The Closing of a Chapter

The Closing of a Chapter
By Ivan D. Butts
NAPS National President

Greetings, my NAPS brothers and sisters. As I write this column, I have formally announced to my home branch — and, now, to you — that I will not be seeking the nomination to serve another term as your president.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have served the members of this great association. I will cherish every memory and experience from this chapter of my life as a NAPS resident officer.

My journey began in 2007 when I made the decision to run for Eastern Region vice president, then held by my mentor, Dotty Wileman. Our campaign committee consisted of just three people: Darryl Williams, Laurie and me.

Laurie and I loaded up the Toyota Matrix and headed to Louisville, KY, for the NAPS National Convention celebrating our 100th anniversary. With the support of my home state of Pennsylvania and what would become my Eastern Region family, I was blessed with the opportunity to serve.

I remain profoundly thankful to Dotty for creating space for me to grow and the guidance and support she and Ron (God rest them both) provided during my first Executive Board leadership role. Serving on the NAPS Executive Board allowed me to engage with members throughout the Eastern Region while also introducing my leadership style and vision to the broader membership.

To my Eastern Region NAPS family, thank you for the love and support you showed me from the very beginning. I pledged to be accessible and present; from day one, I worked to earn your trust.

My first trip after being elected was to Capitol-Atlantic Area training in Virginia Beach hosted by my NAPS dad, John Geter. Due to not yet being elected, I could not handle pre-event registration. This landed Laurie and me in a rather questionable motel across the street from the beautiful venue, but I had to be there. Being present always has been a cornerstone of my service to NAPS members.

In 2014, with the support of the Eastern Region and members across the country, I was elevated to the office of NAPS executive vice president. At that convention, I met Jevonda Gilbert. She challenged me to do more than assume I would receive votes; she asked me to explain what I would do to earn her vote.

That moment shaped my leadership philosophy and fueled my commitment to listening to members, being analytical in developing positions and advocating for issues that benefit all EAS employees — every issue, every job.

That commitment to securing more for EAS employees guided my work with USPS leadership and contributed to moving the median EAS salary by 18.24% during my tenure as NAPS president (with FY25 numbers still pending). This is what being focused on membership looks like.

I’ve often said that changing the direction of NAPS to more intentionally focus on serving members is like turning a supertanker — you don’t simply make a sharp turn. The course must be carefully plotted and consistently followed.

That work remains ongoing. We must resist the temptation to focus on clicks or personal gain. If we do, we risk losing sight of what truly matters — our members.

When I was first elected NAPS president, I envisioned creating a President’s Summit modeled in part after the Quality of Work Life (QWL) events that were a hallmark of Gloria Gray’s legacy. While that did not come to fruition during my tenure, I recognized that a single event would not be enough. We needed a broader, more sustainable approach to mentoring and development in the Postal Service.

With the publication of this issue of The Postal Supervisor, we are well on our way to launching the NAPS Training Academy that will offer webinars across all five regions facilitated by NAPS trainers. With special thanks to Dr. Gigi Ernest-Griffin, we will be able to leverage the wealth of knowledge among our members and create meaningful learning experiences for EAS employees — beginning with foundational skills such as writing a proper KSA.

You then will see a recorded version of this and other webinars on our NAPS website in the NAPS Training Academy membership portal. I remain committed to seeing this work through to the end.

In solidarity …