SANTA CLARA, CA — On Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, at 12:00 p.m., Mark Cole will follow a tradition that dates back to 1851 when Fletcher Cooper became the first Santa Clara Postmaster. Cole will raise his right hand to be sworn in as the new Postmaster at the Santa Clara Post Office, 1200 Franklin Mall Santa Clara, CA 95050. Cole follows a more familiar tradition. His father, Joseph Cole, was Postmaster of Campbell.

Cole is a military veteran and served three years as an Infantry Paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army and five years with 91st Division 3rd Simulation Exercise Group, United States Army Reserves.

Cole started his U.S. Postal Service career in 2002 as a city letter carrier at Robertsville Station in San Jose. His first supervisory assignment was at Sanchez Annex in Santa Clara in 2005. Over the years, he supervised in 14 different postal units, including  as Manager of Customer Service at Foothill, Westgate, and St. James Stations, and as the second-in-command for the San Jose Post Office as the Manager of Customer Service Operations.

“Being a postmaster is not just following in my father’s footsteps to me,” said Cole. “It’s serving a company that has provided for me and my family since I was two years old. It’s a dedication and commitment to my city and the goals of the Postal Service. My goal is to provide world-class service and on-time mail delivery within a safe working environment for my employees and the residents of Santa Clara.”

Cole, his wife, Amy, and their 15-month-old daughter, McKenna, live in San Jose. He enjoys spending time with family and three dogs. He is a huge Bay Area Sports fan. He is a member of the Academy of Self Defense in Santa Clara and CrossFit Diligence in South San Jose.

As Santa Clara Postmaster, Cole manages all operations at the Santa Clara Main Office, Agnew Station, Mission Station, and Sanchez Station with a total of 84 carrier delivery routes and 53,000 delivery points (residential business addresses) and 3,274 PO Boxes. He manages 150 employees who process and deliver an average of 250,000 pieces of mail daily.

Aron Jones, Manager of Post Office Operations, will administer the official oath of office. Cole replaces Andy Ioane who retired.

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