My name is Kevin Rayburn and I’m an attorney with the Postal Service’s Ethics Office.
A lot of what we do is provide guidance to postal employees regarding ethics rules and other federal compliance matters. On any given day, I might give structured training, assist with processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and decide FOIA administrative appeals. I also review and respond to questions sent to the ethics inbox, a resource for any current or former postal employee.
USPS is one of the nation’s most trusted organizations. Our office views what we do as part of maintaining that trust. That means practicing transparency. Ensuring that we treat every customer the same. No bias. No self-dealing.
No matter where you are in the organization — whether you handle money, data, or packages and mail — there’s a lot of trust put into us. A big element of what our team does it to make sure that we can continue an ethical mindset throughout our organization, in all operational areas.
It often feels like a miracle, what we do every day. It’s an incredibly well-run organization for how big it is. But it’s not magic, it’s not a miracle — it’s hard work.
My work is a small piece of this bigger puzzle, and I believe strongly that we need to not get in each other’s way. We can accomplish our operational mission and incorporate ethics and privacy rules that we train on all along the way. It’s complementary.
When I’m not at the office, you might find me indoor rock-climbing, a hobby I took up during the pandemic. I also enjoy camping, games of all kinds and playing the guitar.
I live in Alexandria, VA, with my amazing partner, Melissa Miller, and our four special-needs rescues: mutt Sadie, who is deaf; sister cats Willa and Condi, who are blind; and Dino, a stunted tomcat who will not grow more than his current 5 pounds.
They’re an adorable bunch of ragamuffins and really appreciate the home and love we give them.
“On the Job,” a column on individual employees and their contributions to the Postal Service, appears regularly in Link.
