Fairfield, ID — Chris Baker is the new Postmaster at the Fairfield Post Office, and he has worked hard to get to his new position. 

Baker began his Postal career three years ago in Idaho as a postal support employee (PSE), sales and service associate in Rigby. He also held PSE positions in Dubois, Terreton, Menan, Lewisville, Roberts, and Shelly, and served as a supervisor in Pocatello. 

He says of his positions, supervising in Pocatello has been his most rewarding so far, “I realized there I was doing what I was meant to do. I thought the size of the office would be overwhelming, but in fact it was nice to assist management get caught up on tasks.” He admits there was a lot to do but was impressed by the “can do” mindset of his coworkers, “I could not believe the carriers’ great attitudes with such a huge amount of workload and demands. Many of them would be out past 8 p.m. They treated me as one of their own and it was great to fit in as another member of the USPS family.” 

In his new role Baker oversees six employees as well as ensuring the Fairfield community gets their mail and outstanding customer service. When he assumed the role of Postmaster, he identified areas within his office where he could make improvements in both functionality and service. His knowledge and desire to make changes is just one small part of the Postal Service’s “Delivering for America” 10-year plan to achieve financial sustainability and service excellence. 

“…it has been my role to get the Fairfield office back to Post Office standards…My aim is to have the office ready by [fiscal year] FY24 to be able to adapt to any changes the USPS decides to implement smoothly and create less of a disturbance to the office and the community.” 

Prior to his career with the Postal Service, Baker was stationed at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas where he served four years in the United States Air Force as a B1-B jet engine mechanic. In addition, he worked at other federal agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and as a range technician and wildland fire logistic manager for the United States Forest Service (USFS). He also owned his own auto repair shop. Baker earned bachelor’s degrees from both Abilene Christian University in Texas and Idaho State University, and also attended the University of Denver where he earned a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) certificate. 

He says he has seen a lot of growth since joining the Postal Service, especially when it comes to package volumes and the increased demand for our staff, “But the ones who stick with it are tough, resilient, and the most dedicated workforce I have ever seen in my life! Between the amount of packages delivered and long hours in all weather conditions and in some fairly rough country I have seen a workforce that is unbelievable.” 

Baker lives with his wife of more than 12 years — who also works for the Postal Service — and his mother in law. He has two grown children, and, in his downtime, he enjoys fishing at Island Park Reservoir and fly fishing the Snake River. He also enjoys prospecting old mines for samples and analysis. The results of which he passes on to his kids and grandkids. 

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