Midwest Virtual Rail Conference 2020 Speaker Bio’S
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MIDWEST VIRTUAL RAIL CONFERENCE 2020 SPEAKER BIO’S MIDWEST VIRTUAL RAIL CONFERENCE 2020 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES Session: Tuesday, Plenary Urban, Regional and Intercity Rail in Era of Social Distancing Hilary Konczal Chief Safety and Environmental Officer, Metra Hilary has over 28 years of service with Metra. He has an extensive background in safety, environmental compliance, industrial hygiene, railroad operations, regulatory compliance and security. Hilary is responsible for the administrative oversight and management of Metra’s safety programs and risk reduction initiatives, environmental compliance and industrial hygiene activities. He leads a team of safety and environmental professionals who are responsible for safeguarding Metra’s employees, passengers and contractors. He is an Associate Instructor for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Transportation Safety Institute (TSI) teaching FRA System Safety and FTA Safety Management Systems (SMS) to railroad and transit professionals throughout the United States. Hilary is Chairman of the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Commuter Rail Safety and Security Committee, Board of Director of the World Safety Organization (WSO), Board of Director of the DuPage Railroad Safety Council, Board of Director Operation Lifesaver - Illinois Chapter and Co-Chair of Metra’s Labor Management Committee. He is an active member of the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) and the American Association of Railroads (AAR) Safety and Operations Committee. Jim Mathews President and CEO, Rail Passengers Association Jim Mathews is President & CEO of the Rail Passengers Association, the oldest and largest national organization speaking for the more than 40 million rail passengers in the U.S. On behalf of tens of thousands of RPA members nationwide, he leads a DC-based team that works to expand intercity, regional and high-speed rail, making communities safer, more accessible and more productive, and bettering the lives of everyone who lives, works and plays in cities and towns nationwide. Mathews is a member of the DOT’s National Advisory Committee on Travel & Tourism Infrastructure, the FRA’s Rail Safety Advisory Committee and its Passenger Rail Working Group. Narayana Sundaram Sr. Director, Eng & Commuter Rail Ops, American Public Transportation Association Narayana Sundaram is APTA’s Senior Director of Engineering and Commuter Rail Operations. In this role Narayana staff advises various commuter rail committees including the commuter rail CEOs committee. He is also responsible for all regulatory engagement for APTA’s commuter and intercity railroads. Narayana manages APTA’s Standards program which has developed more than 310 standards and recommended practices. Additionally, Narayana leads the State of Good Repair and Infrastructure Maintenance efforts and overall serves as APTA lead on engineering topics on the rail side of technical services. Prior to joining APTA, he held several positions with ENSCO, a leading technology provider in the rail industry. He spent 13 years at ENSCO holding several positions last of which was Business Area Manager for the Vehicle/Track Interaction Consulting Services. Narayana has conducted about 13 years of research for FRA for passenger and freight rail operations. Narayana holds a Masters of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from India. He lives in Centreville, VA and Chairs the Math Club at Greenbriar West Elementary School. MIDWEST VIRTUAL RAIL CONFERENCE 2020 SPEAKER BIO’S Session: Tuesday, 1A Passenger Rail Trans - Post Covid Michael Noland President/General Manager, Northern Indiana Commuter Rail Mike Noland was appointed President of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, d/b/a the South Shore Line, by its Board of Trustees in October 2014. Noland came to the South Shore Line with over three decades in the railroad industry with extensive, high-paced, commuter railroad experience. Prior to joining the South Shore Line he worked for 28 years at Metra in Chicago, Illinois. Immediately prior to joining the South Shore Line, Noland worked as an executive with a private sector railroad holding company located in Chicago, Illinois with rail operations in 9 states and the United Kingdom. In his role as President, Noland serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the railroad responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the South Shore Line. Focusing on world-class customer satisfaction for its nearly 3.5 million annual riders, Noland leads a team of dedicated railroaders who are committed to providing safe, reliable, comfortable and convenient service. Noland currently resides in Long Beach, Indiana with his wife Carrie, and holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and a Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School. Arun Rao Passenger Rail Manager, Railroads and Harbors Section, Wisconsin DOT Arun has 18 years of experience in transportation at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). Arun is responsible for the planning, policy, and program management of intercity passenger rail at WisDOT. Arun serves on several national committees including the Next Generation Equipment Committee, States-Amtrak Intercity Passenger Rail Committee, and the States for Passenger Rail Coalition. Arun serves as Chair of the States for Passenger Rail Coalition and Vice Chair of the Midwest Equipment Pool Board. Arun has a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin –Madison, with certification through the American Institute of Certified Planners. Scott Rogers Chair, West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition Scott Rogers is Chair of the West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition - a non-profit organization representing local business, education and government - providing leadership and coordination to develop passenger rail service as part of a regional strategy to ensure a balanced transportation system for long term sustainable economic growth. He is the Governmental Affairs & Workforce Director for the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, and is Wisconsin’s Private Sector appointee to the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC). Session: Tuesday, 1B Precision Scheduled Railroading - Class I and Shortline Connection Tyler Dick Principal Railway Research Engineer, UIUC/NURail C. Tyler Dick, Ph.D., P.E. is Lecturer and Principal Railway Research Engineer with RailTEC at the University of Illinois. Prior to joining RailTEC in 2012, Dr. Dick spent 11 years as a railway design engineer with HDR Engineering. Dr. Dick holds a B.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of Manitoba and a M.S. and Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Illinois. His current research is focused on railway capacity, network design, and yard & terminal operations. Dr. Dick is a licensed Professional Engineer and is actively involved with AREMA, TRB, ASCE and the INFORMS RAS. MIDWEST VIRTUAL RAIL CONFERENCE 2020 SPEAKER BIO’S Daniel Sabin President, Iowa Northern Railroad Dan Sabin grew up in a Rock Island Railroad family in Manly, Iowa. Starting as a student telegrapher and track section laborer in August 1968. We was the youngest train dispatcher in the US, working his way through college at Des Moines, Joliet and El Reno. Management experience at Canadian Pacific, Chessie System, Bangor & Aroostook-CDAC and as a Transportation Consultant. After 25 years, returned to own and operate the Iowa Northern Railway Company, a former Rock Island main line where his father started in 1944 as a locomotive fireman. Iowa Northern is one of the fastest growing short lines in North America, expected to move up to Class II status over the next three years. Success has been based on aggressive industrial development and joint ventures to extend the economic reach of a 250-mile short line. The line connects with three Class I carriers and one other short line. Dan is on the boards of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, Short Line Safety Institute, and was charter chairman of the Iowa Freight Advisory Council. He chairs the Small Railroads Committee at ASLRRA and serves on the Executive Committee. Peter Swan Associate Professior Logistics & Operations Management, Penn State Harrisburg Dr. Swan is an Associate Professor of Logistics and Operations Management at Penn State Harrisburg. He has been a member of the Penn State faculty since 1998. After receiving an MBA in Transportation from Tennessee, Dr. Swan began his career in the railroad industry working for CSX in operations, marketing, and information systems. After ten years in the railroad industry he returned to college for his Ph.D. in Operations Management from the University of Michigan. At the University of Michigan, Dr. Swan was active in the Trucking Industry Program, where he participated in both the Driver Survey and the LTL Case Study. Dr. Swan’s research primarily involves transportation economics, transportation operations, supply chain modeling. He co-authored papers on carrier effects on total logistics cost, effects of road tolls on trucking traffic and crash costs, as well as a paper viewing transportation security through the lens of agency theory. Dr. Swan chaired the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Freight Systems Group (2010-2013) as well as the TRB Committee for Freight Transportation Economics and Regulation (2002-2008) and is a member of the TRB Committees for Freight Economics and Regulation and Trucking Research.