National Postal Museum Announces New Leadership for Advisory Council

The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum announced that John Nolan will succeed James Pehta as chairman of the National Postal Museum Advisory Council. Ed Gleiman will serve in the newly created role of vice chairman. Nolan recently retired from his position as deputy postmaster general; Gleiman is former chairman of the Postal Rate Commission.

“Jim Pehta has been part of the National Postal Museum since its inception,” said National Postal Museum Director Allen Kane. “He has done a terrific job as chairman of the Museum Advisory Council and the museum is deeply grateful. We look forward to Jim’s continued involvement with the museum.”

The National Postal Museum is charting an ambitious course over the next several years that will include extensive renovations to the museum’s history galleries and greater emphasis on outreach programs to attract visitors, build the museum membership program and increase utilization of museum spaces for meetings and events. Over a two-year period, attendance at the National Postal Museum increased more than 40 percent.

“John Nolan and Ed Gleiman bring a wealth of knowledge, energy and postal industry experience to the table. With them at the helm, the Museum Advisory Council will play a vital role in shaping the future of the National Postal Museum,” Kane said.

Pehta participated in the selection process and was pleased with the results.

“I couldn’t be happier with the appointments of John Nolan and Ed Gleiman. Their proven leadership skills will bring a new dimension to the Museum Advisory Council in its support role for the Postal Museum,” Pehta said. “This is a major move forward for the museum and the council as the museum undertakes a transformation of its exhibits.”

Nolan started his career with the United States Postal Service, where he advanced from being a management intern to running the world’s largest post office as postmaster/general manager of the New York division. Nolan spent more than 10 years with Merrill Lynch before returning to the U.S. Postal Service to serve as deputy postmaster general, a position he held for five years. Before his retirement, Nolan served on the National Postal Museum Coordinating Committee, which is a governing board comprised of representatives from the U.S. Postal Service and the Smithsonian Institution. He has also served on a number of industry and non-profit boards and executive committees, including the U. S. Postal Service Board of Governors, the National Postal Policy Council and the Princeton Regional Scholarship Foundation.

Gleiman is currently a member of the National Postal Museum Advisory Council and served on the museum’s Winton S. Blount Advisory Council. He was appointed chairman of the Postal Rate Commission by President Clinton in 1994. Prior to that, he served as staff director and chief counsel of the Subcommittee on Federal Services, Post Office and Civil Service of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and as a senior policy advisor to then-Sen. David Pryor (D-Ark.). Gleiman also worked for 10 years on the staff of a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Government Operations Committee. He now heads his own public policy and government relations consulting firm, EJGConsulting.

The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing the largest and most comprehensive collection of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E., in the Old City Post Office Building across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information visit the museum’s Web site at postalmuseum.si.edu.

# # #