Kristin Seaver named Postal Service CIO

The U.S. Postal Service has a new CIO. Kristin Seaver, a 24-year-veteran of USPS, has replaced acting CIO Randy Miskanic, Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan announced.

Miskanic, who was named acting CIO in April 2015, will return to his former position as USPS chief information security officer. 

Seaver’s appointment, announced Friday, comes weeks after Brennan announced a new strategy to “lead an information and technology-driven reinvention of mail” during a keynote speech at the National Postal Forum.

“The Postal Service is investing in our digital strategy, because there are limitless opportunities when we combine the power of mail with the ubiquity of mobile,” Brennan said. “We are committed to elevating the role of mail in American marketing and communications, and earning a bigger slice of the marketing pie.”

Seaver previously served as vice president of area operations for USPS’ Capital Metro Area region, where she oversaw all dimensions of the mail process for 15.9 million customers and managed 60,000 employees. As CIO, she will “lead the Postal Service’s efforts to drive innovation across enterprise analytics, business insights, mail intelligence, engineering systems, information security and infrastructure and payment technology,” according to the USPS website.

These efforts will include the advancement of Informed Visibility, which Brennan called a “supercharged information platform…designed to transform mail.” A primarily data-fueled initiative, IV uses laser scanning and barcodes to track packages as they move through the mailing system, offering better insight to mailers and recipients. 

Another program, dubbed Informed Delivery, is on track to make mail previews available in mobile format in every U.S. zip code by 2017.

“Our vision is not confined to what we can accomplish in the next year or two,” Brennan said. “We have to continue to build and focus on the long-term rewards.”