Leadership

  • Chairman

    President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. designated Michael M. Kubayanda chairman of the Commission in January 2021. Chairman Kubayanda was reappointed to the Commission on December 9, 2021, for a second term expiring November 22, 2026, following his renomination by President Biden and second unanimous confirmation by the United States Senate. He was named vice chairman in August 2019 and served in that position through the end of 2020.  

    Chairman Kubayanda embraces the use of technology to modernize government and improve performance while serving the Commission’s traditional mission of providing transparency and accountability of the Postal Service. Since becoming Chairman, he has worked with the Commission to:

    • Launch an analytics unit within the Office of Accountability and Compliance, led by Commission staff with experience in statistical analysis of postal compliance matters. The unit is aimed at updating the agency’s capacity to evaluate issues such as network efficiency and performance. The new division can eventually serve as a focal point for distinction in root cause analysis informed by statistics, engineering, operations, and computational expertise, complementing the Commission’s skills in economic, financial, and legal analysis.
    • Begin implementing the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, in an ongoing effort to organize information held by the Commission to enhance its utility for both internal analysts and stakeholders.
    • Oversee ongoing investments in IT and knowledge infrastructure, including moving from on-premises equipment to the cloud and adding cybersecurity capacity. The Technology Modernization Fund has awarded support to the Commission for these efforts, critical for a micro agency with limited funds. 

    Chairman Kubayanda has encouraged engagement by the Commission with a nonpartisan, world-class group of experts in economics, law, electronic commerce, government transparency, and foresight. The Commission has also developed a new strategic plan for 2023 – 2028 using scenario planning to prepare the Commission for a range of potential futures affecting the agency and the broader ecosystem.

    Prior to joining the Commission, Chairman Kubayanda served as a board member and privacy officer for a digital health startup with operations in the U.S. and emerging markets. He previously worked with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Postal Service, as director of government relations and in the OIG’s research group. At the OIG, he advocated successfully for appropriations for the OIG’s analytics platform, an interagency collaboration with other inspectors general. He also authored reports on network economics and the impact of technology and partnerships on the postal system. Prior to his work with the OIG, he served as counsel to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

    Chairman Kubayanda holds degrees from Georgetown University (MA, Communication, Culture & Technology, which amplified his interest in the economics and public policies of network industries, strategic foresight, and information and knowledge management); Northwestern University (JD); and the Ohio State University (BA).

    A certified information privacy professional, Chairman Kubayanda received a Professional Development Fellowship from the Department of State to examine European privacy law and policy. He also served as a Google Policy Fellow with an Internet foundation, at which he hosted a Capitol Hill forum on the Right to Be Forgotten, assessed technology issues, and helped to design and launch the Internet Law and Policy Foundry, a group for students and emerging professionals.

    Prior to joining the Commission, he spent time in Vancouver, British Columbia; Columbus, Ohio; and Brussels.

  • Vice Chairman

    Before his appointment to the Army, Mr. Taub served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative John M. McHugh (R-NY) for the preceding decade. As chief of staff, he oversaw the day-to-day operations of Representative McHugh’s staff and offices in Washington, D.C. and Northern New York State. In a variety of leadership roles on the U.S. House Oversight & Government Reform Committee for 12 years, Mr. Taub also worked closely with Congressman McHugh on matters relating to the nation’s postal and delivery sector. He crafted Representative McHugh’s legislation for modernizing America’s postal laws for the first time since 1970, culminating in passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act in 2006. Mr. Taub also helped Representative McHugh conduct hearings and investigations into postal operations that ultimately led to the enactment of a dozen other postal laws.

    During his tenure in public office, Mr. Taub has addressed numerous national and regional conventions of postal employee organizations, mailing industry groups, and government and academic conferences both in the U.S. and abroad, on issues confronting the postal sector. The Inspector General of the U.S. Postal Service, postal employee unions, and mailing industry associations and nonprofits have all recognized Mr. Taub with several awards and honors.

    Prior to his time with the House of Representatives, Mr. Taub worked for eight years at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress. As a senior policy analyst, Mr. Taub planned and directed evaluations for the Congress on environmental, banking, energy, and defense issues. Previous to his position with the GAO, Mr. Taub worked as a staff member for three different Members of Congress, a Member of the British Parliament, and state and county officials in upstate New York.

    A native of Gloversville, New York, Mr. Taub earned an M.A. in Political Science, with a concentration in American politics, and a B.S. in Political Science with Honors, both from American University in Washington, D.C. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

  • Commissioner

    Commissioner Thomas G. Day was nominated by President Joseph Biden and confirmed by the United States Senate on September 28, 2023, for the remainder of a six-year term that expires October 14, 2028. Mr. Day served 45 years in the federal government in both the US Army and the US Postal Service. During his 35-year career in the Postal Service, he held senior executive positions as vice president-engineering, senior vice president-government relations, senior vice president-intelligent mail, and the chief sustainability officer. In addition, at the Postal Service, he was the chair of the Standards Board at the Universal Postal Union. Mr. Day was recognized with a Board of Governors award for his leadership in response to the Anthrax attack. Following his retirement from the Postal Service, he was employed by the International Post Corporation where he was the chief commercial and chief financial officer.

    Commissioner Day is a 1978 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a B.S. in Engineering. He also has a M.A in Management from Central Michigan University in 1981 and was a Sloan Fellow at the Stanford University Graduate school of Business in 1996 with a M.S. in Management.

  • Commissioner

    Ann C. Fisher has been sworn in twice as Commissioner of the Postal Regulatory Commission following nominations by both President Trump and Biden and unanimous confirmation by the United States Senate. Commissioner Fisher is a proud 32-year federal employee. Prior to joining the Commission, Fisher spent twelve years working in the U.S. Senate, advising members on small business, health care, federal employee and Postal Service issues. She began her career serving as an economist for her home state senator, Larry Pressler (R-SD) on the Senate Small Business Committee. She later joined Senator Thad Cochran’s staff on the International Security, Proliferation and Federal Services Subcommittee, serving as the Senator’s advisor on federal employee and U.S. Postal Service issues. Her final four years in the Senate were as Deputy Staff Director to then-Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Fisher was the primary Senate Republican aide overseeing passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006. Additionally, Fisher spent four years as government relations executive at the U.S. Postal Service Headquarters. She was charged with overseeing resolution of congressional concerns throughout the country’s Midwest region. In 2006, Fisher joined Postal Regulatory Commission Chair Dan G. Blair as chief of staff at the newly renamed and empowered Postal Rate Commission. Fisher also served for several years as the Commission’s director of public affairs and government relations. 

    Commissioner Fisher holds a B.S. degree in mathematics from Minnesota State University, Mankato and an M.A. degree in economics from the University of South Dakota. Her term expires October 14, 2030.

  • Commissioner

    Ashley Jay Elizabeth Poling was sworn in as commissioner for a first term on August 8, 2019, following her nomination by President Donald J. Trump and confirmation by the United States Senate. Ms. Poling was subsequently renominated for a second term by President Joseph Biden and confirmed by the Senate on September 25, 2024. 

    Prior to joining the Postal Regulatory Commission, Ms. Poling served as the director of governmental affairs and senior counsel to Ranking Member Gary C. Peters (D-MI) on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee where she advised Senator Peters on policy issues, negotiated with stakeholders to advance bipartisan legislation, and implemented strategies to advance Senator Peters’ governmental affairs priorities. Ms. Poling also served as senior policy counsel to Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and as counsel to Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) on their respective Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittees, where she focused on postal reform and federal workforce issues. Ms. Poling’s second term expires on November 22, 2030.

    Commissioner Poling holds a J.D. degree from Elon University School of Law and an English degree from The College of William and Mary. She is a native of North Carolina.