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2022 Eastern Region Cabinet Meeting—Starting All Over Again!

2022 Eastern Region Cabinet Meeting—Starting All Over Again!
By Richard L. Green Jr.
Eastern Region Vice President

After a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the 2022 Eastern Region Cabinet Meeting delegates met in Roanoke, VA, at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. With the challenges of a snowstorm bearing down on us, we had outstanding participation with over 150 delegates present from across the NAPS Eastern Region.

I want to personally thank all the members who were so accommodating with following protocols put in place to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance. I also want to personally acknowledge NAPS Roanoke, VA, Branch 22 for their great support of this year’s event.

We started day one with opening ceremonies that included welcomes from the NAPS resident officers, the area vice presidents and myself. We followed with an update from NAPS President Ivan D. Butts. He provided insight into his vision of the organization moving forward and held a Q&A with delegates.

Next, USPS Virginia District Manager Gerald Roane shared the agency’s vision for Retail and Delivery and the key initiatives for the year moving forward. I want to thank him for stepping in on short notice and being professional and willing to address the members with appropriate answers to their questions and concerns.

USPS Chief Logistics and Processing Operations Officer Isaac Cronkhite led the afternoon program, providing insight into the USPS’ vision and 10-year plan to achieve service excellence and financial sustainability. The plan represents the Postal Service’s commitment to achieve service excellence, realize cost savings and revenue growth, modernize postal infrastructure and enhance employee well-being. He also discussed key strategic goals, the new structure, the path forward and initiatives for Logistics and Processing Operations.

Next, NAPS Secretary/Treasurer Jim Warden provided an in-depth presentation on the Supervisor Workload Credits (SWCs) program. He walked through each area and offered insights on the correct way to ensure offices receive proper credit for authorized supervisor positions.

Next was NAPS Office Manager Emily Christophersen. She provided an excellent presentation on membership that was insightful and explained all the membership reports. Membership is the lifeblood of our organization.

Our last presenter for the day was Keith Reid, a member of our DDF provider team. In his presentation, “How NAPS Advocates Can Help DDF Advocates Provide Better Representation for Members,” Reid discussed proofs and the need to hold management to their burden of proof when charging NAPS members from the beginning of the process.

We ended day one with a great night of food, fellowship and music from Geno Marriott and the Spirit of Jazz. Thanks to everyone for your flexibility to ensure we were ready to depart at noon on Saturday!

Day two began with an update on NAPS’ legislative agenda from NAPS Executive Vice President Chuck Mulidore. The presentation encompassed every step of the legislative process and got our members charged up for the upcoming LTS meeting in March! Next was a resident officer roundtable where delegates had their issues and concerns addressed by the officer panel.

We ended the day with area vice president updates and location selection of the 2023 Eastern Region Cabinet Meeting. I want to thank all our members for their patience as we moved aggressively through our program to get everyone out ahead of the snowstorm!

I also want to thank the resident officers, Executive Board members, Auxiliary members, trainers and vendors who helped make this one of the best Eastern Region Cabinet Meetings we ever have had. A special shout-out to Immediate Past President Brian Wagner for supporting our event.

I am truly humbled and thankful for the support of everyone in making the Eastern Region Cabinet Meeting an event that continues to get better and better each year. I look forward to seeing everyone in Atlantic City, NJ, in January 2023!