Mary Anne Gibbons
General Counsel
The United States Postal Service is now the second largest civilian employer in the United States, and it is the only organization providing service to every address in the nation, delivering more than 206 billion pieces of mail per year to over 142 million homes, businesses, and post office boxes. Although a federal agency, the Postal Service runs independently and receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations. Rather, it earned more than $69 billion in revenue in 2004 solely from the sale of a diverse range of postage, products, and services, while reducing costs by $1.5 billion.
(L to R): Veta Richardson, MCCA; Mary Anne Gibbons, United States Postal Service; and John Huerta, The Smithsonian Institution
Its law department is a diversity leader throughout the Postal Service. Led by General Counsel Mary Anne Gibbons, the department employs more than 275 attorneys; over 20 percent of the department’s attorneys are minorities and over 50 percent are women.
Achieving this level of diversity did not happen overnight. “It was a process,” says Gibbons. “We started by challenging assumptions and standardizing our recruitment, training, and promotion processes.”
Despite being spread across 11 major metropolitan areas, the law department is focused on its diversity efforts. Like many organizations, the Postal Service attends conferences and job fairs, such as those sponsored by the National Bar Association, the Hispanic Bar Association, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), and the Native American Bar Association, which draw many women and minorities. However, its three-pronged approach is unique: In addition to staffing a standard exhibit hall booth, the Postal Service demonstrates its commitment to diversity by rededicating stamps particular to each Bar Association’s members and selling philatelic products associated with the group’s membership.
The law department is committed to retaining and advancing minorities and women. Its succession planning program marked the first of its kind developed at the Postal Service, and it has served as a model for other departments. Key components of the program include actively encouraging self-selection, holding managers responsible for implementing approved plans, and resourcefully creating additional opportunities. To help fulfill individual development plans, each attorney is entitled to 20 hours of professional development training per year. This program is a “win-win” for both the Postal Service and its employees: Staff members get valuable resume-building experience, the Postal Service has a low-risk opportunity to evaluate candidates for particular positions, and everyone learns through the process.
Unique to the law department, managers are required to set up a number of diversity activities each year. These programs promote learning, teamwork, respect, and camaraderie. Past programs have included visits to museums, expert speakers, and a “worldwide” dinner, with dishes from various countries. For five consecutive years, the Postal Service has been recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the nation’s “50 Best Companies for Minorities.”
From the November/December 2005 issue of Diversity & The Bar®