Thousand Oaks’ new postmaster came up the ranks to become the city’s top postal official—but he gives all the credit to his teammates.
“It all comes down to how you treat an employee,” said Kelsey Vela, head of the U.S. Postal Service office at E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Duesenberg Drive. “I tell my people, ‘Do not forget where you came from.’ Your people make who you are, and you cannot get anything done without an employee.”
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy swore Vela in as postmaster of Thousand Oaks on July 8, but Vela started serving as officer in charge of the post office in May 2021. The OIC position is a manager who fills in temporarily for the postmaster.
As T.O. postmaster, Vela is responsible for a staff of 185 employees and oversees an area with 60,000 mailboxes and 4,100 post office boxes.
His duties include managing the day-to-day operations of the T.O. Boulevard post office and ensuring the people of Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Westlake Village get their mail promptly and securely.