NS
Jackie Corletto, NS AVP Sourcing, has been appointed Chair of the RMP of Directors. Corletto, who joined NS in 1997 as a management trainee, has served as the Class I’s representative on the RMP board since 2023.
RMP is a purchasing consortium made up of CN, BNSF, Union Pacific (UP), CSX, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and NS. The organization serves as a supply chain exchange for Class I railroads. RMP also leads benchmarking exercises among members to uncover and elevate best practices.
As Chair, Corletto has encouraged the RMP board to “think more strategically, leveraging benchmarking to provide maximum value to member companies,” NS noted.
“RailMarketplace recognizes that, while we are competitors, a stronger rail industry will be better positioned to compete against the trucking industry today and in the future,” Corletto said. “The work RailMarketplace does to position our industry to compete in an evolving logistics landscape cannot be understated, and I look forward to leading this group as we continue to seek out solutions together.”
Prior to her current role, Corletto spent nine years in IT and 17 years in Strategic Planning, advancing to AVP Strategic Planning in 2018. As AVP Sourcing, she has “transformed NS’s supplier inclusion program, driving a 16% increase in dollars spent with small and diverse suppliers in 2023,” according to the Class I. She was also instrumental in the purchase of the Cincinnati Southern Railway, working directly with the City of Cincinnati to purchase the critical rail line connecting the Midwest and the Southeast.
“Jackie has made significant contributions to our sourcing strategy at Norfolk Southern, from reimagining our supplier inclusion program to rethinking the way we work with our vendors,” said NS Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Mark George. “I’m confident she will be a great asset to the industry at large in her post as RailMarketplace Chair and I look forward to seeing how she continues to drive improvement for all RMP members.”
Valley Metro
Valley Metro CEO Jessica Mefford-Miller has been selected as one of the Most Influential Women in Arizona Business for 2024.
She is featured on the cover of the July/August issue of Az Business magazine, profiled inside the magazine, and will be honored at the corresponding Most Influential Women in Arizona celebration dinner on Thursday, Aug. 22.
From those 1,900 women, the editorial board of Az Business in conjunction with a panel of 12 judges made up of former Most Influential Women, selected the women who are being honored in 2024.
“Based on nominations, women who have been in the news over the past year and recommendations from former Most Influential Women, there were nearly 1,900 women under consideration to be one of the Most Influential Women in Arizona Business for 2024,” said Az Business Publisher Amy Lindsey. “The fact that we are more than a decade into the Most Influential Women program and still have 1,900 women under consideration is a testament to the depth of female leadership we have in Arizona.”
IANA
IANA President and CEO Joni Casey on July 17 announced that she will be retiring at the end of 2024 after more than 27 years at the helm of the organization. In response to this news, IANA’s Board of Directors has initiated a search to identify her successor, “ensuring a seamless transition and continuity of the organization’s mission.”
“It has been a privilege and an incredible opportunity to witness and contribute to the evolution and growth of the intermodal industry,” Casey said. “I am proud of IANA’s accomplishments on behalf of intermodalism and our members over the years. And I am deeply appreciative of the guidance and support I have received from the Board of Directors and the staff of the Association,” Casey added. “Their efforts have been instrumental to the organization’s success.”
Under Casey’s leadership, IANA says it has achieved significant milestones, notably the growth in membership from several hundred companies to more than 1,000; the creation and expansion of industry technology programs under its Intermodal Information Services; the Scholarship Program aimed at fostering the next generation of talent in freight and intermodal transportation, with cumulative awards exceeding $5.3 million; and the initiation of an industry Advocacy Program designed to increase the Association’s visibility before policymakers.
Casey is a career association executive, and prior to joining IANA was the Executive Director of the American Trucking Association’s Intermodal Council, and the President and CEO of the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA).
“Joni’s transformative leadership has shaped IANA into a dynamic organization poised to address the evolving needs of the intermodal community. Her legacy is one of innovation, resilience, and steadfast commitment to advancing intermodal transportation,” said Trevor Ash, IANA Board of Directors Chair and CEO of CIE Manufacturing.
