OneRail Coalition honors Baker, Davisson with first Canby Awards

American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) President Chuck Baker and Senate Commerce Committee staff member Michael Davisson are the first recipients of OneRail Coalition's newly established Canby Awards.

Named for the coalition's former director Anne Canby, the award is inspired by her "commitment and perseverance for finding common ground to advance and strengthen rail in the United States," said OneRail Coalition Director Devon Barnhart in a press release.

"This year’s recipients exemplify the passion and optimism that Anne brought to her work with OneRail," Barnhart said.

Baker, who serves as the coalition's chair, received the OneRail Member Award. He has served the coalition for more than a decade and helped many of its proposals and priorities become law. Baker became ASLRRA’s president in February 2019 after a 15-year career in the railroad industry that included a long stint as leader of the National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association.

Davisson, a professional staff member on the Commerce Committee for U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), received the Congressional Staff Award. Davisson helped draft the rail title that was incorporated into the new federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Canby helped found the coalition in 2009 as a nonprofit organization to educate the public and policymakers about the importance of rail in the U.S. economy and transportation system. She served as the coalition's director for more than a decade before stepping down in 2021.

"I am grateful to the OneRail Coalition for creating these exciting awards," she said. "Now more than ever, rail is a critical part of the solution to our nation’s key infrastructure, economic and climate challenges.”

Canby dedicated her life's work to transportation, including as the New Jersey commissioner of transportation, Delaware's secretary of transportation and deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.