Railway Age and RT&S are returning to Chicagoland on Oct. 15-16 for the third annual Women in Rail Conference. This year’s program features trailblazing women and their allies who are significantly influencing today’s freight, passenger and transit rail industry. Setting the framework, “Leadership Journeys” will focus on the career arcs of influential leaders at the much-anticipated 2025 Women in Rail Conference.
Our third-annual in-person Women in Rail Conference will be filled with dynamic panels, a celebratory luncheon for Railway Age 2024 Women in Rail and RT&S 2025 Women in Railroad Engineering award honorees, and the chance to network with a wide-reaching group of like-minded professionals. All this will take place at a new, larger venue: Hyatt Regency Schaumburg. Plus, don’t miss a special tour of Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s (CPKC) Bensenville Yard.
Leadership Journeys
For railroaders early in their careers it can be difficult to know how to grow and advance in the industry. As an overarching theme, “Leadership Journeys” will focus on the career and life trajectories of decision-makers across the rail industry. This special session will be broken into three segments: freight rail, engineering, and passenger rail and transit. Each panelist will discuss how they got to where they are. In speaking to the route their careers have taken them, they will attest to how they overcame challenges and became leaders in their respective fields. Learn from their experience and bring your questions!
Meet the Speakers
Freight Rail
Jennifer Hamann, EVP & Chief Financial Officer, Union Pacific
Jennifer Hamann was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Union Pacific on Jan. 1, 2020. A 2023 Railway Age Women in Rail honoree, she is responsible for managing all facets of Union Pacific’s financial activities, controls and policies including accounting, tax, real estate, investor relations, treasury, audit, and capital planning. She further assumed responsibilities for strategic sourcing, inventory management, warehousing and logistics, effective Sept. 1, 2023. As CFO, Hamann also serves on the Grupo Ferroviario Mexicano and TTX Company boards of directors.
Hamann began her Union Pacific career in 1992 as a member of the corporation’s audit staff. In 1998, she moved to the railroad’s Human Resources Department, holding various management positions. Hamann joined the Corporate Treasury group in April 2002, when she was named Assistant Vice President-Investor Relations. In April 2011, she was named General Auditor of the Corporate Audit staff. Hamann moved to Marketing and Sales as Vice President and General Manager-Automotive in February 2016, a position she maintained until returning to Finance as Vice President-Planning and Analysis in October 2017. She was named Senior Vice President-Finance in April 2019.
Prior to joining Union Pacific, Hamann received an MBA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She also has fulfilled the requirements and examinations necessary to receive a Certified Public Accountant certificate.
In addition to her duties at Union Pacific, Hamann serves as the executive sponsor of Union Pacific’s LEAD (Lead, Educate, Advocate, Develop) women’s initiative and is a member of its executive advisory council. She is a member of Steel Dynamic’s Board of Directors and Audit committee. She is on the Board of Directors for the Omaha Performing Arts Society Foundation and The College World Series of Omaha, Inc.
Jenni Benton, SVP Commercial, Patriot Rail
Jenni Benton joined Patriot Rail in 2017 and currently holds the position of Senior Vice President Commercial within the organization. In this capacity, Benton oversees the intricate landscape of yield management, meticulously implementing pricing strategies across all business lines. Her responsibilities extend to the optimization of storage and various service offerings, orchestrating advertising initiatives, and conducting comprehensive commercial modeling and analysis for mergers and acquisitions.
Prior to her tenure at Patriot, Benton worked for 10 years at CSX. In the initial three years of her career, she showcased strong proficiency in the realm of finance, subsequently transitioning to a key role focusing on productivity enhancements. In 2000, Benton leveraged her analytical skills to become a market manager in the Agricultural business unit. Her final position at CSX entailed the adept management of a chemical portfolio with a revenue exceeding $200 million.
Benton is an alumna of the University of North Florida, having earned both her Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Sociology. Her notable contributions to Patriot Rail and the industry at large earned her recognition as one of Railway Age‘s 2023 Women in Rail Award honorees.
Kimia Khatami, Director of Transload Strategy & Operations, CPKC
After starting her career in marketing and sales at Union Pacific in 2014, Kimia Khatami was recruited by Anacostia Rail Holdings, moving up the ranks to serve as Director of Customer Service for Pacific Harbor Line and Corporate Senior Director of Business Development across six short lines. In 2017, her work to ensure PHL compliance with port regulations was recognized when she was nominated for AAR’s Environmental Excellence Award.
In 2018, Khatami became President of the Harbor Association of Industry and Commerce—the youngest leader in the organization’s history. Now at CPKC, Khatami leads a team responsible for sourcing opportunities that encourage partner investment and delivering projects that improve network fluidity and grow linehaul traffic. She is also responsible for identifying and implementing standardized operating practices across all CPKC sites. In 2025, Khatami was named as one of Railway Age‘s 25 “Fast Trackers Under 40.
Engineering
Rachel Burckardt, SVP/Sr. Project Manager-Northeast Lead, Freight Rail National Business Line, WSP USA
Rachel Burckardt is Senior Vice President, Senior Supervising Civil Engineer, and the Northeast Freight Rail Business Line Lead with WSP USA, Inc. She has more than 45 years of experience in engineering and project management, with an emphasis on rail and transit projects. Her technical work spans all modes of ground transportation from high-speed rail to intercity rail, commuter rail, urban rail transit, light rail, and bus systems. Her current projects include technical review of Green Line light rail projects in Boston, expansion of intercity rail between Boston and New Haven, Conn., grade crossing improvements in Rhode Island and New Hampshire, and a multimodal transit study for the freight-only Grand Junction line in Cambridge, Mass.
Burckardt is also a church musician and composer of works spanning classical music, jazz, gospel and contemporary genres. She has released eight self-produced albums of her music.
“What I really loved about the conference was hearing women describe their journey into finding a profession in rail. I am familiar with mine as a professional civil engineer, but I was amazed at the wide range of professions and backgrounds of the attendees.”
– Rachel Burckardt, WSP
Lariza Stewart, Senior Project Manager, KCI Technologies, Inc., and Director of Business Development, ENSCO, Inc.
Lariza Stewart is an accomplished Technical Director with more than a decade of experience in the railroad industry. As Senior Project Manager at KCI Technologies, Inc. and Director of Business Development at ENSCO, Inc., she understands railroad inspection technologies and has extensive experience with various applications and installations of these sensors. Stewart is currently pursuing a D.B.A. from the Smeal College of Business at The Pennsylvania State University and holds an M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas. She actively contributes to the industry as the Vice Chair of AREMA Committee 2 Track Measurement and Assessment Systems.
“After more than a decade in this industry, I’ve seen firsthand how transformative it can be when women support women, not just to participate, but to lead. The Leadership Journeys session is about more than career advice; it’s about building a culture where diverse voices guide the future of rail. I’m excited to share some of the best guidance I’ve received and show how staying true to your passion can be the most powerful path to leadership.”
– Lariza Stewart, KCI and ENSCO
Passenger Rail
Sarah Watterson, President, Brightline West
Sarah Watterson is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Brightline West (BLW) high-speed rail project including development, design, and financing. Prior to her BLW role, Watterson was the Head of Development for Brightline Florida’s parent company, Florida East Coast Industries (FECI), where she oversaw the development and asset management for more than 10 million square feet of transit oriented and industrial development. Prior to that role, Watterson was the CEO of a publicly traded golf and entertainment company, Drive Shack, which owned and/or operated more than 75 golf courses, including many Los Angeles County and City of Long Beach, Calif., public golf courses. Prior to serving in this position, Watterson helped lead the acquisition, ownership syndication and restructuring of the National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks for Fortress Investment Group owner Wes Edens. In this role, she worked on the development of a $550 million arena complex completed through a private-public partnership. Prior to her time in Milwaukee, Watterson was on the Private Equity team at Fortress Investment Group. She began her career at Goldman Sachs in the Sales & Trading Division. Watterson graduated summa cum laude from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Economics and Management.
ABOUT RAILWAY AGE / RT&S WOMEN IN RAIL 2025
Women in Rail is a forum that explores the diverse experiences and practical strategies for moving the industry forward. The third-annual in-person conference will be filled with dynamic panels, a celebratory luncheon for Railway Age 2024 Women in Rail and RT&S 2025 Women in Railroad Engineering award honorees, and the chance to network with a wide-reaching group of like-minded professionals. There will also be an exclusive tour of Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s (CPKC) Bensenville Yard.
This event features a diverse group of railroaders with a shared commitment to our industry’s future. Speakers will offer their candid thoughts on topics ranging from marketing yourself and building a leadership “toolkit”—from field to management—to allyship, ESG, and new technologies.
2025 speakers also include: Kari Gonzales, President & CEO, MxV Rail; Henrika Buchanan, SVP, National Practice Consultant, Transit & Rail Market Sector, HNTB; Herman E. Crosson, Chief Safety & Compliance Officer, Anacostia Rail Holdings; Paul Hubler, Chief Strategy Officer, Metrolink; Jim Derwinski, CEO/Executive Director, Metra, and many more.
Read the 2024 Women in Rail conference roundup >>
WHAT ATTENDEES ARE SAYING
As a first-time attendee of the Women in Rail conference, I found the experience both inspiring and empowering. Being surrounded by so many passionate change-makers, all dedicated to their careers and driving meaningful change in the rail industry, was truly motivating.
– Breana Parham, NS, 2024
The Women in Rail conference was outstanding! Hearing other women’s stories of overcoming adversity was truly inspiring and allowed us to connect through shared experiences. It serves as a reminder that we are not alone and highlights the importance of supporting one another.
– Veronica Guzman, Progress Rail, a Caterpillar Co., 2024
SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS
Industry support for the 2025 Women in Rail Conference is already strong, including sponsorship from: AITX, GATX, TrinityRail, CN, R. J. Corman, API, Genesee & Wyoming, The Greenbrier Companies, UTLX, Progress Rail, Patriot Rail, The National Association of Railway Business Women, and The League of Railway Women.
LEARN MORE
To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, contact Jonathan Chalon at jchalon@sbpub.com or (212) 620-7224.
