January 30, 2018

Recently, the well-liked and well-known USPS Chief Customer and Marketing Officer Jim Cochrane announced his retirement. Many mailers knew this would be coming but are concerned with the loss of someone who listened to customers and tried to bring marketing innovation to the USPS.  Here is an excerpt from a statement by Postmaster General Megan Brennan:

“After more than 43 years of exceptional leadership, service, and accomplishment James (Jim) P. Cochrane will begin a new chapter in his life as a postal retiree beginning February 2.

Jim has had a lasting impact on the Postal Service and the mailing and shipping industry. In his recent roles as Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, and Chief Information Officer, and in numerous prior roles in Operations, Sales, Marketing, and Information Technology, he has been an innovative leader, anticipating our business challenges, identifying growth opportunities, and formulating and executing strategies to improve our ability to compete for customers.

Throughout his career, Jim has been a tireless advocate for the customer, and for improving the experience every customer has with us. Jim has actively engaged and collaborated with our business partners in the industry, and played a vital, leading role in strengthening these important relationships.”

Jakki Krage Strako also is well-know and liked among customers, especially those who know her well in the Great Lakes Area. And Postmaster General Brennan seems to be confident Jakki will follow Jim as a strong advocate for the needs of customers:

“I am pleased to announce that Jacqueline (Jakki) Krage Strako will be detailed to the position of Chief Customer and Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, effective February 3.

In her current role as Vice President, Area Operations, Great Lakes Area, Jakki oversees a workforce of more than 61,000 employees, and is responsible for all aspects of operations, marketing, and customer engagement across five states in the Great Lakes Area.

In her new assignment, Jakki will be responsible for developing and executing strategies that align with customers so that we can more effectively meet their needs in an increasingly digital and rapidly evolving marketplace. She will drive our product development and marketing, industry engagement, as well as sales and customer care.

Jakki’s 28-year postal career has spanned operations, finance, budget, and industrial engineering. Throughout her career she has been a passionate advocate for the customer, and an effective leader, strategist, and problem solver. She brings a deep understanding of the organization, our customers, and the marketplace to this important role. She has been instrumental in managing and strengthening relationships with many of our largest customers and business partners, and in delivering excellent results for our organization.

Jakki holds an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering from the University of Iowa, a master’s degree in business administration from De Paul University, and graduate diplomas in financial management, and strategy and organization, from Stanford University, as part of the Sloan fellowship program.”