USPS reshuffles top execs as Ellis Burgoyne recovers from illness

Top executives at the US Postal Service have been temporarily reshuffled to cover for chief information officer Ellis Burgoyne, who is coping with a “serious health issue”. An internal announcement from Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe has been issued within USPS stating that chief finance officer Joe Corbett has been temporarily reassigned to the CIO position to fill in for Burgoyne.

Burgoyne is said by the memo to be “making good progress in his recovery”, but will not be able to return to work for some time.

Finance and planning vice president Steve Masse will step up to take on the CFO duties in the mean time, with finance and planning manager Cynthia Sanchez-Hernandez taking over Masse’s role, as acting finance and planning VP.

A spokesman for USPS confirmed the details of the internal memo to Post&Parcel this morning, but could not say how long the situation would last.

Burgoyne has been with the Postal Service since 1978, when he joined as a letter carrier in Inglewood, California. He became CIO in December 2010, his job entailing the overseeing of all systems and data as new products are developed at the Postal Service.

“The CIO function is vitally important to the success of our organisation. It is integral to everything we do and drives some of our most important initiatives,” Donahoe said of the role.

“Great faith”

The Postmaster General said former KPMG executive and experienced corporate senior manager Corbett had the executive skills to temporarily assume Burgoyne’s duties.

“I have great faith in Joe’s executive ability. I believe he will be able to maintain the excellent momentum Ellis has built within his group as CIO,” he said.

Acting CFO Masse joined the Postal Service in 2009, but has 25 years’ experience in financial management and business operational leadership according to USPS. Another former KPMG man, Masse spent 19 years at BAE Systems before coming to the Postal Service.

Donahoe said the acting CFO had been involved in “every major planning effort and business decision” in the past three years at the Postal Service.

Sanchez-Hernandez has been “integrally” involved in developing the Five-Year Business Plan issued by the Postal Service this year to bring its multi-billion dollar annual losses back under control, Donahoe said, and she is currently working on a 2013 financial plan.

“She is well positioned to assume this new interim role,” said the Postmaster General.