The United States Postal Service (USPS) held a swearing-in ceremony this month for Kahlil Wilson, the first Black postmaster of Jamaica, Queens.
Wilson officially took the oath of office on Friday, May 9, during a ceremony at the Robert Ross Johnson Family Life Center in St. Albans, surrounded by USPS leadership, family, and community members.
As postmaster, Wilson oversees operations at the Jamaica Main Post Office, along with 18 postal stations and seven retail units. His jurisdiction covers a service area of 250,000 residents, 21,000 delivery points, 388 delivery routes, and spans 23 ZIP Codes.
Wilson has had a decades-long career with the USPS. The Queens resident and immigrant from Kingston, Jamaica, began his permanent postal career as a letter carrier for the Ozone Park carrier station in 2002, after beginning his career in Manhattan as a casual employee.
In 2006, Wilson decided to transition to a management position as an associate supervisor for the South Ozone Park carrier station.
Fourteen years later, his journey into the postmaster role began in 2020, when he trained as the acting Postmaster of Jamaica before being appointed as the postmaster of Long Island City in 2022.
Since then, his skillset and duties have covered roles including Manager of Post Office Operations (Postal Area POOM A), Lead Manager Distribution Operations in Manhattan (Morgan Processing and Distribution Center), and Officer in Charge of Flushing and Jamaica.
Wilson is now the 44th Postmaster to assume the Jamaica Postmaster role.
“I am proud to say that I have been an employee of the Postal Service for over 25 years,” said Wilson. “I began my career as a letter carrier and moved into management through the Postal Service’s Associate Supervisor Program,” he added.
“All my positions have given me different experiences that have heightened my development as a leader and expanded my cross-functional knowledge,” said Wilson.
Wilson reflected on his career in an impactful speech, saying that he found his calling as a postmaster. “I want to believe I’ve been a leader all my life, but I found purpose working for the Post Office. I never take it for granted, and I constantly remind people in my charge that I work for them. It’s not about me being in charge but rather me taking care of fellow employees,” said Wilson.
