Nicole R. Rhine, a former regional administrative assistant for St. Louis Region 5, was appointed assistant secretary-treasurer by NALC President Fredric V. Roland in July 2009 to fill a vacancy.

Rhine, a member of Lincoln, Nebraska Branch 8, became a member of the NALC as soon as she joined the letter carrier craft, attending branch meetings and state conventions regularly.

“I couldn’t wait to become a member of the union,” she said. “I learned at an early age what unions stood for and could accomplish because my mother worked at a packing plant and belonged.”

At the branch level, Rhine served stints as assistant steward and steward. She was elected branch secretary in 1998, a role she held until her election as branch president in 2004. For three years starting in 1998, Rhine was also the Nebraska State Association’s legislative representative, until her election as state association president in 2001.

“I have always had an interest in politics, so becoming active in the state association was a natural fit,” she said.

Rhine was a Region 5 arbitration advocate from 1999 to 2006. In 2006, she was appointed RAA by NALC President William H. Young to fill a vacancy.

“It was my desire to educate letter carriers of their rights and to defend them when those rights were violated that inspired me to assume my other union roles over the years,” she said. “I am excited about the opportunity to serve the membership as a whole after being able to do so previously at the local, state and regional level.”

Rhine holds a journalism degree from the University of Kansas.