North Carolina Railroad's Kessler named AREMA president

North Carolina Railroad Co. Vice President of Engineering James Kessler has been named president of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-Of-Way Association (AREMA) for the 2018-2019 term.

Kessler was installed as AREMA president last month during the association's annual Presidents Dinner, according to a press release issued by the North Carolina Railroad (NCRR).

"AREMA provides both new and long-time engineers opportunities to learn and grow in their profession, as well as cultivating a pipeline of future railroad engineering professionals," said Kessler, who's been an AREMA member for more than 37 years. "As president, I plan to encourage members to become more involved in the organization and take full advantage of the opportunities it offers."

Kessler gained "great experience" leading AREMA's Functional Group Board of Directors as senior vice president and serving as program chair for the AREMA 2018 Annual Conference in Chicago, said AREMA Immediate Past President Dwight Clark.

"Jim has done an excellent job keeping the technical portion of the association moving forward," said Clark.

Since joining NCRR in 2013, Kessler has led important projects including double tracking, new rail sidings in Johnston and Lenoir counties, and the rehabilitation of the Trent River railroad bridge in New Bern, according to NCRR President Scott Saylor.