The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has reported that Senior Vice President, Membership and Business Development Kathy Keeney will retire at the end of June, following decades of work in the railroad industry. Amy Westerman, Lauren Schlechte and Danialle Lovik will take on new or expanded roles and responsibilities at the Association.
This transition has been planned for nearly a year, according to ASLRRA, which made the announcement in the June 25 edition of its weekly Views & News email newsletter for members. Keeney celebrated 10 years of official Association service last month.
Westerman, who is now Senior Vice President, Meetings, leads the Events team. Westerman and Schlechte, who joined ASLRRA earlier this year as Manager, Meetings, are handling sponsorship sales for all major ASLRRA meetings. Also, Schlechte is the point of contact for annual exhibit sales and booth-related questions. Westerman will continue to manage the overall planning and execution of major events.
Lovik, who is now Vice President, Membership, leads the Membership department, and has overall responsibility for nearly 1,100 member companies. She is the point of contact for questions on membership status, dues billing, updating roster contacts in ASLRRA’s database, and general customer service. She is also replacing Keeney as Staff Liaison to the Supplier Committee, with support from Westerman.
Westerman and Lovik have nearly 15 years of combined experience at ASLRRA, the Association said.
To allow Lovik to focus on membership, ASLRRA earlier this year hired Prashant Bhargava as Manager, IT Systems and Database Administration, taking on Lovik’s technology and database responsibilities. Bhargava reports to Fred Oelsner, ASLRRA’s current Vice President, Data, Technology and Security.
“As ASLRRA wishes Keeney well in retirement, the Association is confident that the new organizational structure keeps ASLRRA positioned to grow and serve its members with the personal short line touch while integrating the latest customer service and technology tools,” the Association reported.
Kathy Keeney
Kathy Keeney officially joined the Association’s staff 10 years ago and has worked every ASLRRA expo since the first one in 1987.
For much of her tenure, Keeney led ASLRRA’s Membership department and was instrumental in the expansion of new member recruiting. She set recruitment records and expanded the Association’s membership profile, according to ASLRRA. She sold and managed the ASLRRA trade show as it grew and expanded into convention centers, setting records for the number of expo hall booths sold, it noted. Keeney also drove efforts to continuously update the expo with new features, including a Green Zone for companies with environmental products and services, specialty bars, education-oriented trailers, and the recharge lounge.
According to ASLRRA, Keeney later took on sponsorship sales for the annual convention and set sponsorship sales records for the Association. She created new sponsorship levels and new benefits for members to increase their visibility. A point of great personal pride for Keeney, ASLRRA noted, has been “providing excellent service to members, often surprising them with how quickly she responded to their phone calls and emails.”
Keeney also helped launch the Association’s Supplier Committee and served as its Staff Liaison. The Committee took an increasingly important role during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Association was examining ways to keep railroaders and suppliers connected without in-person meetings. ASLRRA added that the Committee has helped shape some exhibit hall and networking options and launched a new and popular education track on procurement issues for the annual convention and fall meetings.
Five years ago, Keeney helped establish the Short Line Railroad Industry Hall of Fame and served as an organizer of the selection committee. She has also been a strong contributor to the ASLRRA PAC.
Even before joining ASLRRA in 2015, Keeney had a close working relationship with the Association for 30 years, first as a journalist covering short lines and later helping with management and sales for the annual exhibition. She served as publisher of three prominent railroad directories and editor of a monthly national railroad magazine. Additionally, she was editor of two short line publications.
Keeney is a longtime member of the League of Railway Women (LRW) and has served as Publicity Chair, Scholarship Chair, Vice President and President. She was honored in 2012 with the LRW’s Outstanding Member of the Year award, and in 2018 became the inaugural inductee into the LRW’s Hall of Fame. She has also served on the Board of Directors for ASLRRA and for the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) D.C. chapter. The granddaughter of a railroader, Kathy is a graduate of Loyola University of Maryland with a degree in English/journalism.
“Kathy has been a true joy to have as a colleague and her unique combination of relationships within the industry, support of short line railroads and their suppliers, and expertise in association membership, exhibitions, sponsorships and overall event planning and execution has been invaluable,” ASLRRA President Chuck Baker said. “She leaves huge shoes to fill, but not surprisingly she has also helped create an effective transition plan which has positioned the association and our members well for continued success. We’ve been so lucky to have her in the short line industry. We’ll miss her greatly but wish her well in retirement and know that she is only a phone call away!”
“If you’re very fortunate, you have people in your life who you can always count on. Kathy Keeney is that kind of person,” said Farmrail Corporation Director Judy Petry, who has also served as ASLRRA Board Chair. “I don’t recall when I met Kathy because she was always ‘there.’ She was there when I needed knowledge about the rail industry, especially regarding the associate members. There when I needed guidance. There when I needed a helping hand and there when I needed a good friend. Years before she became an employee of ASLRRA, she worked as though she already was. At the annual conventions, she ran the exhibit hall and volunteered her time and energy anywhere she was needed. She has a wealth of knowledge about our industry and association and will be greatly missed. My wish for Kathy is that God grants her many long, healthy, happy retirement years!”
“Kathy has always been the most stalwart advocate for the ASLRRA membership that I have known,” said former ASLRRA Board Chair Doc Claussen. “She has been the one people knew they could turn to when faced with a challenge, and has never shrunk from anything asked of her. Through some of the most tumultuous periods in ASLRRA’s life, she was always a rock that we could depend on when needed. A well-deserved retirement awaits but know we are lessened by your loss. Thanks Kathy!”
“For most suppliers, Kathy was ASLRRA, even before she went to work for the Association,” Short Line Data Systems President Steve Friedland said. “If it had to do with the exhibit at the Annual, she was the person you asked, and the person who took care of the issue. Whether you were a first-time exhibitor or a company that had been there for twenty years, you got her utmost attention and assistance when you needed it the most. Her stewardship of the ASLRRA Exhibit Hall has set the standard for what other organizations try to achieve.”
“Regarding Kathy Keeney—how do you put in words what an invaluable, hardworking colleague Kathy has been over the years?” ASLRRA Senior Advisor Mike Ogborn said. “Of course, whatever is said will be inadequate. It has been my distinct honor to know Kathy for decades and my privilege to call her both colleague and friend. Kathy has successfully taken on so many tasks in her tenure at ASLRRA—membership management, Supplier Committee liaison, and so many others—all done with aplomb and dedication. You will be sorely missed by everyone at ASLRRA and in particular by me, my friend. God speed and best of luck on your next steps in retirement!”
“I will always be grateful to Kathy Keeney for her great friendship and mentoring,” Custom Trains Owner and Artist Andy Fletcher noted. “Kathy greatly helped my artwork and message reach the railroad industry as a whole. Thank you, Kathy.”
“The quotes in this article represent only a tiny portion of well-wishes and reflections on Keeney’s 40-year career from colleagues and friends, as reaching out to all those Keeney has influenced would be impossible,” ASLRRA said.
Added the Railway Age staff: “Best wishes, Kathy. You will be missed!”
Anyone wanting to contact Keeney at ASLRRA before she leaves at the end of this month can email her at kkeeney@aslrra.org or call at (202) 585-3439.
