Laura Lewis takes oath of office as postmaster

Following a tradition that dates back to 1883 when Amos Verlaque became the first postmaster of Ramona, Laura Lewis took the oath of office as postmaster at the Ramona Post Office, 1444 Main St., on Tuesday.

The community may meet Lewis, a Julian resident, during the post office open house that will also include tours of the post office and a passport fair for first-time applicants from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 25.

Lewis started her her career with the U.S. Postal Service in 1985 as a part-time clerk in the Julian Post Office, and said she also worked as a clerk for the Ramona Post Office when it was on D Street.

“This is where my heart is,” she said of Ramona.

Lewis started her managerial career as an officer in charge in Jamul, and later as the manager in Vista. She has also been postmaster of Julian, has been the San Diego District retail operations manager, and has filled in with supervisory work at the Ramona Post Office. She was promoted to postmaster on Feb. 1.

“Being a postmaster is a great honor,” said Lewis. “It enables you to be a part of the community and puts you in personal contact with the people who make up the community. My goal is to continue to improve service and make everyone’s postal experience a positive one.”

Lewis is a graduate of The University of Phoenix with a bachelor’s degree in business marketing.

As Ramona postmaster, she supervises 45 employees and oversees 15,000 residential and business deliveries and 2,800 post office box deliveries.