According to Nextgov.com some questions are arising  over the selection of Former  Southwest Area Vice President Ellis Burgoyne to Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice-President. The position was previously held by Ross Philo for 3 years.

Chief Information Officer

Questions have been raised about Burgoyne’s ability to operate one of the largest technology networks worldwide, given his lack of IT experience. In addition to the mammoth intranet, the agency’s IT assets include applications that control payroll for one of the nation’s largest workforces and millions of payments to suppliers.

But yet farther down in the article it states:

In late October, the agency’s regulator criticized USPS for delays in embracing innovations used by competitors, such as the intelligent mail barcode, a FedEx-like tracking system that can identify each parcel as it moves through the processing pipeline and measure the amount of time it takes to pass through.

The Postal Service’s annual 10-K report noted that IT is a risk factor that could influence future financial results.

So is Nextgov Criticizing Ross Philo as well?

Union representatives declined to comment. (Why should Union officials comment on this speculation about Burgoyne?)
Here is Ross Philo’s bio:

Philo came to the U.S. Postal Service from a career in the energy industry. Most recently he was director of global energy solutions at Cisco Systems where he helped define strategic solutions to transform energy and utility company operations through more efficient business processes, better informed decision making, improved security and safety, and enhanced regulatory compliance. Immediately prior to that, he served as president and chief executive officer of Visean Inc, a global startup providing remote data communication services for the oil and gas industry.

As senior vice president and CIO at Halliburton, he helped align the IT organization to support critical business initiatives, led a complete transformation of IT offerings within the energy services group, and integrated IT into a single business-focused organization.

Before joining Halliburton, Philo held a series of management and IT leadership roles with Schlumberger. His career began in 1975, and he has lived and worked in approximately 30 countries. In Schlumberger, he held positions including field manager, district manager, member of the organization’s CIO team, senior roles in the organization’s e-commerce initiatives and global IT joint ventures, and director of IT operations for the company’s oilfield services group.

Philo graduated with a First Class degree in engineering from Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, England.

Here is the bio for Ellis Burgoyne:

Ellis Burgoyne has accepted the position of Chief Information Officer and executive vice president. He will oversee all systems and data management.

“One of the most pressing challenges facing the Postal Service relates to our use of information systems,” said Donahoe. “Our ability to develop compelling new products, to improve the customer experience, and to fully leverage our network to meet customer needs depends upon making great strides in the way we use information and technology.”

Donahoe said Burgoyne has “a superior track record of cross-functional achievement, as well as a deep understanding of how to marshal the systems and data at our fingertips to make smart, fast operational decisions.”

Burgoyne leaves a position as vice president, Southwest Area, which he has held since September 2006. Earlier, he served as vice president, Delivery and Retail; and as district manager, first for the Richmond, VA, District and then the Colorado/Wyoming District. Burgoyne led both districts to new levels of performance and customer satisfaction. His achievements earned him the Chief Operating Officer’s Award in 2004 and Vice President’s Awards in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He began his postal career in 1978 as a letter carrier in Inglewood, CA.

read entire article at Nextgov