Dan Heins Tribute
Floor Speech
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Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Daniel Heins, who will be retiring at the end of this month from his position as national president of the United Postmasters and Managers of America (UPMA). Dan began his accomplished postal career in Minneapolis, Minnesota in March of 1981 as a distribution and window clerk. He rose through the ranks as a letter carrier, a supervisor, a station manager, and then in 2010, he was appointed postmaster in Stewartville, Minnesota. Prior to his election as UPMA national president, Dan served in various leadership positions within the Minnesota Chapter of UPMA, including district director, executive vice-president, secretary- treasurer, and nine years as a chapter president. Nationally, Dan served in roles as vice-president and secretary-treasurer before being elected president on November 1, 2018. UPMA has 25,000 active and retired members including postmasters, managers, supervisors, retirees and associate members. Dan is committed to making sure that UPMA does everything possible to improve the lives of their members at all levels of the organization. As the organization's first president, Dan worked hard to establish UPMA as a trusted voice among policymakers on Capitol Hill. He was singularly determined to advocate on both sides of the aisle for comprehensive postal reform to ensure that the USPS continues to exist. Dan shared his personal belief in the importance of reform so future employees could have the same opportunities for personal growth that Dan had been blessed with. His passion for being a postmaster and his professional commitment to a successful USPS have been unassailable. In 2019, Dan led a successful UPMA convention and followed up on his commitment to building and growing a dynamic association by having record attendance at the Congressional Summit in early 2020. Hundreds of postmasters who came to Washington under Dan's leadership last year to advocate for postal reform and their benefits. About a month after that successful summit, the COVID-19 public health crisis struck. Dan immediately jumped into action, communicating to policymakers on Capitol Hill the dire situation the USPS was in and the need for supplemental funding to provide PPE and ensure the timely delivery of the unprecedented volume of packages from local stay-at- home orders. In the summer of 2020, Dan and his wife, Karen, traveled the country to a number of UPMA state conventions, demonstrating his commitment to the vitality and success of the Association. Even though the 2020 national convention welcomed only a fraction of its usual attendance, Dan made sure that postmasters continued to come together and be recognized for the essential work they do. In the fall of 2020, as postmasters throughout the country prepared for record vote-by-mail turnout, Dan was a steady voice to his members assuring them that postmasters and postal employees would rise to the challenge. I was proud to meet with my local postmasters from Southern Illinois during this year's Congressional Summit and thank them for the essential service they do every day. Madam Speaker, I am proud to recognize Dan Heins for his leadership as president of the United Postmasters of America. I also recognize his wife, Karen, a true partner to Dan whose steadfast support has helped him achieve his success. As a new president takes office, I know that a solid foundation has been built by UPMA because of the work of President Dan Heins.
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