BNSF
In an April 2 LinkedIn post, BNSF reported five executive-level changes:
- Katie Hower has been elevated to Group Vice President, Industrial Products. She will take over sales and marketing responsibilities for industrial segments, including chemicals, building products, construction products, beverages, perishables and canned goods. Hower, a 2024 Railway Age Women in Rail honoree, served most recently as Vice President, Service Design and Network Strategy.
- Farah Lawler, a 2021 Railway Age Women in Rail honoree, has transitioned to Vice President, Service Design and Network Strategy, responsible for BNSF’s business unit operations in addition to the company’s capital planning, operations research, and intermodal innovation. She was previously Vice President, Domestic Intermodal Marketing.
- Mike Engstrom has been promoted to Vice President, Domestic Intermodal Marketing, with responsibility for marketing, sales, pricing, and strategic initiatives supporting BNSF’s domestic intermodal business. He served most recently as Assistant Vice President, Agriculture and Energy Products.
- Ashley Curry has been promoted to take over the Assistant Vice President, Agriculture and Energy Products role. She serves currently as General Director, Industrial Products.
- Matt White has been elevated to Assistant Vice President, Agricultural Products with responsibility for grain, feed, fertilizer, and wheat commodities, along with the ombudsman and shuttle programs. He served most recently as General Director of Marketing for Agricultural and Energy products.
Port NOLA
Loren Marino has joined Port NOLA as Vice President of External Affairs and Chief of Staff, overseeing community engagement; ensuring effective communication and execution across the Port and Class III New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB); leading strategic planning; and overseeing Human Resources, Procurement, IT, and Marketing and Communications.
Previously, Marino served Jefferson Parish in Louisiana, most recently as Senior Assistant Parish Attorney. Her other Parish roles included Chief Administrative Assistant to the Parish President’s Office, Director of Inspection and Code Enforcement, and Assistant District Attorney. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctorate from Tulane Law School.
“Loren Marino brings a wealth of legal and administrative knowledge to the Port of New Orleans,” said Michael A. Thomas, Port NOLA Chairman. “Her expertise will be key to advancing our strategic initiatives and ensuring Louisiana’s relevance as a vital link in the global supply chain.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Loren to Port NOLA and the NOPB,” added Beth Branch, Port NOLA President and CEO, as well as NOPB CEO. “Loren has a proven record of success in strategic leadership and operational excellence. Her extensive experience will be instrumental as we work to deliver Louisiana’s future and solidify our position as the premiere gateway in the Gulf with our second container facility, the Louisiana International Terminal.”
“I am honored to join the talented teams at Port NOLA and the NOPB,” Marino said. “The Port of New Orleans is one of Louisiana’s most important economic drivers, creating jobs and bringing prosperity to our region for generations to come. I look forward to continuing to carry out that critical mission.”
Separately, Gulf Gateway Terminal is doubling its liquid bulk storage capacity at Port NOLA and the Port and Lineage, Inc., are adding import services at the Jourdan Road cold storage facility.
OCTA
Rose Casey has been tapped as Executive Director of Planning for OCTA, which oversees Metrolink commuter rail, OC Streetcar (set to debut in 2026), and OC Bus. She succeeds Kia Mortazavi, who retired in March.
Casey, who has more than three decades of experience in transportation planning and capital project delivery, spent the past several months sharing her new role with Mortazavi to ensure a smooth transition. The role includes leading OCTA’s Planning Division, with responsibility for developing long-range transportation plans, guiding sustainable and equitable mobility initiatives, and coordinating regionally with stakeholders to address the county’s evolving transportation needs.
“We are thrilled to have Rose take on this key leadership role,” OCTA CEO Darrell E. Johnson said. “Her depth of knowledge, passion for community-focused solutions, and ability to see the big picture make her an ideal person to help us plan Orange County’s transportation future.”
Casey has been with OCTA for more than 17 years, most recently serving as Director of Programs, where she oversaw the successful delivery of major freeway and roadway improvement projects throughout the county, including the construction of the $2.1 billion 405 Improvement Project and the successful implementation of the 405 Express Lanes.
Her previous experience includes roles as Program Manager at OCTA and work with Caltrans District 12 in Orange County and District 7 in Los Angeles. Additionally, she served as a Transportation Commissioner for the City of Irvine from 2017-19.
Also at OCTA, Dan Phu has been elevated to Director of Transportation Planning and Analysis. He joined the transportation authority in 2007 and has led key initiatives including the Measure M2 Environmental Mitigation and Cleanup Programs, regional rail and transit planning studies, and conceptual engineering projects. His work to help acquire conservation lands and fund habitat restoration has helped expedite project delivery and earned statewide recognition, according to OCTA. Most recently, it said, “Phu has played a vital role in addressing coastal rail challenges, leading planning efforts to identify vulnerable areas and working with regulatory partners to help prevent future rail service disruptions.”
Further Reading: OCTA Submits Emergency Coastal Develop Permit
Cummins
Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale on June 1 will become Chief Administrative Officer and Corporate Secretary at Cummins Inc., a global power solutions company comprising five business segments (Engine, Components, Distribution, Power Systems, and Accelera by Cummins). She will succeed Sharon Barner, who will retire May 31.
Lamb-Hale joined Cummins in 2021 as Vice President and Chief Legal Officer; she added Corporate Secretary to her responsibilities in 2023. According to Cummins, she has helped to lead some of the company’s most complex trade and regulatory matters and transactions, including the acquisition of Meritor, the largest in the company’s history; the spin-off of Cummins’ Filtration Business; and the formation of its battery cell joint venture, Amplify Cell Technologies.
Prior to joining Cummins, Lamb-Hale held executive leadership positions at two global firms: Kroll LLC, a risk advisory firm, and Albright Stonebridge Group, a strategic advisory and commercial diplomacy firm. Before that, she was nominated by U.S. President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. Lamb-Hale also served as Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Commerce and as an equity partner in two global law firms.
Lamb-Hale is an independent director on the corporate boards of Federal Realty Investment Trust and of Kroll LLC. She also serves as a board director for the Cummins Foundation, as well as several other non-profit boards, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Center for International Private Enterprise. Additionally, Lamb-Hale is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an emeritus member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University (Bloomington, Ind.). She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Harvard Law School.
“Nicole has spent her career mastering the complex fields of corporate and international law, regulatory compliance and trade policy,” Cummins Chair and CEO Jennifer Rumsey said. “She is a visionary and strategic thinker, and as our Vice President and Chief Legal Officer has leveraged her extensive legal expertise, strategic advisory skills and experience in corporate governance to advise, protect and grow our company. A values-based and team-centered leader, Nicole’s skillset and experience make her uniquely qualified to step into the role of Chief Administrative Officer and lead this critical organization during an important time in Cummins’ history. I am excited for her continued, positive impact on our company and our people.”
Separately, in 2024, Accelera™ by Cummins commissioned its first fuel-cell powered locomotive for Austria’s HY2RAIL project, and Archer Daniels Midland accepted delivery of a KLW (Knoxville Locomotive Works) Tier 4 switcher locomotive powered by a Cummins Tier 4 QST30 Module.
ASLRRA
Prashant Bhargava has joined ASLRRA as Manager of IT Systems and Database Management. He brings nearly a decade of experience to his new role, having worked in a variety of sectors such as nonprofits, federal government contracting, and education technology. He also has experience in technology integration for multiple mergers and acquisitions.
“As I’ve learned more about short lines, I feel proud and fortunate to support an industry that provides safe, efficient and environmentally friendly transport of freight around the country,” said Bhargava, noting that at ASLRRA, he is “excited to collaborate on developing user-friendly solutions that make our daily tasks easier and follow best practices for data security.”
Separately, Aon, a provider of pre-hire talent assessments, is now part of the ASLRRA’s Member Discount Program.
