AP
|
As Postmaster General, Potter has his hands full trying to assure a nation that the U.S. Postal Service will try its best to keep anthrax-tainted letters out of the mail. But he did warn that there was no guarantee that mail delivered to Americans is safe, and suggested people wash their hands after opening letters even though the risk of contracting anthrax is slight. Potter also must deal with the deaths of several postal workers from anthrax. And, although the postal service already loses millions of dollars annually, he now is faced with spending millions more on Cipro antibiotic subscriptions for thousands of his employees and bringing in high-tech equipment that can scan and sanitize mail from anthrax contamination.
The 23-year veteran of the USPS was appointed Postmaster General on June 1, 2001, three months before the first anthrax outbreaks were linked to a Trenton, N.J., mail office. He served for many years as the postal department's COO and executive vice president. Potter began his postal career in 1978 as a distribution clerk in Westchester, N.Y., and moved on to hold several staff positions in the Northeast Area Office.
Potter earned a master's degree in management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Fordham University. He is married with two children.
|
