Apr 29, 2025 By Karen Mansfield 3 min read

Jim Downey | Herald-Standard

Union’s Zoe Lepri (11) protects the ball as the Lady Greyhounds’ Sidney Campbell tries to steal in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s WPIAL Class A first round playoff game at Monessen.

Debra Iverson is proud to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

Iverson was appointed as postmaster at West Alexander in September, carrying on a family tradition. Her mother, June Jones, served as postmaster at West Liberty (W.Va.) Post Office for decades.

“She inspired me,” said Iverson. “I loved going to the post office. When I was a teenager, I’d go and help out there. I wasn’t allowed behind the counter, but I’d do other jobs.”

Iverson has worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 21 years. She started out as a sales and service associate for USPS in Moundsville, W.Va., in 2005, and served a variety of roles before becoming a supervisor of customer services in Wellsburg, W.Va.

“I like being in a position where I can help people and make sure people get their mail and packages, especially at Christmas, when we get a ton of packages,” said Iverson.

Iverson is also postmaster at West Finley, Dallas Pike, W.Va., and Valley Grove, W.Va. At West Alexander, she oversees a staff of three rural postal carriers and two clerks, and she is seeking to hire more rural carriers.

Much has changed in the past two decades, including a decline in the number of post offices and mail volume, but the Postal Service still aims to meet its unofficial motto, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

“Letter mail has definitely declined, but the volume of packages is increasing,” said Iverson. “We are here no matter what. My mother used to walk to the post office a couple of times when the snow was so bad that she couldn’t get there any other way.”

Iverson has missed work only once, when she had pneumonia and her boss told her not to come in while she was en route.

“This is the job for me,’ said Iverson. “I just like everything about it. I just like being in a position where you can help people and make sure people get their mail and packages, especially at Christmas and holidays.”

Iverson and her mom are part of a special group.

Women served as postmasters in the United States more than a century before they won the right to vote. And since the 1800s, the number of female postmasters has increased from fewer than a dozen to more than 6,000.

According to the USPS, Benjamin Franklin was named the first American Postmaster General In 1775, the same year Mary Katherine Goddard was named postmaster of Baltimore, making her the first known woman postmaster in the United States.

During the Revolutionary War, mail service was so critical that Goddard – who, in addition to serving as postmaster, ran a bookshop and book bindery, and published “The Maryland Journal” – kept the post office open by paying the post rider out of her own pocket.

In 2020, 7,610 of the nation’s 13,617 postmasters were women, representing more than 55%.

“It’s pretty amazing to be a part of that (legacy),” said Iverson.

Iverson said she’s committed to “ensuring timely deliveries, improving our retail services, or listening to your feedback; my goal is to make our post offices a place of trust and support for everyone.”

“My goal is to bring good delivery service to the community,” said Iverson. “I’m looking forward to working together with the community to keep it connected.”