League of Railway Women launches formal mentorship program
10/4/2023
By Julie Sneider, Senior Associate Editor
Maggie Vuono will be forever grateful to the person who became her longtime mentor when she entered the rail industry 20 years ago.
At the time, Vuono was coming off “a terrible marriage” and had to find a job after being out of the workforce for seven years while she stayed home with her children, she says. Although she knew nothing about the rail business, Vuono discovered an administrative position in the rail division with L.B. Foster Co.
“I kind of came into rail as a fluke and it kind of went on from there,” says Vuono.
She had a number of mentors early in her career, but one man — who still works in the industry part time — took her under his wing.
“He taught me how to look at drawings and understand all the parts, pieces and manhours that put together a project,” says Vuono. “And I don’t have an engineering background, I have a business background. But he just took me along every step of the way.”
Over the years, Vuono held various estimating and management positions at several railway supply and contracting companies — and continued to tap into the advice and guidance offered by her mentor. Most recently, she launched TraConcepts LLC, an independent sales and marketing consulting firm.
Her appreciation for the mentorship she’s received over the years motivates her to help today’s younger professionals — especially young women — advance in their rail careers.
A member of the League of Railway Women’s (LRW) board, Vuono recently helped establish a new program that helps match the association’s members with mentors. The program also connects experienced rail professionals who are LRW members and want to help the younger generations of rail professionals.
“Bringing this new mentorship platform to LRW has been a passion project for me.” — Maggie Vuono“Bringing this new mentorship platform to LRW has been a passion project for me,” Vuono says. “Giving back is so important to me because I know what it's like to be a young woman in this industry and how difficult that can be. But I also know how to not use that as your crutch and to get beyond that.”
Wanted: Networking, education and mentors
LRW began exploring the idea of offering a formal mentorship program several years ago after surveying members about what the association could do to encourage more women to consider rail careers and help those in the industry advance in their careers. Three key topics rose to the top of members’ wish list: networking, education and mentorship, according to LRW President Sarah Yurasko.
The LRW first responded to the survey’s findings by expanding its presence at industry conferences and events, and hosting educational sessions on topics of interest to LRW members. That initiative expanded to a webinar format during the pandemic.
Then in 2021, the board launched a three-month pilot project to help younger members find mentors.
“It worked out well,” Yurasko says of the pilot. “We had a lot of interest on both the mentor side and mentee side.”
About 67 members participated in the pilot over the three months. The one downside? The format was cumbersome to use.
A person at the LRW was responsible for managing the program: pairing mentees with mentors based on information from applications, then making sure communications occurred and meetings were made. Because the pilot occurred during the pandemic, the meetings were held through Google Meet.
Vuono — who had served as a mentor under the pilot program — took on the task of researching a more user-friendly platform. She eventually landed on MentorCity™, an online mentoring program now offered to LRW members through an iPhone- or Android-based app.
“Some of the areas people can ask for help in are communication, innovation, leadership, presentation skills, self-confidence and problem-solving.” — Sarah YuraskoMentees create a profile on the app, including career skills, strengths, goals or other issues they hope to talk about with their mentor. They can request a specific mentor or the app will determine one based on experience and/or expertise. The app can even help set up meetings.
“It’s so easy to use. I have the app on my phone and can use it in my car,” says Vuono. “You don’t need to be tied to your computer to have a meeting.”
Vuono is the program’s administrator and is keeping track of participation. In the first three weeks of the program’s launch, 41 LRW members had signed up — a number that’s impressed both Vuono and Yurasko.
“The fact that that many people signed up in the first three weeks speaks to the desire of young professionals looking for that connection,” says Vuono. “And it's not just women who sign up; we do have many men who are members of LRW. The program is not limited to women.”
The app even offers prompts to help mentees figure out the career-related skills or goals they want to explore with their mentor.
“For example, some of the areas people can ask for help [from a mentor] are in communication, innovation, leadership, presentation skills, self-confidence and problem-solving,” says Yurasko. “One of the things that I personally like about MentorCity is that if you were to ask me 10 years ago what I was looking for in a mentor, I would have said, ‘Gosh, I don’t know.’ But with MentorCity, you get a list of skills to consider. So, it really helps structure your thinking.”
Like Vuono, Yurasko appreciates the guidance she’s received from her mentors during her 18-year law career in railroading. Her work history spans five years at the Federal Railroad Administration; 18 months at Amtrak; seven years at the Association of American Railroads; and now three years at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, where she serves as senior vice president of law and general counsel.
Yurasko says she’s had two key mentors in her career, including Patrice Kelly, an attorney at the U.S. Department of Transportation where Yurasko served two internships while attending law school. Kelly has remained not only a mentor but also a good friend, Yurasko says.
Her second mentor, whom she met at the FRA, is Jo Strang, who was the agency’s associate administrator for railroad safety at the time. Yurasko now works with Strang at the ASLRRA, where Strang is SVP of safety, regulatory and environmental policy.
When she first met Strang at the FRA, Yurasko was a junior in her career and thought it “would be a stretch” to reach out to someone so experienced as a potential mentor.
“But I’m so thankful that I did because [Strang] has been not only a fabulous mentor, but a good friend as well,” Yurasko says.
Strang’s drive to use her career as a way to serve others particularly resonated with Yurasko.
“That’s part of why I got involved with the LRW,” says Yurasko. “And the leadership role that I now have on the board is giving me the opportunity to give back to others.”
