The North American Rail Shippers Association (NARS) elected new officers, honored industry professionals with two major awards, and announced its 2024 scholarship recipients at its spring annual meeting in Chicago. Also, the association has set the 2025 meeting date.
NARS on Oct. 24 reported that association officers for 2024–2025 are President Kate Bourgeois (Mississippi Export Railroad), First Vice President Ray Hufnagel (Plastic Express), Second Vice President Torri Stuckey (CSX), Treasurer Harry Zander (Patriot Rail), Secretary Mona Moorman (Domtar), and Immediate Past President John Meyers (DM Bowman Company).
In addition to these officers, the Board is served by directors Jeff Moller of the Association of American Railroads and Bradon Smith of Fletcher & Sippel.
“NARS provides an essential forum for railroads and shippers to work collaboratively,” said incoming President Bourgeois, one of Railway Age’s Women in Rail award honorees for 2022. “I look forward to serving with our Board of Directors to keep the railroad industry strong and growing.”
Bruce Mann of Port Houston ends his time on the Board. According to NARS, “his leadership was integral to the success of NARS during his time in various Board roles—especially when the association had to cancel and reschedule meetings in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID.”
At the 2024 Annual Meeting, held April 30-May 2, NARS also announced the newly created NARS Regional Advisory Council. The inaugural members are PL Cartier, Interfor Corp. and President of Pacific Northwest Association of Rail Shippers (PNWARS); Kim Gennarelli, Executive Director of Southeast Association of Rail Shippers (SEARS); Matt O’Kray, Transtar LLC and President of Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS); Jason Seidl, TD Cowen, Past President of North East Association of Rail Shippers (NEARS), and Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor; and Linda Turner, Executive Director of Southwest Association of Rail Shippers (SWARS).
At the 2024 Annual Meeting, held April 30-May 2, two Edward R. Hamberger Lifetime Achievement Awards recipients were named:
- Martin Oberman, recent U.S. Surface Transportation Board Chairman, who retired after three years at the helm, and “is considered by many to have been the most influential chair in the board’s history,” NARS said.
- Linda Turner, formerly of Americas Styrenics and current Executive Director of SWARS, “who has been a strong supporter of various transportation associations throughout her career including many years as a valued contributor to both SWARS and in her role on the NARS Board of Directors,” according to NARS.
Also during the meeting, NARS announced its 2024 class scholarship recipients. They were selected based on their academic achievement, extracurricular activities, and community service, and the association said they are a blend of traditional undergraduate students, as well as some working on advanced degrees in fields associated with the transportation industry.
The recipients are:
- Oforiwaa Pee Agyei-Boakye, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
- Labrini Balafoutas, Penn State University
- Alec Cousino, Wayne State University
- Ethan Crates, The Pennsylvania State University, Altoona
- Samantha Freire, Rutgers University
- Adrian Hernandez, Northwestern University
- David Hinkle, Lehigh University
- Erin Hulti, California State University Maritime Academy
- Caleb Keilen, Michigan State University
- Chase Marquis, University of Akron
- Sarah Roman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Maddock Thomas, Brown University
- Teleri Wilt, Massachusetts Maritime Academy
“Late this summer, after the untimely passing of former CPKCS and Kansas City Southern executive Pat Ottensmeyer, the NARS Board of Directors voted to rename their annual scholarship program in Pat’s memory to honor the significance of his many contributions to the railroad industry and to all rail shipping industry associations,” NARS reported. “The first scholarships in the Pat Ottensmeyer Memorial Scholarship Fund will be awarded in 2025.”
The next NARS Annual Meeting is scheduled for May 7-9, 2025, at the Swissotel Chicago.
