A handful of Colorado’s most prominent Democratic leaders on Friday hailed Lora McLucas ahead of her swearing-in ceremony as Denver’s first female postmaster.

McLucas is a U.S. Army veteran who served as a medic in the Gulf War before returning to Colorado to serve in law enforcement. She started with the U.S. Postal Service in 1995 as a letter carrier in Trinidad before advancing to a number of roles, including postmaster in Wheat Ridge, Arvada and Littleton and manager of customer service operations in Denver.

In remarks delivered just ahead of the swearing-in ceremony in the Old Supreme Court Chambers at the state Capitol, Gov. Jared Polis praised her appointment.

“It’s about time Denver got its first woman postmaster,” the governor said before going on to praise USPS for the “absolutely critical work they do.”

The ceremony also featured praise of McLucas from current and former USPS leaders, Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, and U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, whose video message turned into an audio message after technical difficulties.

“We can all see now how important the Postal Service is,” DeGette joked after the struggle with Hickenlooper’s video. “If you want to make any type of communication you know is going to get there, send a letter; don’t make a video.”