CONGRATULATIONS 2021 LRW SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Connie Sumara Memorial Scholarship, valued at $3,000 USD, was awarded to Oana Cantacioiu with Canadian Pacific.
Future of Railroading Scholarship, valued at $2,000 USD, has been awarded to Kamillah Ealom with Bay Area Rapid Transit.
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MEET LRW'S DEPUTY CHAIRS
2021 has been a year of growth and expansion for LRW. This year paved the way for the newly created, LRW deputy committee chair position. LRW members volunteered or were nominated to these important roles to bring their expertise and experience to help LRW continue to grow as organization.
Deputy Education Chair - Vickie Vaughn, Marketing Coordinator with BNSF Logistics
Deputy Events Chair - Katie Kachel, Principal with Blank Rome GR
Deputy Membership Chair - Shundrekia Stewart, Sr. Manager Customer Delivery with Trinity Industries
Deputy Public Relations Chair - Mallory Moran, Marketing Communications Manager, The Greenbrier Companies
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CALLING LRW MEMBERS
LRW's Board of Directors encourage members to reach out if you would like to get more involved with the association.
Volunteer association committee support and participation engagement not only helps our organization and our industry, but expands your experience portfolio.
Committees include Awards, Education, Events, Membership, Public Relations & Outreach, and Scholarship.
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EVENTS
Limited offer: $10 off 2022 LRW Membership with conference ticket purchase!
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November TBD: Webinar - Rail Industry Government Relations & Policy Panel
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LRW MENTORING IS BACK
After a successful mentorship pilot program, mentoring for railway women is back!
Michele Malski, LRW Director-at-Large, is leading the new LRW Mentorship Committee initiative. Michele's exceptional leadership and experience in connecting women in the industry will build off of the very successful pilot program initiated by LRW Events Chair, Patricia Basuel.
Stay tuned for upcoming announcements for mentor and mentee opportunities.
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COMING THIS WINTER
The LRW Career Board – where corporate partners can find diverse industry talent. Stay tuned for more information.
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QUICK RECAP
Thank you to Chris Enss for an insightful and historical look at rail history. Congratulations to the book winners. Incase you missed it, the webinar is available online here and we encourage LRW members to listen.
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LRW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Connecting LRW members by highlighting careers, insight, experiences, achievements, hobbies, and more,
on professional and personal levels.
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MEET THE WOMEN RISING STARS 2021
For over 9 years Progressive Railroading has sponsored the Rising Stars Awards program. A Rising Star is someone under the age of 40 who has made, or is making, a positive impact on his or her company, organization, department or team, and is viewed by others—peers, colleagues, supervisors, clients or associates—as an up-and-coming leader in the rail industry.
Out of more than 215 nominations, 25 people were selected, 11 were women and 6 are LRW Members. Stephani Bazata, Union Pacific Railroad; Erika Bruhnke, RailPros; Amanda DeCesare, CSX; Judith Espino Gonzalez, Kansas City Southern de Mexico; Kimberly Howe, Siemens Mobility; Laura Mason, Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority; Andrea Niethold, CN; Nicole Ochroch, Port Authority Transit Corp.; Ashley Reid, Canadian Pacific; Kristen Scully, Canadian Pacific; and Carmen Wallace, Kansas City Southern.
We encourage all LRW members to connect via LinkedIn and social media to continue to promote Women in Rail. Meet the LRW Members and Rising Stars for 2021:
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Erika Bruhnke, RailPros
Ms. Bruhnke currently serves as VP Training Services at RailPros. She oversees the safety department and required safety training of RailPros employees; leads the team that provides and develops safety training solutions for railroad employees, contractors and industrial employees that service railroads.
Erika is also LRW Board of Directors, Director at Large.
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Judith Espino Gonzalez, Kansas City Southern de Mexico
Joined Kansas City Southern de Mexico’s (KCSM) customer solutions team in 2006 as a college intern. After six months, hired full time and remained in the department for three years, working directly with customers to address their needs.
Next, she was promoted to service design. Began as an analyst, then was promoted to supervisor and ultimately manager for the Mexico network.
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Kristen Scully, Canadian Pacific
Oversight of revenue accounting and reporting, costing and profitability, and revenue planning of more than $8 billion annually.
Career path: Began career in 2012 at CP; held a variety of roles including customer service, financial analysis and management accounting. "I’ve learned to set goals beyond what I believe is possible. Working hard, being curious, and creating relationships with those that believe in me has helped me to become a stronger version of myself and has helped me to achieve goals beyond what I had initially imagined, both in the field and in the office. I continue to stretch myself to new challenges in order to grow in my career. With determination, there are no limits to the possibilities. "
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Carmen Wallace, Kansas City Southern
Oversight of revenue accounting and reporting, costing and profitability, and revenue planning of more than $8 billion annually.
Career path: Began career in 2012 at CP; held a variety of roles including customer service, financial analysis and management accounting. "Advice I’d like to offer women in rail and other male-dominated fields would be to never wait for someone else to recognize the value you bring. Recognize your own worth. No one will appreciate your contributions until you appreciate them yourself."
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Ashley Reid, Canadian Pacific
Ashley has oversight of the safety, productivity and efficiency of train operations on CP’s mainline and yard operations in southern Alberta.
Duties include supervising and coaching frontline managers, unionized conductors and engineers; ensuring safe operation, rules compliance and proper training; and coordinating with the operations center on crew utilization and operational decisions to maintain a PSR railroad.
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Andrea Niethold, Canadian National
Andrea engages with federal lawmakers and their staff on policy matters affecting the railroad industry. Communicates regularly with economic and safety regulators, federal administration officials and transportation trade associations.
Hosts elected officials and staff on CN’s network, providing them with a first-hand railroading experience. "I have been blessed to have many male allies throughout my career in politics and railroading. Male allyship is so important in our industry, and I encourage every member of the LRW to talk with a male colleague about your story; your struggles and your successes."
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Do you know an exceptional woman or team in the rail industry?
Are you or someone you know interested in participating in a LRW Member Spotlight?
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Be Seen at the LRW Expo with Your Virtual Booth |
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Want to broaden the reach of your business and support women in rail?
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Please contact us at info@railwaywomen.org, if you have suggestions for newsletter content or if you would like to contribute.
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About the League of Railway Women |
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Founded in 1997, the League of Railway Women (LRW) is committed to improving the railroad industry by connecting and cultivating women in rail. Our mission is to advance the representation, recognition and opportunities for women, thereby promoting diversity and improving the business results of the railroad industry. Learn more at www.railwaywomen.org.
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