PALO ALTO, CA — In a tradition that dates back to the early days of the U.S. Postal Service, Dean Maeda will be sworn in as Palo Alto’s next postmaster on Friday, January 8, 2010 at 12:30 p.m. The ceremony will take place at the Palo Alto Main Post Office, 2085 E. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto.

Maeda said that his first priority as postmaster will be to provide great service. “Taking the postmaster oath of office is not just symbolic gesture, but a sign of my commitment and dedication to serving the citizens of Palo Alto.” Maeda added, “My goal is to improve service in all areas, from the retail lobby to daily deliveries.”

Beginning his Postal Service career as a Sunnyvale letter carrier in 1982, Maeda learned from the ground up what it takes to provide exceptional service. He took what he had learned as a carrier and was promoted to delivery supervisor in 1987. Most recently, he served as the manager of the Main Post Office in Palo Alto.

Maeda said there were many people who have had a significant affect on his career, but attributes his father to having the biggest impact. “If it was not for my father I would never have chosen a career with the Postal Service,” Maeda said. Prior to joining the Postal Service, Maeda studied business at De Anza College.

In his spare time, Maeda enjoys playing basketball and spending time with his wife Josephine, who is also a Postal Service employee, and their three children; Aaron, 18, Johnny, 16 and Alexandria, 13. After spending 10 years in San Jose, in 2008 Maeda moved to Sunnyvale, where he had attended high school.

Maeda is responsible for over 42,000 deliveries in both Palo Alto and East Palo Alto. With 228 employees he serves 113 carrier routes and 12,870 Post Office boxes. Maeda succeeds John Kelly, who had been Palo Alto postmaster from June 2001 to July 2009.

The media and public are invited to attend the postmaster oath of office ceremony.

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 26th in the 2008 Fortune 500.