2025 WOMEN IN RAIL: Paving the Way for the Next Generation (Part 2 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
Yvonne Hill-Donald
Chief Administrative Officer
MTA Metro-North Railroad
Hill-Donald has made lasting contributions to both MTA Metro-North Railroad and MTA Long Island Rail Road, shaping the workforce, organizational structure, and administrative functions that sustain safe and reliable service for millions of riders. In her current role, she has transformed the alignment of people, resources, and processes to better support operations and improve efficiency. She has also assumed direct responsibility for Metro North’s Operations Training Department, where she has expanded and modernized training programs for frontline employees and managers. Hill-Donald’s impact extended across both railroads during one of the most complex projects in North America: the opening of Grand Central Madison. As Acting Senior Advisor to the Interim President of LIRR, she ensured that the administrative and organizational resources were in place to successfully launch this multibillion-dollar expansion. Earlier in her career, Hill-Donald modernized Metro-North’s HR systems, compensation structures, and workforce planning strategies. She has consistently been a voice for organizational change, leading initiatives that improved succession planning, talent acquisition, and employee engagement that directly benefited the railroad’s ability to recruit and retain top talent in a highly competitive industry. Colleagues credit her with creating a culture in which people feel both supported and accountable.
Stephanie Kuntzman
Assistant Vice President, Consumer Products
BNSF Railway
(Railway Age Honoree, 25 Under 40 Program for 2022)
Kuntzman has played a key role in leading the development of customer-centric intermodal solutions to meet the evolving needs of supply chains and to drive value for BCOs (beneficial cargo owners). Among them: Quantum, a J.B. Hunt and BNSF service, launched in 2023 to help BCOs convert highly service-sensitive highway freight to intermodal; and BNSF logistics parks and intermodal customer co-location solutions, allowing BCOs to benefit from lower costs, greater operational flexibility, and lower GHG emissions when shipping intermodal. She has also led efforts to develop APIs to share real-time data between BNSF and its intermodal carrier partners and BCOs. Kuntzman makes development a priority for herself and those around her. She is a member of the Retail Industry Leader Association’s Transportation Sustainability Working Group, representing BNSF as a strategic project partner; serves as a BNSF mentor; assisted with the launch of IANA’s Future Leaders of Intermodal Program; and has been a commercial lead for BNSF’s Sustainable Freight Leadership Council, a group comprising approximately 10 customers and BNSF leaders that shares insights and best practices to advance freight decarbonization. Kuntzman also volunteers at the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Texas.
Maria Orcera
AVP, Revenue Accounting & Customer Service
Patriot Rail
Orcera is a first-generation college graduate and holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Puerto Rico, which she earned while working full-time and managing a single-parent household. She began her transportation career at age 18 as a distribution company intern. After graduation, she worked in the maritime and trucking industry for ten years. Orcera then brought her expertise to Florida East Coast Railway. She led the design and development of the railroad’s intermodal and trucking system that streamlined the full load cycle and implemented the “average billing date” initiative, reducing the billing cycle from ten to three days. In 2021, Orcera joined Patriot Rail, a short line and regional rail service provider, as Manager of Revenue, and was quickly promoted to Director of Revenue Accounting and to her current role. She has steered the Revenue Accounting department through Patriot Rail’s largest acquisition to date: Pioneer Lines, which encompassed more than 12 railroads. She also spearheaded the reduction of over-90-day receivables by 85% and total receivables by 43% in just three years; created and implemented the freight revenue system designed for the BNSF intermodal terminal project in Salt Lake City; and in partnership with IT, is leading the integration of Billing, Credit, and Collections, while also designing and implementing new operational workflows.
Cinthya Melissa Guillén Pinales
General Manager–Operations Center (Monterrey)
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC)
(Railway Age Honoree, 25 Under 40 Program for 2024)
Pinales demonstrates that capability transcends gender and environment. She has served as CPKC’s General Manager of the Operations Center in Mexico since 2023 and guided the team to deliver significant results: In 2024, they increased raw speed by 21%, improved CMCD (car miles per car day) by 12%, and boosted GTMs (gross ton miles) by 22%. This was accomplished with minimal changes to labor agreements, while demonstrating resiliency in overcoming network challenges. Pinales led the implementation of Nexus/RPM and other core operating processes in Mexico. Under her direction, network operations and CPKC operations center teams have markedly improved the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of reporting. In third-quarter 2025, Pinales oversaw cross-functional efforts to address operational challenges in Mexico’s northern region. She worked closely with the Transportation, Network Operations, Mechanical, Engineering and Locomotive teams to successfully restore operations, minimize recrews, and maintain service reliability at key terminals. Pinales was the first woman to serve as Terminal Manager in intermodal operations and the first female Superintendent of Monterrey Yard for Kansas City Southern de Mexico, part of KCS, which merged with CP in 2023 to form CPKC.
Shelly Reid
Vice President Sales & Group Manager
The Greenbrier Companies
Since joining The Greenbrier Companies in 2016, Reid has made significant progress increasing commercial sales, achieving business goals, and empowering women across the industry. She played a key role in securing and executing Greenbrier’s largest Canadian deal: more than 2,000 railcars. Widely respected as a trusted subject-matter expert, Reid actively mentors members of her department and collaborates across the organization, including with the legal, engineering, and customer care teams. Under her management, these teams coordinate and align contract details, pricing, and compliance. Reid is dedicated to listening to customers and advances railcar designs that best meet their needs. She also manages virtual sample railcar reviews, coordinates inspections, and makes sure that railcars comply with safety and quality standards. Additionally, she supports Greenbrier’s customer experience and post-award teams to ensure customer satisfaction from the start of sale negotiations to order completion. Reid is a member of Greenbrier’s Master Lease Agreement (MLA) Committee, providing input on contract processes and language that lead to successful outcomes for both Greenbrier and its customers.
Gaynor Ryan
Chief Human Resources Officer
Pinsly Railroad Company
Ryan joined the railroad industry in 1994 as a Bangor & Aroostook Customer Service Representative and later became Vice President of Human Resources for that railroad’s successor, the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic (MMA). Following the July 13, 2013, crude oil train tragedy in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, Ryan was a part of the senior team that led the turnaround of the Central Maine & Quebec (CMQ), which was created from the bankrupt MMA assets. According to her award nominator, Ryan led with compassion during the transition from MMA to CMQ, which earned Railway Age’s 2016 Regional Railroad of the Year Award. “There are very few people (maybe none) who had to overcome a more challenging set of professional circumstances,” the nominator wrote. “Gaynor did, and with a positive outcome.” Ryan is now responsible for HR, employee compensation and benefits, and administration at Pinsly, where she led the development of the company’s mission statement and core values. She also directs annual “Pinsly Way Day” sessions for all railroad teams, providing updates and allowing for Q&As with executives. Ryan is currently organizing a new leadership training program. She serves as a Board Member for The Shaw House and was recognized last year for distinguished service by the Maine Junior Black Bear Youth Hockey Association.
Lisa Schreibman
Acting Vice President & Chief Officer
MTA Staten Island Railway (SIR)
Schreibman’s 20-plus year career across New York’s transit system reflects a combination of strategic vision, operational expertise, and a relentless drive to improve public transportation for all. While she began in planning and strategy roles, she was determined to become known as an operations leader, embracing that side of the business with attention to how things work, who makes them work, and how to drive performance at every level. Her dedication paid off. Schreibman now heads SIR, bringing a blend of strategic insight and diligence to this vital regional transportation service. In a separate role, VP and Chief Officer of Capital Strategy and Management for MTA, she provided representation for a $32 billion, five-year capital program and led a team of 40 professionals, ensuring that subway operations were not only supported during construction but also positioned for long-term success post-delivery. As Acting SVP of Subways, she guided one of the most complex urban rail systems in the world through a period of transition. Her earlier roles laid the foundation for this trajectory. As Senior Director of Strategic Planning, she took part in interdepartmental initiatives, including fare payment modernization. Her leadership on the No. 7 Line Extension showcased her ability to coordinate environmental reviews, staffing strategies, and operational planning. Schreibman is also dedicated to serving as a mentor through WTS International.
Shaquana Stephens
Acting Superintendent-Commuter Operations
Amtrak
Since joining Amtrak in 2006 as a Reservation Sales Agent, Stephens has steadily advanced to roles of increasing responsibility, including Crew Scheduler, Station Manager and District Manager. This progression reflects her dedication to operational efficiency, as well as a commitment to developing a responsive and prepared team. Stephens served most recently as Assistant Superintendent; now as Acting Superintendent-Commuter Operations, she oversees the MARC (Maryland Area Rail Commuter) Train contract, ensuring safe, efficient, and reliable service for hundreds of thousands of riders each day. Stephens has successfully led teams through service disruptions, coordinating resources, managing frontline employees, and communicating effectively across multiple departments and with passengers to restore service quickly and safely. Under her leadership, process improvements have been implemented to reduce response times for future incidents. Stephens also gives back to the railroad industry, actively mentoring less experienced Amtrak employees and serving as a role model and resource to those aspiring to build long-term careers in transportation.
Beth Sullivan
Vice President Operations Support & Organizational Planning
MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)
Sullivan has demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout her 30-year career at LIRR, where she has risen from Assistant Conductor to VP. She is responsible for operations planning, corporate training, enhancement projects, business development and customer experience. Sullivan recently oversaw development of an operations plan if five labor unions were to go on strike, demonstrating her management of high-risk, high-impact challenges. Previously, as the commuter railroad’s Chief Transportation Officer, she led 2,000-plus employees and managed a $450 million annual budget. She was instrumental in delivering some of the most complex and high-impact capital projects in the agency’s history, including the implementation of PTC and the Tower Migration initiative; she played a central leadership role in the Main Line 2nd and 3rd Track Expansion programs and the Grand Central Madison project, which significantly increased service capacity and access for riders. Dedicated to fostering employee recognition, inclusion, and mentorship, Sullivan oversaw the planning committees for LIRR’s first annual President’s Excellence Awards and Labor Day Appreciation events, celebrating the contributions of 7,000-plus employees. She represents LIRR in such industry associations as CRC, APTA, AAR, WTS, and COMTO, ensuring diverse voices are part of policy, safety, and best practices conversations.
Marcia Tauriella
Vice President Global Sourcing
A. Stucki Company
Tauriella’s knowledge of the rail industry and expertise in creating value for customers have been instrumental to Stucki, from its recent acquisition of Wheelworx to driving major operational and sourcing improvements across the enterprise. She has successfully led efforts through a period of evolving global trade dynamics, applying her insight to tariff management, vendor strategy and supply-chain resilience. In 2023, she was tasked with creating and standing up a centralized purchasing organization to replace a decentralized model. With help from her team, Tauriella has been a champion of strategic sourcing, introducing a more disciplined approach to vendor-relationship management, total cost of ownership, and supply-chain risk mitigation. She works to ensure Stucki remains competitive and resilient. “Driving change at scale is never easy, but Tauriella has continued to deliver results while earning the trust and respect of her colleagues along the way,” her award nominator wrote. Before joining Stucki, she served Union Pacific, where she played a pivotal role in optimizing freight-car and intermodal-equipment sourcing and led major change-management initiatives that impacted thousands of vendors and employees. Tauriella serves as a mentor and role model for female leaders across Stucki, and brings her passion for the industry into local school classrooms, so students understand the role railroads play in their everyday lives.
Blaire Theuerkauf
Senior Counsel
Metra
In her role as Senior Counsel at Metra commuter railroad, Theuerkauf advises on procurement and construction contracts, ensuring compliance with federal requirements; and has worked to memorialize onboarding information in a comprehensive guide and resource. She graduated in 2018 with a Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University College of Law, and joined the railroad’s Law Department shortly before it went through a major transition in staffing and restructuring. Theuerkauf helped to guide the team by maintaining transparent communication, setting clear priorities, and advocating for team members’ roles. Recently, she was instrumental in the safe and seamless transfer to Metra from Union Pacific three lines of commuter rail service in the Chicago metropolitan area—a transaction that did not have an existing playbook. “Her work has far surpassed her years of experience, and she is doing the work at a level commiserate to a much senior attorney,” according to her award nominator. Theuerkauf not only mentors and guides new attorneys and legal staff at Metra, but also has served as Director of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, as well as Chair of the association’s Continuing Legal Education Committee and Young Lawyers Committee, and as President of Southside Center of Hope’s Young Professional Board.
Michelle Wan
Vice President, Projects
Hitachi Rail
Wan has built her 25-plus year career by driving the successful delivery of some of the world’s most complex and high-profile signaling projects. As VP, Projects at Hitachi Rail, she leads 100 project management professionals in North America and 60 worldwide, overseeing an active portfolio of 65 projects in 15 countries. Having worked across every stage of project delivery, starting as a Project Engineer in Canada, to executive leadership, Wan’s extensive experience and knowledge have enabled Hitachi Rail to deliver safe, reliable, and efficient rail systems in London, U.K. (supporting the Jubilee and Northern Upgrade Program; directing the £2 billion Four Lines Modernization program; and securing operational readiness for the Docklands Light Railway extension to Stratford, ensuring safe and seamless transport for millions of Olympic Park spectators in 2012) and in Doha, Qatar (spearheading signaling support during the FIFA World Cup 2022, enabling more than 18 million passenger journeys in just five days and increasing ridership by 300%). Throughout her career, Wan has focused not only on successfully delivering projects, but also on building long-term partnerships with transit authorities and operators. By emphasizing sustained support well beyond project completion, she ensures customers have confidence that their systems will continue to run safely and efficiently.
Leah Windell
Customer Service Manager
Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC, an Anacostia Rail Holdings company)
Windell exemplifies leadership through action, providing “service with a smile”; following the motto “See a problem; solve a problem”; and asking questions and “learning by doing” so she can be effective in her role. While she initially met resistance when she wanted to ride with crews to better understand specific spotting instructions at each customer facility, her persistence paid off. Windell has since learned about locomotive 92-day inspections, track work, signaling, and more. All employees, regardless of craft, are now encouraged to ask questions and job shadow to find out how each craft affects the others. “Since our first interaction in 2015, we have viewed Leah Windell as a consummate rail professional who understands the importance of the supply chain,” a LIRC customer said. “Her ‘positive individual efforts’ to help LIRC reach and exceed team goals has always been outstanding. Leah recently project managed a complex, five rail carrier routing option. Her support to get us the most cost effect options while realizing the importance of speed to market was a critical link for the success we all recognized.” Windell is also deeply committed to community service. She is a Repair Affair participant, aiding seniors and disabled individuals with home repairs, and a Kentucky and Indiana Paralyzed Veterans of America volunteer.
All Photographs Courtesy of the Respective Companies.
