WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to serve as leaders in his administration:
- Val Butler Demings, Nominee to be a Governor of the United States Postal Service Board of Governors
- William Zollars, Nominee to be a Governor (Republican) of the United States Postal Service Board of Governors
Val Butler Demings, Nominee to be a Governor of the United States Postal Service Board of Governors
Val Butler Demings is a lifelong public servant who broke numerous glass ceilings. In 2016, Demings was elected by the voters of Florida’s 10th District to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. She fought to grow the economy, reduce household costs, and end gun violence. She served on the House Committees on Judiciary, Intelligence, Homeland Security, and Oversight and Government Reform, and chaired the House Homeland Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. She was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Women’s Caucus, and New Democratic Caucus, a member of the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Review Board and the Elections Security Taskforce, and served as Assistant and Regional Whip for the House Democratic Caucus, Co-Chair of Candidate Recruitment for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Vice Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. Demings was the Democratic nominee for Senate in Florida in 2022.
At the start of her career, Demings worked as a social worker before joining the police academy. She graduated from the police academy as Class President, receiving the Board of Trustees’ Award for Overall Excellence. Demings served at every rank level in the Orlando Police Department for 27 years, commanding the Special Operations division and handling the department’s highest-profile tasks, including coordinating the response of the Airport Division on September 11th, 2001. In 2007, Demings made history when she was appointed to serve as Orlando’s first female Chief of Police.
Demings became the first person in her family to go to college, earning a B.S. in Criminology from Florida State University and later a Master’s in Public Administration. Demings holds an honorary doctorate of laws from Bethune-Cookman University (HBCU), as well as honorary doctorates from Florida Technical College and City College Fort Lauderdale. Demings and her husband, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, have three children and five grandchildren.
William Zollars, Nominee to be a Governor (Republican) of the United States Postal Service Board of Governors
William Zollars grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota as one of four children. He attended Edina High School and the University of Minnesota where he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation, Zollars spent 24 years at Eastman Kodak where he held roles in finance, strategic planning, marketing, logistics, and general management. While at Eastman Kodak, he also spent five years in Europe, three years in Canada, and one year in Japan. In 1994, Zollars helped establish the Integrated Logistics business at Ryder Systems in Miami. In 1997, Zollars became President of Yellow Freight in Kansas City, Missouri, the largest division at Yellow Corporation. In 1999, he was promoted to Chairman, President, and CEO of the company and held the position for 12 years.
Additionally, Zollars served on the public company boards of Cerner, Cigna, Prologis, and several private company boards. He will be completing his first term as a Governor of the United States Postal Board of Governors at the end of the year 2023.
Zollars has served in multiple community roles including as Chairman of the Greater KC United Way; a board member of the KC Civic Council, KC Repertory Theater; and he formed the KC Business Roundtable. He served for five years as a member of the board of trustees of the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota.
