UP's Whited honored as 'Railway Woman of the Year'

The League of Railway Women (LRW) has named Union Pacific Railroad Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer Beth Whited the winner of the 2021 Railway Woman of the Year award.

Whited was honored yesterday at a presentation during the 2021 League of Railway Women Virtual Annual Conference.

Co-sponsored by Progressive Railroading, the annual award is presented to a woman in the rail industry who establishes a strong vision and culture of continuous improvement and creativity; overcomes challenges and breaks down barriers.

The award winner also is someone who promotes and supports initiatives to attract and retain women in rail; brings consistent excellence to her organization and surrounding community; and cultivates a safe work environment by demonstrating safe rail practices.

"Beth's commitment to Union Pacific and her focus on attracting and retaining women in rail is a cornerstone of LRW’s mission to cultivate and connect women in rail. Her efforts have given our industry wider depth and much needed talent and diversity," said LRW President Amanda Trainor Patrick in a press release.

Whited's leadership skills and dedication to safety have been especially evident during the pandemic.

"From developing an aggressive prevention program, to communicating information to UP employees, and implementing online training for new employees to help the railroad continue to move America’s goods — Beth did it all while providing decisive and thoughtful leadership," Trainor Patrick said.

Whited has dedicated most of her career to UP. Over the past three decades, she has demonstrated exceptional achievement and now leads both human resources and labor relations, LRW officials said. Prior to her current position, she served as chief marketing officer, overseeing marketing and sales business units.

Whited's dedication to diversity and inclusion at UP is demonstrated in her drive to increase the 159-year-old railroad’s percentage of employed women from 5% to 10% and boost UP’s minority population to 40%. To achieve those goals, Whited reconfigured UP's recruitment process to change long-standing beliefs that may have impeded the development of a more diverse workforce.

This year's Woman of the Year Award set a record in the number of submissions, according to LRW Awards Committee Chair Lisa Tackach.

"From managerial positions in field operations to c-suite executives who recently entered the rail industry, this year’s submissions spotlighted an extraordinary group of women in rail," said Tackach. "Beth's nomination was among the best in a fierce competition."