Railway Age and Railway Track & Structures on Nov. 5-6 returned to Chicago for our second-annual in-person Women in Rail Conference featuring trailblazing women and their allies, who are influencing today’s freight, passenger and transit rail industry.
After selling out for the first time in 2023, we expanded this important event to two days in 2024. In addition to instructive panels, we boosted networking opportunities and included a special luncheon celebrating Railway Age’s and RT&S’s 2023 Women in Rail and 2024 Women in Railroad Engineering award honorees, as well as a tour of commuter railroad Metra’s rebuild shop and training center.
Below, we present a special photographic roundup of the conference:
UP President Beth Whited (second from left) headlined the Women in Rail Conference, highlighting her more than 35-year career in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Whited has led multiple functions across UP, spanning Strategy, Marketing and Sales, Sustainability, Finance, Investor Relations and Workforce Resources; was a founding member of UP’s LEAD (Lead, Educate, Achieve, Develop) women’s initiative; and is a 2021 Railway Age Women in Rail Honoree. In a “fireside chat” with Railway Age Executive Editor Marybeth Luczak (far left), Railway Age Senior Editor Carolina Worrell (second from right) and RT&S Managing Editor Jennifer McLawhorn, she encouraged attendees to never be afraid to ask for what they want, and to not fear a challenge or dismiss the potential that comes from tackling a problem. Her session was sponsored by TrinityRail. (Photograph Courtesy of UP)
Barbara W. Wilson, Senior Advisor for Railroad Financial Corporation and a Railway Age Women in Rail Awards Judge (far left), served as moderatorof the Allyship and Industry Inclusivity session. Addressing how their companies strive to uphold a culture of respect, sensitivity and acknowledgement were John Orr, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer at Norfolk Southern (far right); Dewayne Swindall, Vice President of Transportation at Norfolk Southern (recently President and CEO of Indiana Rail Road); and Ronnie Hakim, Senior Vice President, National Transit and Rail Market Sector Leader at HNTB Corp. (Railway Age Women in Rail Honoree, 2020). They proved that allyship and inclusivity aren’t just buzz words. Orr and Swindall also discussed NS’s commitment to creating a railroad where women can thrive and build long-term careers. (Photograph Courtesy of NS)
More than 30 members of the NS team attended the Railway Age/RT&S Women in Rail 2024 event, which the Class I said “provided a valuable platform for networking and knowledge-sharing within the rail industry.” (Pictured with the team is conference speaker Karen Hedlund, Surface Transportation Board Vice Chairman, center.) Women from each of NS’ operating teams made the trip, including Operations, Engineering, Mechanical, Transportation, and NS Police, along with IT and Compliance members from field locations throughout NS’s 22-state network. Their years of service range from six months to 32 years. Over two days, “participants engaged with a wide array of insightful sessions,” NS reported. “The conference provided a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals and gain fresh perspectives on key challenges and opportunities within the sector.” NS’s participation was organized by the Women in Operations Steering Committee—“committed to developing and promoting initiatives that support the recruitment, development, retention, and advancement of women in rail operations”—with strong support from John Orr, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, and Colby Gardner, AVP Operations. “Women in Rail is about empowering women at every level to succeed in their railroading careers,” noted Cherita Hunter Jones, Senior Manager Grade Crossing & Wayside Engineering at NS. “We wanted NS to have a strong presence at this year’s conference so more of our employees could experience this impactful program firsthand.” (Photograph Courtesy of NS)
Railway Age and RT&S brought together experts for a panel advocating mentorship and how to take advantage of such professional connections for career development and support. India L. Birdsong Terry, General Manager and CEO of Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (right), joined the discussion with Joseph Giulietti, Vice President and Director of Rail Transit Services, Americas at TYLin, and KellyAnne Gallagher, CEO of the Commuter Rail Coalition and a Railway Age Women in Rail Awards Judge (left). Giulietti and Gallagher shared how their career journey as mentor and mentee, respectively, has been iterative, allowing them to learn from each other. Birdsong Terry reported on her agency’s successful peer-to-peer mentoring program and its partnership between labor and management. (Photograph Courtesy of Marybeth Luczak)
Angela Schwarz, Senior Vice President Transit and Rail Systems at WSP and a 2024 RT&S Women in Railroad Engineering Honoree (far left), led an informative session on career advancement, covering AI (artificial intelligence)-based candidate selection, social media prevalence, and revised work/life balance expectations. Whether conference attendees wanted to move forward in their current position or make a larger leap, panelists offered advice—from asking for a raise, building a skills portfolio, and leveraging in-person and online networks to supporting employee mental health and more. Participating were (left to right after Schwarz): Monique Ferguson Stewart, Executive Officer, Office of Program Management, Office of Safety RRS-20, Federal Railroad Administration (Railway Age Women in Rail Honoree, 2021); Michelle Mullen, Vice President, Total Rewards, CSX; Dyamond Scales, Director of Talent Acquisition, Chicago Transit Authority; Josie Curtis, Vice President, People Services, R.J. Corman Railroad Group (Railway Age Women in Rail Honoree, 2023); and Amanda Miller, Vice President, Human Resources, Manufacturing and Leasing Groups, Trinity Industries.(Photograph Courtesy of Marybeth Luczak)
During a special networking luncheon, Railway Age and RT&S recognized the outstanding trailblazers chosen for the 2023 Women in Rail Awards and 2024 Women in Railroad Engineering Awards, respectively. We thank all honorees—past and present—for their leadership, collaboration, innovation and service! Railway Age honorees in attendance (top photograph) were: Jennifer Benton, Senior Vice President Commercial, Patriot Rail; Josie Curtis, Vice President, People Services, R.J. Corman Railroad Group; Lindsay Day, Director, Capital Markets, The Greenbrier Companies; Cindy Greenwald, Power & Way Supervisor, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority; Raishea Haines, Superintendent of Transportation, Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH); Lenora Isaac, Director of Rail and Transit Projects, RailPros Inc.; Erin O’Brien, Associate General Counsel and Head of Litigation, CSX; LaShelle Pearson, formerly the Officer of Signals & Communications Projects, and now Business Development Manager RCSC at CN; and Paula Taylor, formerly the Assistant Supervisor of Locomotive Engineers at Metra and now Manager of Transportation-Rail at Chicago Transit Authority. Also joining them on stage were judges KellyAnne Gallagher and Barbara Wilson. RT&S honorees in attendance included (photograph, second from top): Kirsten Bowen, National Director – Rail & Transit, Michael Baker International; Latanya Powell, Bridge & Building Foreman, Metra; Jennifer Drake, Vice President of Engineering – Central Region, RailPros; Mahjabeen Khan, Software Development Manager, Holland LP; Angela Morgan, Signal Engineering Manager, Progress Rail; Sophia Bitler, Project Engineer/Assistant Project Manager, Railroad Construction Company; Angela Schwarz, Senior Vice President, National Transit & Rail Systems, WSP; and Marian Rule, Senior Vice President, Principal, TranSystems Corporation. (Photographs Courtesy of Railway Age and RT&S Publisher Jon Chalon)
Top industry experts provided an update on what legislative and regulatory changes may be on the horizon for freight and passenger railroads—plus potential funding levels for the Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Transit Administration—and how they could shape the industry moving forward. Also discussed: the Surface Transportation Board’s Passenger Railroad Advisory Committee, rail safety after East Palestine, and the need for a dedicated funding source for commuter railroads’ state-of-good repair needs and expansion priorities. Joining this important panel discussion were (pictured left to right): Karen J. Hedlund, Vice Chair, Surface Transportation Board; Thomas Prendergast, Executive Vice President, New York Metro Executive, AECOM (moderator); Melissa Connolly, Assistant Vice President of Government Affairs, Association of American Railroads; and Ward McCarragher, Vice President Government Affairs and Advocacy, American Public Transportation Association. (Photograph Courtesy of Marybeth Luczak)
Unlocking the secrets of thriving in times of industry and corporate upheaval were Sonia Bot, Chief Executive of The BOT Consulting Group Inc. (Railway Age Women in Rail Honoree, 2020; pictured on the screen) and D. Lynn Kelley, Ph.D., former Senior Vice President Supply Chain and Continuous Improvement, Union Pacific (pictured, center). Their session—Change Management: Tips and Lessons-Learned, moderated by Railway Age’s Carolina Worrell—explained how to turn change, from new technology to downsizing, into opportunity. They not only addressed how railroaders can make themselves “indispensable,” but also how leaders can demystify change and help their employees navigate transitions.(Photograph Courtesy of Marybeth Luczak)
Brandy D. Christian, the recently appointed CEO of Patriot Rail, was the closing speaker for Day 1 of the two-day Women in Rail 2024 event. In a conversation with Railway Age’s Marybeth Luczak and Carolina Worrell and RT&S’ Jennifer McLawhorn, she provided insight on her previous seven years experience leading the Port of New Orleans and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, and what is on the horizon now that she is at the throttle of the Jacksonville, Fla.-based short line holding company. She also shared with attendees some formative professional experiences that shaped her perspective early on, and how she works to build strong teams and encourages them to speak up with ideas, questions and/or challenges. (Collage Courtesy of Patriot Rail)
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy (lower right) sat down with RT&S’s Jennifer McLawhorn (left) and Railway Age’s Marybeth Luczak to record a video chat about her career journey, which was presented on Day 2 of Women in Rail 2024 (watch above). Homendy was confirmed earlier this year both to a second term on the NTSB and as its chairperson. A career civil servant, from 2004 to 2018, she served as Staff Director of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, as part of the House T&I Committee. She was instrumental to ensuring that the 2008 reauthorization of rail programs included a requirement that Positive Train Control technology be installed on most of the U.S. railroad network—a safety milestone she was able to celebrate from her vantage point as an NTSB Board Member when it was fully implemented in 2020. In 2010, Homendy spearheaded the T&I Committee’s oversight investigations of the nation’s pipeline and hazardous materials safety program. Earlier in her career, she held positions with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, and the American Iron and Steel Institute. Homendy readily shared her experiences during the video interview (watch below)—from her top recommendations for freight and passenger railroad safety to lessons-learned in her career. Additionally, she covered strategies for handling challenges; tips for women, in particular, as they get started in the transportation industry and look to move up the ladder; how she works to ensure a culture of respect; and the accomplishments she’s most proud of. (Video Courtesy of Railway Age/RT&S)
From gender diversity and its impact on safety culture to public safety and railroad emergency preparedness, response, and recovery planning, the Women in Rail 2024 session on safety and security explored topics across passenger and freight railroading in the U.S. and Canada. Moderator Sarah Yurasko of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association and League of Railway Women (second from right) led this dynamic session featuring Julia Leone, PhD, Manager of Research and Organizational Development, Short Line Safety Institute (far left); Mary Carlson Bis, Assistant Vice President, Response & Resilience, Emergency Management Division, Safety & Security Department, Amtrak (Railway Age Women in Rail Honoree, 2022; far right); and Rebecca Robinson, Officer, Training and Development – Transportation, Safety, CN. (Photograph Courtesy of ASLRRA)
Conference attendees enjoyed learning how women today—including Railway Age and RT&S Women in Rail and Women in Railroad Engineering award honorees—are leading the way in the field, from communications and signaling to engineering. Women in the Field session panelists shared how they got their start in the freight and passenger rail industry and how they navigate the workplace. They also offered tips on leadership success and how to best utilize advanced technology, and strategies for fostering young talent, especially women, in the rail industry. Pictured, left to right: Evelyn Hawkins, President and CEO, IKJ Enterprises, session moderator (Railway Age Women in Rail Honoree, 2022); and panelists Paula Taylor, Manager, Transportation-Rail, Chicago Transit Authority, (Former Assistant Supervisor of Locomotive Engineers, Metra; Railway Age Women in Rail Honoree, 2023); LaShelle Pearson, Business Development Manager RCSC, CN (former Officer Signals and Communications Projects at CN; Railway Age Women in Rail Honoree, 2023); and Nao Nishio, Manager of Engineering Technology, Brightline (RT&S Women in Railroad Engineering Honoree, 2023). (Photograph Courtesy of Marybeth Luczak)
New research on the underrepresentation of women of color in railroad engineering was presented by Jacqueline L. Patterson, Co-founder and Vice President of Zephyr UAS, Inc. (right). Patterson is a doctoral candidate in the Organizational Change and Leadership Program at the University of Southern California and was an honoree of the Railway Age Women in Rail (2022) and RT&S Women in Engineering (2023) award programs. In support of her dissertation, Patterson recently collected quantitative data through an online survey of Railway Age readers andSWE (Society of Women Engineers) members, and conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with women from Class I railroads and rail transit agencies to garner a comprehensive look at the industry. “My research shows that while the railroad industry has made significant strides toward inclusivity, there are still areas that need improvement,” she told attendees during a “fireside chat” with RT&S’s Jennifer McLawhorn. “A recurring theme from the interviews is that although progress has been made, we have not yet reached our goal.”(Photograph Courtesy of Marybeth Luczak)
The final session of Women in Rail 2024 featured two top leaders at Metra and BNSF. Janice R. Thomas, Deputy Executive Director, External Affairs and Chief of Staff at Metra, and Sara Johnson, General Manager of BNSF’s Chicago Division, covered Chicago Perspectives in a conversation with Railway Age’s Marybeth Luczak. They discussed their operations in Chicagoland and how they work together to serve commuters and keep freight moving and avoid congestion during capital projects.(Photographs Courtesy of the Respective Companies)
Genesee & Wyoming was among the conference sponsors hosting table-top exhibits to educate attendees on their services. Railway Age and RT&S thank them all for their support of our event. (Photograph Courtesy of G&W)
Attendees had the opportunity to take a commuter train from LaSalle Street Station to Metra’s 47th/49th Street facilities that house its in-house railcar and locomotive rehab programs. As part of a 2-1/2-hour tour sponsored by Wi-Tronix, they explored Metra’s modern classroom space and saw the workshop and welding training areas for the railroad’s Mechanical Department apprentice programs. The tour also included stops at the loading dock, storage area and railcar wheel/truck rebuild area, and the 47th Street Diesel Shop, which maintains locomotives used on the Rock Island Line, and houses Metra’s MP36 locomotive rehabilitation program. (Photograph Courtesy of Wi-Tronix)
Metra Tour Photograph Courtesy of Wi-Tronix
Metra Tour Photograph Courtesy of Marybeth Luczak
Metra Tour Photograph Courtesy of Marybeth Luczak
Metra Tour Photograph Courtesy of Marybeth Luczak
Metra Tour Photograph Courtesy of Marybeth Luczak
Metra Tour Photograph Courtesy of Marybeth Luczak
Metra Tour Photograph Courtesy of Marybeth Luczak
According to Metra, refurbishing air valves in-house is a win-win: it keeps tax funding within the community, employes local union workers, saves money by using current staff, and supports process efficiencies. (Metra Tour Photograph Courtesy of Marybeth Luczak)
Jean Savage (right), who spoke at the 2022 and 2024 Women in Rail conferences, was appointed to lead Trinity Industries, Inc. in February 2020 and has served on its Board since 2018. Prior to Trinity, she was Vice President of the Surface Mining & Technology Division of Caterpillar Inc., held leadership roles in Caterpillar’s Progress Rail division, and worked in a variety of manufacturing and engineering positions at Parker Hannifin Corporation. Savage sits on the board of multiple organizations, including Parker Hannifin, National Association of Manufacturers, Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. She also serves on the Texas A&M University Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology External Advisory Committee. Savage is a proud veteran of the U.S. Army and served for nine years as an Army Reserve Intelligence Officer.(Photograph Courtesy of RSI)
Interested in attending Railway Age/RT&S Women in Rail? Below, two-time featured speaker Jean Savage discusses the importance of the event with Railway Age and RT&S. She also provides lessons-learned from her journey to becoming President and CEO of Trinity Industries, a railcar leasing, manufacturing, maintenance, and logistics company, and why today’s industry inspires her.
RA / RT&S: At our inaugural and virtual event in 2022, you discussed supply side opportunities for women. What prompted you to return in 2024 and why is such a conference and networking event important to you?
SAVAGE: The freight rail industry is making progress in establishing a more inclusive environment. Different ideas and unique perspectives are key to accelerating the transformational change required to make freight rail in North America more responsive to market changes and customer needs. Events like Railway Age and RT&S’s Women in Rail help to create a more welcoming community for women, which is critical to building an inclusive industry.
RA / RT&S: What inspires you as a top leader in the rail industry?
SAVAGE:I am inspired by the opportunity for our industry. Freight rail is the safest, most efficient, and most sustainable way to move goods on land. In a time when we are focused on our impact on our communities and our environment, rail’s benefits should shine. If the rail industry can continue to come together (e.g., RailPulse) to address the reliability and complexity barriers of the past, I believe we can play a bigger role in keeping our economy moving.
RA / RT&S: What top career lessons-learned can you share?
SAVAGE: Many women are not confident in their abilities and not willing to take risks, take on a larger opportunity, or even change industries for new opportunities. I believe we need to ensure we recognize what women are accomplishing and encourage them to seize opportunities that come before them. My path was not straightforward, or one that I expected. I was fortunate to come from a family where hard work and dedication were instilled, and where I was encouraged to find a way forward. People along the way, my mentors, have also been instrumental in pointing out what my strengths and weaknesses were, to allow me to continue to develop.
RA / RT&S: What do you hope women and their allies will take away from participating in the conference?
SAVAGE: Change is inevitable. Don’t fight the change—learn and adapt. The pace of change continues to accelerate, which causes changes in organizations. Those who can adapt by drawing on their past experiences, and modifying them to meet the current demands, will be successful. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. I use this when I mentor others. I encourage them to be change agents and to help others also adapt.
(case study); CN (luncheon); Canadian Pacific Kansas City (continental breakfast-Day 1); UTLX (continental breakfast-Day 2); R. J. Corman (registration); Wi-Tronix (tour); Amsted Digital Solutions (bronze); Anacostia (bronze); BNSF (bronze); BossPac (bronze); Genesee & Wyoming (bronze); Norfolk Southern (bronze); Patriot Rail (afternoon energy break); The Greenbrier Companies (bronze); Union Pacific (morning coffee break); Edna A. Rice Executive Recruiters, Inc. (morning coffee break); League of Railway Women (supporting organization); National Association of Railway Business Women (supporting organization); and Metra (tour host).