2025 WOMEN IN RAIL: Paving the Way for the Next Generation (Part 1 of 2)
Established in 2017, the annual award is presented to railway industry women in the United States, Canada and/or Mexico for their outstanding leadership, vision, innovation, community service involvement and accomplishments. In an industry typically dominated by men, they have a track record of breaking down barriers and helping to create industry opportunities for women.
“Congratulations to this year’s distinguished group of women!” Railway Age Publisher Jonathan Chalon said on behalf of the judging committee, which included Railroad Financial Corporation Senior Advisor Barbara Wilson, Gateway Development Commission Executive Vice President Catherine Rinaldi, and the Railway Age staff. “Our 25 honorees, plus five selected for honorable mention, came from a strong field of nearly 100 nominations. We are proud that all 30 will be recognized at the 2026 Railway Age/RT&S Women in Rail Conference, to be held Oct. 6-7 at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg.”
In addition to the Railway Age Staff, the judges are:
Barbara Wilson
Senior Advisor
Railroad Financial Corporation
Wilson served previously as President and CEO of short line holding company RailUSA, providing strategic leadership and implementing long-range goals, plans and policies. Prior to joining RailUSA in 2019, she was President of Wells Fargo Rail, where she led business growth by acquiring three industry competitors to build the largest railcar leasing business in North America. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and an MBA from Babson College.
Catherine Rinaldi
Executive Vice President
Gateway Development Commission (GDC)
Rinaldi oversees all essential administrative functions, while developing and tracking metrics to ensure that strategic objectives are achieved at GDC, the bi-state authority charged with delivering the Hudson Tunnel Project. She was previously President of MTA Metro-North Railroad, the first woman to hold that position. From February 2022-October 2023, she simultaneously served as Interim President of MTA Long Island Rail Road. Rinaldi is a summa cum laude graduate of Yale College and a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law.
2025 Women in Rail Honorees
Jeannie Alexander
Vice President, Rail Operations
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
Alexander is a 19-year CTA veteran. She began her career there as an intern and has risen through the ranks to Project Specialist; Training Specialist, developing programs for customer service, safety and operations; Manager-Administration, Rail Operations; General Manager-Rail Operations, implementing a comprehensive training program that addressed the operational aspects and safety compliance required by new federal safety regulations; and Director-Service Delivery, before taking on her current role. She is now responsible for keeping all eight of CTA’s rapid transit lines moving. Alexander not only works to help the transit authority remain competitive and responsive to market changes but also fosters collaboration, inspiring others to embrace change and pursue best practices. She also gives back, participating in and supporting local charitable events. Alexander is a 2022 graduate of the Leadership APTA program.
Zoe Bates
Manager Terminal Operations
Norfolk Southern (NS)
At just 25 years old, Bates became NS’s Lead Trainmaster in Ft. Wayne, Ind., overseeing craft employees and experienced supervisors alike. Within two years, she was elevated to her current role, leading more than 150 employees at the Oakwood Terminal and surrounding Detroit operations, driving operational excellence in a region critical to automotive supply chains and the Canadian interchange. Bates led the rollout of Qualified Mechanical Inspection schedules for yard and local engines across Detroit, Toledo, and Ft. Wayne. Known as a proactive, data-driven problem-solver, Bates works to strengthen work communications; she partnered with a Road Foreman to develop a divisional newsletter that is now becoming a regional communications tool.
Tina Beckberger
Chief Commercial Officer
American Industrial Transport (AITX)
Beckberger has been instrumental in establishing AITX as a top integrated railcar lessor through her hands-on, customer-first approach. She successfully guided the operational and cultural integration of SMBC Rail and The Andersons Rail Group, delivering measurable improvements in fleet performance and customer service, and transformed siloed teams into an integrated, solutions-driven commercial force, improving responsiveness and value for customers across leasing, maintenance, and regulatory services. She has also spearheaded the rollout of tools and analytics to provide customers with enhanced fleet visibility and real-time insights. Beckberger elevates female leaders through strategic hiring and promotions and helped launch a leadership development program to mentor and prepare emerging talent for long-term success. According to her award nominator, Beckberger’s “ability to lead through uncertainty while creating stability and progress sets her apart as a trailblazer.” She has guided teams through economic downturns, corporate restructuring, and market volatility, maintaining focus on long-term results and customer trust. Beckberger is a Western Railway Club Board Member, and champions AITX’s involvement in local outreach programs, such as Blessings in a Backpack, where employees recently came together to pack 500 bags of food for children facing food insecurity in Chicago.
Christina Bottomley
Vice President, Business Development & Real Estate
CSX
Bottomley manages a vast portfolio of real estate properties to support CSX rail operations, facility expansion, and industrial development initiatives. Under her leadership, the Real Estate team has maximized the value of the Class I railroad’s approximately 300,000 acres of property and $2 billion in capital investments, ensuring the infrastructure is well-maintained while nearly doubling the company’s strategic growth-focused investments. Bottomley has spearheaded the development of 500-plus projects, supporting the current trends of onshoring and reshoring, and expanded the CSX Select Site program, increasing each year the number of shovel-ready, rail-served development sites. As the co-creator of CSX InnovationX, a cross-functional “shark-tank” style initiative, Bottomley has been instrumental in identifying emerging technologies and innovative solutions to improve the railroad’s efficiency and to drive its growth. Active in the community, she is executive sponsor of the CSX Pride Business Resource Group; serves on the Advisory Council of Equality Florida; is a Board Member and Treasurer for the Jacksonville Women’s Leadership Forum; is a member of the United Way Tocqueville Society, and is a United Way Stein Fellowship mentor. Additionally, Bottomley has leveraged her role at CSX to help extend fiber optic cable to several communities on the railroad’s network.
Tammy Butler
Vice President-General Counsel
CSX
Butler’s diverse skill set as a Florida State Bar-certified attorney and certified public accountant has over the past two decades enabled her to lead CSX initiatives that drive operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and strategic growth. As Head of Real Estate, she showcased her ability to manage complex, high-value projects, playing a pivotal role in a $525 million infrastructure transaction between the Class I and the Commonwealth of Virginia that enhanced rail infrastructure and operations. Now, as Vice President-General Counsel, Butler leads the Law department, Corporate Secretary’s office, and Environmental and Hazardous Materials teams, ensuring the company operates with integrity and compliance. She has also participated in an executive development and coaching program to further hone her leadership skills. Butler is deeply committed to giving back to the industry and her community. As the executive sponsor of CSX’s HOLA Business Resource Group, she empowers Hispanic and Latin American employees, fostering engagement and inclusion and creating opportunities for professional growth. She also serves on the boards of the American Heart Association and City Year Jacksonville, where she supports initiatives that create opportunities for young adults to volunteer in Duval County schools, and was a mentor through the 2024 CSX Women’s Development Program.
Andrea Dobbelmann
CEO
Progressive Rail Incorporated
(Railway Age Honorable Mention, 25 Under 40 Program for 2021)
Dobbelmann joined Progressive Rail Incorporated in 2017 as Corporate Controller, and in 2019, became the first female CFO for the company, which operates 11 short lines in seven states. When Progressive’s chief executive stepped down in 2022, Dobbelmann was challenged to take on the role and has excelled. She starts early and stays late so everyone has what they need, and takes time for one-on-one sessions with existing and new employees alike to ensure their success, according to her award nominator. She has been instrumental in applying for and receiving more than $65 million in CRISI grants for two short lines in Washington State and Minnesota, a first for Progressive. These investments for critical infrastructure upgrades not only support economic development by enabling local industries to expand their shipping capabilities but also position the company to attract new customers and explore new business opportunities. Following a dramatic drop in rail traffic, due to the loss of Northern White franc sand, Dobbelmann exemplified strength, resolve, and tenacity by developing a recovery plan, keeping up team communications, and allowing “scarce cash” to go to new marketing initiatives. The outcome, according to her nominator, is “Progressive Rail is now stronger than we have ever been in our nearly 30-year history.”
Christine “Christie” Drabic
Vice President Global Program Management
Wabtec Corporation
Drabic has dedicated her career to the rail industry, starting as a 19-year-old college intern with GE Transportation. Over the past 25-plus years, she has held roles across the business, from supply chain to finance, and now leads the Global Program Management team for Wabtec, responsible for executing commercial deals and ensuring that the company delivers on its commitments to its customers. Since she stepped into that role in 2019, when Wabtec acquired GE Transportation, Drabic’s team has delivered nearly 2,000 locomotives to customers in more than 20 countries on every continent, except Antarctica. Today, that team is providing locomotives for the Simandou project in Guinea. Drabic is a leader at Wabtec and in her local community. She is a Wabtec Training Program teacher; the founder of the Women of Wabtec employee resource group; an active volunteer for the annual Wabtec Girls STEM camp; part of the Society of Women Engineers Conference Planning Committee for Wabtec; leader of Wabtec’s annual United Way drive; Board Chair of United Way of Erie County, Pa.; and Board of Corporators Member of the Hamot Health Foundation in Erie.
Sandra Ellis
Vice President, Bulk, Sales and Marketing
CN
With more than 25 years of experience in rail and commodity sales, Ellis has built a reputation for closing complex, high-value deals and aligning commercial outcomes with operational excellence at CN, Canadian Pacific, and Inter Pipeline. In her current role, she strengthens customer relationships in core Bulk commodities (grain, fertilizers, coal), drives market expansion into new or under-served Bulk markets, and implements improvements in communication, operations coordination, and yield management to respond proactively to seasonal, environmental, or logistical challenges. In the Bulk business, commodity prices, tariffs, and global demand can shift overnight. Ellis has consistently adapted strategies to protect CN’s customers and revenue. Additionally, she has opened doors for women through leadership development, internal promotions, and ensuring diverse representation in key sales and commercial teams. Over the past six years, Ellis and her family have raised more than $40,000 through Betty’s Run for ALS. “We fundraise because we believe in hope, in progress, and in the power of showing up—not just for our family, but for every family navigating this path,” Ellis says.
Tania Fauchon
Americas Quality Director & Group Railway Safety Director
Alstom
Fauchon, who is based in Canada, leads Alstom’s efforts to improve rolling stock-manufacturing site quality and has reduced production defects by 70%. She transformed lower-performing legacy Bombardier Transportation sites, following Alstom’s 2021 acquisition. More recently, Fauchon was charged with leading Railway Safety for the company’s 86,000 employees worldwide. She oversees the Safety Management System, ensuring company-wide adherence and all necessary safety releases are completed when delivering Alstom products; Fauchon in 2024 secured the safety release for Alstom’s Coradia iLint in North America, a milestone in the successful launch of the hydrogen fuel cell-powered passenger train. Additionally, she leads panels during all-employees events in the Americas supporting continuous learning on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and during the company’s Quality and Safety weeks. Fauchon is a Board Member of the Sherbrooke University Center of Advanced Technology; an executive mentor for the Alstom-sponsored Carleton University Women in Engineering and IT Program; and a co-executive sponsor of the company’s Operation Lifesaver initiatives in the U.S. and Canada.
Rebekah Garner
Service Assurance Rail Support
Watco
Garner has played a key role in developing three software applications that have allowed Watco to automate what were previously paper-based, manual activities. A liaison between IT and the field, she took part in up-front fact-finding, including federal requirements, all the way through to testing, rollout, and post-rollout tweaks and enhancements. She also worked to earn team members’ trust and is assisting in their transition to using the new apps. Roam is railcar management software used by crews in the U.S. and Canada to build trains and execute the delivery and pickup of cars along their routes; CrewConnect streamlines dispatching, crew activity tracking, and hours-of-service reporting; and Track Master allows maintenance-of-way inspectors to log exceptions for Watco-operated track and switches. One Watco executive said of Garner: “It’s just amazing that I can sketch something out on paper and say, ‘I’d like to have a form uploaded in CrewConnect that looks like this,’ and a week later, it’s a masterpiece.” He noted that Garner has such a strong grasp of railroad regulations, terminology, and operations that even though she works in support services, “I truly think of her as a fellow railroader.” For more than a decade, Garner has served on such industry committees as the Revenue Pipeline Task Force, Interline Switching Task Force, Rate EDI Network, Customer Location Task Force, and Waybill Accuracy Task Force.
Arielle Giordano
Vice President of Government & Industry Affairs
Genesee & Wyoming (G&W) Railroad Services, Inc.
Before joining G&W, Giordano served as Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives T&I Committee’s Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, and a law clerk for the U.S. Senate’s Committee on the Judiciary. She contributed to key railroad legislation such as the 45G Short Line Railroad Tax Credit and the FRA CRISI grant program. Later, Giordano was entrusted with developing and managing the first U.S.-based government affairs function for Canadian Pacific, which was critical to guiding CP through its merger with Kansas City Southern. She lobbied for the combination, which was approved in 2023 to create the first single-line, transnational railway connecting Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, and providing hundreds of links to small railroads. In just one year since joining G&W, she has educated anyone at the company who has asked on the political process and current affairs relating transportation; she simplifies complex ideas and issues, so everyone understands what they mean for G&W and the industry. Says ASLRRA President Chuck Baker: “Arielle is an absolute workhorse in our short line railroad industry’s government affairs efforts. Whether it’s gathering cosponsors for tax credit legislation or developing a disaster relief bill, she is a leader in our world. She’s always the most prepared person in the room.”
Rebecca Gregory
Vice President Administration & Chief of Staff
Union Pacific Railroad (UP)
As Chief of Staff to CEO Jim Vena, Gregory is involved in overseeing all aspects of UP, including driving key strategic initiatives to foster engagement, bolster safety, increase efficiency, and enhance service. Previously, she ran the railroad’s commercial litigation practice, winning numerous cases and successfully defending against claims. Gregory was a member of the team that defeated class certification for UP in 2017 in one of the largest antitrust class actions ever filed. But it was during her time serving as Chief of Staff for UP’s COO in 2020 that she had the largest impact at the company. Gregory developed a training program for frontline managers that synthesized the COO’s vision, emphasizing safety, people, service, asset utilization, and cost control. Leveraging the relationships and knowledge gained over her career, as well as from field visits and interactions with employees at all levels, Gregory created a comprehensive manual that included the resources and tools available to managers. She also provided practical training for new managers. The training program and manual were provided to hundreds of managers, and the key performance measurements today show lasting positive impacts on both managerial effectiveness and efficiency, according to Gregory’s award nominator.
All Photographs Courtesy of the Respective Companies.
