Uncrowned Community Builders

Floretta Reed was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Her parents were the late Hennan and Mintha Kirby. She was the youngest of five children. She graduated from Manual Training High School in Muskogee Oklahoma. Ms. Reed earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from University of California, Los Angeles. She completed Advance Management Program from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA and University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, Executive Leadership Program from American Management Association, New York, NY, and The Center for Creative Leadership, San Diego, California

Ms. Reed began her postal career in 1965 as a distribution clerk in Los Angeles, California. She served in a wide and varying degree of complex assignments where she developed and refined her knowledge, expertise, and leadership skills. Those assignments included Highway Transportation Specialist in Los Angeles, CA and St. Louis, MO; Manager, Transportation Management Office (1st African American female) in Des Moines, IA; General Manager, Pittsburgh Bulk Mail Center; MSC Manager/Postmaster (1st African American female), Raleigh NC; and District Manager Oklahoma Performance Cluster. Ms. Reed also served on various details such as: IVESS Coordinator, Central Region Headquarters, Chicago IL, District Director, Mail Processing, Mid-America District, Kansas City MO, MSC Manager/Postmaster, Fayetteville, NC; Division General Manager/Postmaster, Charleston We.

When Ms. Reed was the MSC Manager of the Raleigh Sectional Center, she began the process of building a new plant. To symbolize her hard work and dedication towards getting this project underway, the Post Office Activation Committee named the street in her honor. The address for the Processing and Distribution Center is 1 Floretta Place, Raleigh NC 27613-4757.

In June 1995, Ms. Reed was appointed as Manager, Metro Operations for the Dallas and Fort Worth Texas, Performance Cluster. The position covered an area encompassing all of North Texas including 732 post offices with a population of 7.2 million and 2.2 million delivery addresses. Along with being responsible for total operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, she also shared her vision for the DFW area on how to change the way things are done and the way all postal employees (management and craft) treat one another. Her vision is based on what Wayne Alderson (author of the book "Theory R Management") teaches, which simply is doing the right thing for no other reason than, it's the right thing to do (Value of the Person). This includes treating people right: showing them love, dignity, and respect in the workplace. Ms. Reed is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. She received the Vice PresidentÃ?¢ââ??¬ââ??¢s Award for Diversity Achievement at the 1997 National Diversity Awards program in Tampa FL.

From October 1997 until October 1998, she assumed the dual role of Manager Metro Operations/Dallas District Manager. In January 1998, she implemented an innovative mid-level management developmental program in the DFW Metroplex. Along with her Value of the Person vision, Ms. Reed leaves a postal legacy that includes- the worth of character, the power of kindness, the influence of example, the obligation of duty, the virtue of patience, and the success of perseverance. At the time of her retirement, Ms. Reed was the highest ranking African American female.

Ms. Reed retired from the Postal Service on Jan. 3, 2000. In April 2000, she became the National President of the African American Postal League United for Success (APLUS), an organization founded to provide training, development and networking opportunities for African American supervisors, managers and executives in the Postal Service. She was a founding member and served as Eastern Region Director from 1987-1990. She presently holds the position of Vice President of Retirees since 2004. Ms. Reed received the Heritage Award in 2000 and the President's award of Excellence in 2005 and 2006.

Ms. Reed is the mother of two adult daughters, Ataloa Reed and Diana Ward and the grandmother of four grandchildren, Brandon, Brianna, Christopher and Markila. In her spare time, Ms Reed is an avid gardener and traveler. She has visited all 50 states and several continents. She continues to do community work and volunteers as Secretary of her Home Owners Association and she is member of New Dimension Worship Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma