LONG BEACH, CA —  On Thursday, May 18, 2017, at 10:00 am, Brigitte Williams-Champion will follow a tradition that dates back to 1885 when William W. Lowe became the first Postmaster of Long Beach.  Williams-Champion will raise her right hand to be sworn in as the new and first female Postmaster of Long Beach at the Michelle Obama Library, 5870 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA  90805.
As Postmaster of Long Beach, Williams-Champion is responsible for the management of postal operations in the 90744 - 90815 ZIP Codes, which consists of sixteen post offices, stations, and branches in Long Beach. She oversees 728 employees who provide service to 63,000 street addresses and 14,846 Post Office Boxes.  Long Beach is 50 square miles in area and is home to more than 460,000 people, making it the 7th largest city in the state of California.  

“I’m proud to represent the postal service and the community.  One of my postal goals that I thrived for since the beginning of my postal career was to become a postmaster over a large city,” said Williams-Champion.

The oath Williams-Champion will take is the same taken by members of Congress and other federal employees, with the exception of a president. The wording of this federal employee oath dates back to an amendment made in 1861 to the 1789 Oath Act, the first bill passed by the U.S. Congress. Conversely, the 35-word oath taken by the President of the United States on first entering office is specified in Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution.

Williams-Champion began her postal career in 1981, as a PTF Carrier at the Main Office Station (formerly Florence Station) in Los Angeles, CA.  She served in many management positions in the Los Angeles District including manager of Sanford, Mar Vista, Downtown Carrier Annex, and Commerce Station.  She also served as the Postmaster in Inglewood and Redondo Beach.  She was appointed as Postmaster of Long Beach on December 10, 2016.

Williams-Champion is married to Victor Champion and they currently reside in Los Angeles.  Her father is Willie Godbold. Her brothers are Willie James and Cecil Godbold. Her sisters are Marie Godbold and Rebecca Jones.  She enjoys playing tennis and cooking. 

She completed her undergraduate studies at CAL State LA.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Master’s Degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.  She also has a special certification in Human Resource Management.

She is a member of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce and is currently the recording secretary for the Arthur Ashe Tennis Club.

Al Santos, Los Angeles District Manager, will administer the official oath of office.  Williams-Champion replaces Tyrone M. Williams, who is now the District Manager in Oregon.

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