Past Event Presentations: Executive Forum 2022

Executive Forum 2022

 

Law Committee - Environmental, Social and Governance Reporting

Theresa Romanosky, AAR

Theresa is an Assistant General Counsel at the Association of American Railroads. Her responsibilities include regulatory, legal, and policy issues related the environment, hazardous materials, and climate change/resilience, particularly as related to the railroad industry and transportation infrastructure.  Theresa earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Economics from the University of Pittsburgh and attended the University of Michigan Law School. 




Environmental Committee - ESG Pathway to Net Zero - Sustainability and the Railroad ESG Pathway to Net Zero – Sustainability and the RailroadESG Pathway to Net Zero – Sustainability and the Railroad

Sarah Elsokkary, Arcadis

As part of the Arcadis sustainability advisory team for 12 years, Sarah leads sustainability advisory programs for multiple industrial clients in the transportation and logistics sector. She sources carbon footprints, develops digital tools for collecting energy usage data, and calculating emissions associated with their operations and value chains. Sarah specializes in evaluating and establishing ambitious carbon goals to improve sustainability performance.  Sarah has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Southern University. 



Rebecca Hensley, CSX Transportation, Inc. 

Rebecca Hensley is a Manager Environmental Programs at CSX Transportation, Inc where she coordinates CAA permitting and compliance activities and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting. She has over 25 years of experience with EHS and regulatory compliance. At CSXT, Her previous role was with TRANSFLO Terminal Services, Inc – managing environmental and systems compliance: facility permitting; audits; training; and Quality Management. She specializes in data management solutions and collaborating with field operations. Before joining CSXT and TRANSFLO, she worked as a consultant for a variety of transportation, manufacturing, military and government clients. Her career has specialized in environmental permitting and developing customized compliance solutions for air, water and waste programs. She holds a BS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida and currently lives in Louisville, KY where she became a Certified Bourbon Steward and backyard chicken farmer. 


Robert Beinstein, AECOM

Robert M. Beinstein (Bob), P.E., ENV SP, has held technical and managerial roles in the commercial nuclear industry, managed environmental and smart growth programs in the Federal marketplace, and lead a diverse array of client service-related work in the engineering consulting business.  He served on the Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory Board at the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure (in the Harvard Graduate School of Design) from its inception, helping develop the Envision Sustainable Infrastructure Rating system, and remains involved with ongoing research there.  Bob spent four months in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, managing a temporary power team in the wake of Hurricane Maria, has guest lectured at multiple universities and teaches the Envision Sustainability Professional credentialling course for both government and private sector organizations.  At AECOM, Bob leads the ESG market for the Americas. 




John Lovenberg, BNSF
John Lovenburg is the vice president, Environmental for BNSF Railway.  He leads a team responsible for environmental law; sustainability, energy and climate change strategy; construction permitting, environmental field operations and engineering; remediation; and hazardous materials.
 
John is active in sustainable business operations, innovation, governance, and markets.  He is the co-Executive Sponsor for BNSF’s advanced energy initiative, and the Executive Advisor for BNSF’s sustainable business markets initiative.  He is also on the Board of Directors of the Environmental Law Institute. John has more than 30 years of environmental management experience and was previously with CH2M (now Jacobs) where he was vice president, Global Site Remediation and Revitalization.
 
Education
John has a Bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master of Science degree in hydrogeology from San Diego State University.
 
BNSF
BNSF Railway is one of North America’s leading freight transportation companies operating on 32,500 route miles of track in 28 states, and also operates in three Canadian provinces. BNSF is one of the top transporters of consumer goods, grain and agricultural products, low-sulfur coal, and industrial goods such as petroleum, chemicals, housing materials, food and beverages.  BNSF’s shipments help feed, clothe, supply, and power American homes and businesses every day. BNSF and its employees have developed one of the most technologically advanced, and efficient railroads in the industry. We work continuously to improve the value of the safety, service, energy, and environmental benefits we provide to our customers and the communities we serve.



Bill Parry, CSX
Mr. Parry has been working with CSX since 2011 as Senior Manager Environmental Remediation.  Bill has been involved in a wide range of environmental risk management and compliance issues throughout his career and currently maintains a similar range of responsibilities including long-term environmental remediation and liability management, emergency spill response and planning as well as environmental permitting and NEPA work.  He manages CSX’s Transformer and Environmental Right of Entry programs, Preferred Provider Program for the PSH&E Group and the Asbestos, Lead and Mold program across his northeastern territory.  Prior to coming to CSX, Bill worked as an environmental consultant for 19 years, working for a variety of industries including electric utilities, land development, defense, petroleum distribution as well as state and local level public clientele.  Mr. Parry is a Licensed Professional Geologist and Certified Ground Water Professional. 

Mark Coleman, TRC
As Director of Advisory and Innovation within the Advanced Energy business segment of TRC, Mr. Coleman works with leaders across the organization and with partners and clients, to strategically advance best-in-class integrated solutions. Through intentional design and delivery of transdisciplinary teams, Mr. Coleman works at the nexus of energy innovation and the emergent sustainable economy, marked by solutions which are decarbonized, digital, decentralized, and which also embody social impact, environmental justice, and economic equity at their foundation.  Mr. Coleman also serves as an adjunct instructor at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate-level classes in Sustainable Enterprise and Managing Sustainability.  Mark is an award-winning author and business advisor on sustainable enterprise and the convergence of energy, technology, environmental stewardship, and innovation.
   



Real Estate Committee - Understanding Railbanking And How To Work With Rails-To-Trails Conservancy to Perserve Corridors For The Future

Ken Bryan, Rails-To-Trails
Ken Bryan is a native Floridian who enjoys the warm outdoor lifestyle the state’s trails and beaches offer.  He is the Senior Strategist for External Relations for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and has been with the organization for 30 years and is assigned teams working on the 3,700-mile Great American Rail-Trail, the Miami Loop TrailNation project, coordinating railroad relations and assisting with corridor acquisitions.    

Ken has been appointed by two Florida Governors to serve on their transition teams (Governor Crist to the Florida Department of Transportation Transition Team and Governor DeSantis to his Transition Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture) and has served on FDOT’s Transportation Plan Implementation Committee since 2015.     
 
When not chasing down elected officials, public servants and new partnerships, Ken likes to join his riding and adventuring buddies on the next outdoor challenge. 


Economic Development Committee - After Enactment: Freight Rail Perspectives on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Jordan Stone, AAR

At the Association of American Railroads (AAR), Jordan Stone supports the industry’s government affairs and advocacy efforts in Washington, with a particular focus on appropriations, energy, and trade policy. Stone is also responsible for the development of the policy and advocacy strategy surrounding annual Congressional appropriations. Additionally, Stone helps guide AAR’s efforts to advance railroads’ ongoing work to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and further research and demonstration projects on alternative fuels and emerging technologies that can be applied to rail operations.

Prior to joining AAR in 2019, Stone served for 4 years as a Professional Staff Member on the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee. During that time, Stone served as the lead staffer for 14 agencies funded through the THUD Appropriations bill, totaling over $52.4 billion in annual budgetary resources.

A proud Louisiana native, Stone received his Juris Doctor from Louisiana State University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from Vassar College. He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Renae, and dog, Kingston.




Technology Committee - NSITES 

Jason Saghy, Norfolk Southern
Jason Saghy, Senior Planning Engineer and graduate from Michigan State University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, has spent the last 10 years helping to facilitate new customer location & expansion across much of Norfolk Southern’s Midwest footprint.  In addition to providing expert guidance on railroad design standards & operational constraints, Jason has branched into animation, architectural visualization, app development, and GIS in a never-ending quest to enhance the skillset he brings to his role in the economic development process.

Rakesh Patel, Norfolk Southern

Mr. Patel has been in the GIS industry for over 15 years since graduating from Georgia State University with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Computer Information Systems. Mr.Patel began his career with NS as a co-op student in 2001, and later returning in 2017 as a GIS Site Analyst and since has been promoted to Manager GIS Services. Mr. Patel and his team are responsible for the creation of NSITES along with the catalogue of development-ready industrial sites. Mr. Patel is also in charge of Norfolk Southern's Industrial Development GIS applications and core spatial data and streamlines GIS data processing, map production of site brochures, and GIS data exports that are used by Planning Engineering in rail design plans.