BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Last month, Lynda La Force was selected as the Postmaster of Bakersfield, replacing James Brouillard who recently retired.

La Force, who began her career as a letter carrier in Bakersfield, said she is overjoyed to have her career come full circle. “I’m very happy to be the Postmaster in Bakersfield, which is my adopted home town and has been since 1981.” She added that “Bakersfield is a wonderful community and the Bakersfield Post Office has a great group of employees that are dedicated to providing exceptional service.”

La Force began her Postal Service career in Oct. 1983. After being promoted to the ranks of management, she held several positions of increasing responsibility, most recently as the Tulare, Calif. postmaster. She was also recently assigned as the acting manager of post office operations for several Post Offices in the Sierra Coastal Postal District.

“Since beginning my career a lot has changed, La Force said. “The future of the Postal Service looks bright and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. While all of the changes can be challenging at times, it makes my job enjoyable and fun.”

La Force said there is a lot to be excited about. “There are many new products and services that the Postal Service has designed to continue to be viable to the community and our customers and it’s a time of great opportunity for us.” She added, “We’re showing that we are a world class package delivery company and that it’s simple to do business with us and I love being a part of that.”

Being the postmaster of Bakersfield is no easy task. With 462 employees La Force is responsible for 203,300 deliveries, 244 carrier routes and almost 12,000 P.O. Boxes. But La Force still finds time to help the community. This past fall, she organized an employee coat drive for the homeless and plans to make this an annual event. “I feel that we need to recognize how fortunate we are to have our jobs and we should embrace helping those who may need it, even if it’s in a small way,” La Force said.

La Force is planning her official installation ceremony to take place in early 2014. She said for now, she wants to stay focused on the busy holiday season.

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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: 152 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With more than 31,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private-sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 42nd in the 2012 Fortune 500. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for seven years and the fifth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.