PRC Postal Performance Dashboard On Horizon

WASHINGTON, DC — The Postal Regulatory Commission named Russell Rappel-Schmid as the agency’s first chief data officer to lead its open data and data governance efforts. Mr. Rappel-Schmid joined the agency effective February 14, 2022. Rappel-Schmid will oversee the Commission’s data management and compliance with the OPEN Government Data Act.

As part of its data initiatives, the PRC also introduced the beta version of a service performance data dashboard to make postal data more accessible and usable, and opened a public inquiry (Docket No. PI2022-2) to receive feedback on it. Developed by the Commission’s Office of Accountability and Compliance, the beta dashboard displays data provided by the Postal Service on national-level service performance results for specific Market Dominant postal products and/or product components.

The open data program complements the Commission’s recent steps to launch a data analytics division within its Office of Accountability and Compliance, and to increase the use of data visualization tools across the agency.

Served As Alaska’s Chief Data Officer

Most recently, Rappel-Schmid served as the State of Alaska’s first chief data officer. In that role, he worked with the State Office of Information Technology and other state departments on the data governance plan for their move to the cloud. He also launched Alaska’s first non-geospatial open data portal, and created data tools to help users better visualize and understand the state’s data.

Rappel-Schmid previously served at the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG). He was a member of the USPS OIG’s data analytics team where he worked to identify, access, and effectively use Postal Service data. Rappel-Schmid also worked as an audit manager, overseeing audits of Postal Service costs, pricing, and international mail. Rappel-Schmid started his career using data to drive internal audits while on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps.

“I am excited to welcome Russell Rappel-Schmid to the Commission. With his experience implementing data initiatives and his knowledge of the postal sector, Russ is well-positioned to lead the Commission’s emergent open data efforts, and to support the Commission as it continues to provide transparency and accountability of the postal system,” said PRC Chairman Michael Kubayanda.

Rappel-Schmid will report to Secretary and Chief Administrative Officer Erica Barker.