Thursday, February 13, 2025
Central Area has a new vice president
Raj Sanghera takes the position on an acting basis
Raj Sanghera has been named Central Area’s acting vice president.
The role was previously held by Eric E. Henry, who retired in 2024.
Sanghera will oversee delivery and retail operations that serve around 76 million customers across 14 states. Central Area has more than 11,500 Post Offices and more than 33.6 million delivery points.
She most recently was the acting vice president for retail and Post Office operations.
Prior to that, Sanghera was California 1 District manager and served as the acting director of the Tier 1 Post Office support team, senior plant manager at the San Franciso Processing and Distribution Center, and San Francisco postmaster.
She joined the Postal Service in 1989 as a letter carrier. Sanghera entered management as a customer service supervisor and served in a variety of leadership roles at Post Offices and stations in the San Jose, CA, and San Francisco areas.
Off the Clock
For this ‘Annie’ orphan, USPS offered a new tomorrow
Donna Graham-DiLacqua is no longer on Broadway, but she’s helping to train up-and-coming talent
My name is Donna Graham-DiLacqua and I’m a customer relations manager in Philadelphia for the Postal Service’s Delaware-Pennsylvania 2 District.
When I’m not at my USPS job, I teach voice lessons to aspiring entertainers, drawing on my lifelong career as a performer. My long-term goal is to start a music therapy program with my daughter for students with autism.
At 11 years old, I embarked on a musical theater career when I was cast as the orphan Duffy in the original production of “Annie” on Broadway. During the run, I commuted to New York City from Philadelphia, where I lived with my mother, father and two younger brothers.
The show produced so many great memories and opportunities. We performed for President Jimmy Carter at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and had a playdate at the White House with the president’s daughter, Amy.
I also performed at the Tony Awards and the 1976 Milliken Breakfast Show at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City with a cast that included Angela Lansbury, Robert Morse and Tommy Tune.
In addition to my Broadway run, my body of work includes modeling, acting in national TV commercials, voiceovers and jingles.
After I married and had my daughter, I looked for a career change and USPS offered outstanding opportunities for a solid career path with excellent benefits. I began as a letter carrier in 1997 before moving into management three years later.
At first, I tried to keep quiet about my life on the stage in “Annie,” but my postal colleagues found out and have had fun with it. Once after a challenging day on the job, they broke out singing “Tomorrow” to boost morale.
My professional theater background and training has helped shape my strong public relations and exemplary interpersonal communications skills. I know how to effectively communicate and foster relationships with a diverse group of customers. I think this experience helps me to represent the USPS brand well.
When I’m not working or teaching, I enjoy spending time with my husband and my daughter, who is also a performer, along with my mom and my stepdaughter’s family, which includes my three young grandchildren.
I appreciate that my career at USPS has allowed me to pursue outside passions. I advise anyone interested in working for this organization that there’s a fit for you here. Your career really is yours. You can do whatever you want to do.
“Off the Clock,” a column on Postal Service employees and their after-hours pursuits, appears regularly in Link.
Honoring America’s presidents
The annual observance dates to the 19th century
Washington’s Birthday, also known as Presidents Day, will be observed Monday, Feb. 17.
The annual observance began in the early 19th century. After George Washington’s death in 1799, his birthday — Feb. 22 — was celebrated informally across the young nation.
In 1879, Congress declared Feb. 22 a federal holiday.
A 1968 law moved the Washington’s Birthday holiday to the third Monday of each February.
With the holiday no longer attached to the former president’s date of birth, the day came to celebrate all U.S. commanders in chief.
In addition to observing Washington’s Birthday, the Postal Service salutes presidents through its stamp program.
With the exception of Jimmy Carter, who died in December, every deceased U.S. president has appeared on at least one stamp.
The most recent stamp to feature a president was a 2019 release honoring George H.W. Bush, the 41st president, who served from 1989 to 1993 and died in 2018.
WestPac Area, MN-ND District on top in scanning
A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 97.13 percent during the week ending Feb. 7, down 0.37 percent from one week earlier.
The data was collected Feb. 12.
WestPac led the four areas with a rating of 97.61 percent, while Central ranked last with a 96.62 percent rating.
Among the 50 districts, Minnesota-North Dakota, part of Central Area, ranked first with a 98.2 percent rating, while Illinois 2, also part of Central Area, ranked last with a 94.07 percent rating.
Scanning data allows customers to track their mail and packages, which helps USPS deliver excellent service, boost loyalty and drive revenue.
To see the latest data, go to the Informed Visibility website and select “Customer Experience,” followed by “DES 2 Scan Performance.” Postal Service employees must request Informed Visibility access through eAccess.