development Program. I prepare our workforce for the next level by conducting training programs, mock interviews and helping employees with their promotion applications.
I’d like to think that’s where I have my biggest impact. My passion is to create a positive environment where people can reach their greatest potential while supporting the agency and its mission.
Outside of work, I enjoy floral design, playing sports and hanging out with my husband and my three children, ages 18, 13 and 4.
My job is never boring. Something new is always happening. I always wanted to do something impactful that I enjoy, and this job checks all those boxes. It’s really a great place to be for me.
“On the Job,” a column on individual employees and their contributions to the Postal Service, appears regularly in Link.
