WASHINGTON, DC —1/25/01- Postmaster General William J. Henderson confirmed that he will leave the Postal Service at the end of May to pursue career opportunities in the private sector, when he completes his three-year commitment to serve as head of the $65-billion agency. In a televised broadcast yesterday to postal employees at facilities nationwide, Henderson expressed his thanks to all 800,000 employees for helping the Postal Service achieve record-setting performance and productivity. Henderson said he was particularly proud of being able to get the organization to focus on setting high expectations and then exceeding them. And the results have been impressive. On-time delivery performance for local First-Class Mail has jumped 10 points since 1994, and the score of 94 percent recorded in the last quarter of fiscal year 2000 marked the twelfth consecutive quarter that national overnight delivery scores hit or exceeded the 93-percent mark. In addition, Customer Satisfaction Measurement has increased dramatically since 1994. Today, 30 percent of those surveyed rate postal service as "excellent," as compared with 15 percent six years ago. The recently announced business alliance with FedEx, he said, will only work to improve the reliability and dependability of expedited and First-Class Mail service, while providing dramatic savings in air transportation costs. The Postal Service also is expanding and improving the real-time information its systems are providing to major mailers through the Information Platform. As information technology and electronic communications continue to transform traditional ways of communicating and conducting business, Henderson said new products and services-eCommerce-focused and Web-enabled-will make the agency's core businesses more efficient and meet customers' changing needs.