and establish the Postal Service as a leader among businesses in addressing the needs of the Hispanic community.

     In 2003, the Postal Service was presented with a leadership award for being a long-time partner with the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI), for its commitment to the education and leadership development of Hispanic women, and for its commitment to the Hispanic community.

     As a result of the growing demand for Publication 295, Hispanic People and Events on U.S. Postage Stamps, the booklet was revised and the César E. Chávez and Desi Arnaz stamps were added to the collection. This booklet celebrates many of the Hispanic people, places, and achievements that have been honored on postage stamps. Through the National Hispanic Program's field network, partnerships with Hispanic organizations and associations, and community relationships, the Postal Service met transformation challenges in a changing, diverse, and competitive environment. In 2003, specialists were successful in partnering with other functional areas to promote Postal Service products and services to the growing Hispanic market segment. The specialists were instrumental in identifying in-language material requirements that directly align the organization with the needs of the Postal Service's Hispanic customers. Through these multicultural initiatives, the National Hispanic Program has helped the organization reduce transaction cost, increase customer satisfaction, improve service, and generate new revenue.

     As one of the Special Emphasis Programs, the workforce analysis, program plans, and accomplishments of the Postal Service's National Women's Program are reported in the Affirmative Employment Program (AEP) reports to the EEOC annually. These reports reflect actions and events pursued by the Postal Service as it attempts to ensure that women have equal access to opportunities in hiring, development, promotion, and success at all levels of the postal workforce. These efforts help identify and remove barriers that

may interfere with this equal access, while providing tools and information. Programs, reporting, and activities are executed at Headquarters and through area- and district-level diversity development specialists.

     The program strategy has been redirected as follows:

• Integration of all Special Emphasis Programs.
• Focus on careers and career development.
• Programmatic support for development and promotion opportunity.
• Headquarters-initiated training of field specialists.
• Automation of data and AEP reporting processes.

Program accomplishments that reflect this redirection include local career conferences, celebrating National Women's History Month, and emphasis on career and developmental options. Opportunities for women to further their postal careers include implementation of local skills banks, pilots of centralized detail selections based on skills banks and skills matching, and the pilot of a local, self-nominating Future Leaders Program. This also includes the update and distribution of Publication 512, Women on Stamps.

     The Special Emphasis Program focused on recruitment, retention, and promotional opportunities for African Americans, American Indians and Alaskan Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, people with disabilities, veterans, and white males. White females and Hispanics are addressed by the Women's Program and the National Hispanic Program. Major accomplishments of the Special Emphasis Program in 2003 include:

• Development of a multi-year strategic plan and update for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, per executive order 13216.