UP announces retirements, executive appointments

Union Pacific Railroad CEO Jim Vena last week announced retirements and promotions of key executives.

Retiring from the Class I are Shane Keller, senior vice president-operations, northern region; David Giandinoto, SVP-operations, southern region; and Lee Myers, assistant VP-risk management, law.

Keller began his career as an operations management trainee 33 years ago and held leadership roles in transportation, the Harriman Dispatching Center (HDC), network operations, engineering and mechanical.

Giandinoto joined UP as a management trainee after serving as a U.S. Marine for six years. During his 30-year rail career, he worked in nearly every part of UP's transportation network, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and Omaha. He also served a stint on the marketing and sales team.

Myers served 34 years in the law department on the risk management side of the business. He also lived across the UP network, including time in St. Louis, North Platte, North Little Rock and Roseville before finishing out his last decade in Omaha.

With those retirements, Vena announced the following executives will serve new roles on the operations leadership team effective April 1:
• John Turner, SVP-HDC and network planning, is appointed SVP-operations, northern region, succeeding Keller;
• Steven Bybee, AVP-network resources, HDC, is appointed SVP-operations, southern region, succeeding Giandinoto;
• Carl Garrison, AVP-labor operations, is promoted to VP-network planning and operations, adding network planning and operations, interline and joint facilities to his existing labor operations responsibilities; and
• Erin Batt, VP-HDC, will become the first woman to lead the HDC. She adds customer care and support and crew management services to her responsibilities.

Additional executive-level appointments include:
• Mike Santa Maria, general manager-transportation, Los Angeles service unit, to succeed Bybee as AVP-network resources, HDC;
• Ryan Curtis, general superintendent-transportation, Mid-America service unit, to succeed Santa Maria as GM-transportation, Los Angeles service unit;
• Mike Shults, general superintendent-transportation, Chicago service unit, to succeed Curtis as general superintendent-Transportation, Mid-America service unit;
• Luke Slawson, prior general director-intermodal operations, premium operations, to succeed Shults as general superintendent-transportation, Chicago service unit; and
• Naomi Deines, AVP-crew management services, HDC, to succeed Myers as AVP-risk management, law.