Progressive Railroading names 2016 'Rising Stars' in railroading

Progressive Railroading has announced the 20 people selected by the magazine's editorial staff to be recognized as this year's "Rising Stars" of the North American railroad industry.

The magazine defines a Rising Star as 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.

During a nomination process that lasted several months, Progressive Railroading readers submitted nearly 140 nominations of individuals who work for Class Is, regionals, short lines, passenger railroads, transit agencies, government agencies, academic institutions, engineering firms or suppliers.

This year's 20 honorees were chosen based on their contributions to the railroad industry, career achievements, demonstrated leadership, professional association activity or community involvement. Their stories will be profiled on ProgressiveRailroading.com this summer and published in the magazine's September issue.

In addition, the 2016 Rising Stars will be recognized at a dinner to be held July 24 at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh during the American Association of Railroad Superintendents' 2016 Annual Meeting.

The Rising Stars for 2016 and the organizations they work for are:

Bernardo Ayala, Union Pacific Railroad
Jeff Bernstein, MTA Metro-North Railroad
Andrea Berry-Morris, Holland LP
Kristina Brevard, Denton County Transportation Authority
Matt Campbell, SMART Transportation Division
Allison Fayfich, Archer Daniels Midland
Jon Gabriel, BNSF Railway Co.
Greg Godfrey, Amtrak
Christopher Howard, CN
Amanda Jones, STV
Michael Keller, HDR Inc.
Gretchen Kostura, Amtrak
Jeremy Kramer, Louisville & Indiana Railroad Co.
Leslia LeMaster Wilson, TRAM Construction
Michael Logan, Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad
Kylie McLaughlin, Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad LLC
Kate O'Connor, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Rapik Saat, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Darin Selby, Kansas City Southern Railway
Jerry Vaughn, Railinc Corp.