One of 12 Postmasters in the Colorado/Wyoming district to win the District Manager award, Cori Freed distinguishes the rural Divide Post Office. 

Nominated by Post Office Operations Manager Darrick Arellano, Freed received the award in October in Fort Collins.

The postmaster in Divide since 2018, Freed makes multi-tasking look cool.

“I think I won for all the extras I do,” she said last week after multiple attempts to snag a conversation. 

She may be off helping post offices in Buena Vista, Canon City, Manitou Springs, Crested Butte or Gunnison, for instance.

“I have a very supportive family,” she said.

In addition to her family, Freed credits the clerks, Connie Duran and Luz Rico Valdez, for their ability to keep the office running smoothly.

“They are amazing,” she said.

Recognized for flexibility, Freed fills gaps in multiple areas. 

“I audit post offices after a postmaster or staff member leave to make sure that are no financial discrepancies,” she said.

Freed is the one to call when things go haywire in other post offices. Resignations, lost packages, new staff, whatever it is, she goes.

“I handle complaint calls from different post offices,” she said. “I’ve mentored people who have gone on in the post office.”

In winning the award, Freed plowed through the regulations to upend the normal way of doing things.

“The district manager award was only given to Level 20 or above post offices,” she said. “We are a level 18.”

Freed started her career as a clerk with the post office in Divide in 2005 and fulfilled the duties of a supervisor for two years in the Woodland Park branch. She returned to Divide as the postmaster in 2018, succeeding Monica DeLuca.

Under Freed’s direction, the Divide Post Office has had a clean safety record, with no accidents, since 2008.

“That means proper lifting, walking on ice appropriately, making sure sidewalks are sanded and cleared off, not putting packages high up on top shelves,” she said.

Along with being honored for willingness to show up to mitigate emergencies at other post offices, Freed notices trends among the public.

“We handle more packages than we ever have,” she said. “Since COVID, nobody goes shopping anymore.”

Among the mailing trends Freed notices those that have people mailing denim jeans to Japan.

“That was a big hot thing in Japan. And I’ve seen vinyl records come and go several times,” she said.

In Divide, people seem to want to get going.  

“When things opened up after COVID, we were doing more than 200 passports a month,” she said. “We would have lines all day. Customers were telling me that resorts had some great deals.”

In a time of faceless encounters, Freed’s post office is a communications hub. 

“If I don’t see my elderly customers for a while, I do welfare checks,” she said.

Former case manager in the Colorado criminal justice system, Freed resigned to join the post office.

“It’s been a good career,” she said.

Freed and her husband Tucker Freed have one adult son, Jarrett Freed.