SLSI
SLSI on Aug. 27 announced the promotion of Julia Leone, PhD, to Assistant Director, Research and Organizational Development “recognizing her significant contributions to SLSI’s programs.”
In her newly expanded role, Dr. Leone will lead efforts to continually improve delivery processes and outcomes for all of SLSI’s programs in addition to leading the non-profit corporation’s research efforts.
Her work in developing a systematic approach to evaluating outcomes of completed Safety Culture Assessments (SCAs) “has not only ensured the fidelity of the SCA process but has led to insights that have driven new programs offered by the SLSI,” the corporation said. Research outcomes have also led to adjustments in processes and deliverables to continually improve the efficacy of SCAs for railroads.
“Our program expansion has come as a direct result of research led by Julia Leone. Improvements to processes leading to improved training outcomes have also been identified and implemented through her analysis and in-person observations,” said Tom Murta, Executive Director, Short Line Safety Institute. “Julia will continue to assist the SLSI in identifying and developing the next generation of programs, while ensuring that current programs deliver on their objectives, and support our mission to continuously increase Safety Culture on railroads across the country.”
In her tenure at SLSI, Dr. Leone has presented research to a variety of industry groups including the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and has been a featured speaker at industry rail events.
“In my five years of service at SLSI, I’ve seen rapid growth in programs as a result of SCA fidelity studies and analysis of participant feedback from all of our offerings,” said Dr. Leone. “It’s been an honor to assist railroads in their quest to continuously improve safety culture. I’m particularly looking forward to fully implementing follow up coaching calls with SCA participants to track progress against identified gaps.”
Dr. Leone holds a PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, an MS in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and an MPhil in Psychology from the Graduate Center, CUNY, N.Y., and a BA in Psychology from Honors College, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz., where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Read more about the SLSI’s Safety Culture Assessments here.
OmniTRAX
OmniTRAX on Aug. 27 announced that it has named Ryan Dreier as Executive Vice President of Sales and Economic Development. He joins the company following an extensive career at BNSF Railway, where he held multiple commercial leadership roles in both carload and intermodal freight shipping across the Class I network.
In this newly created role reporting directly to Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Higgins, Dreier, will lead the company’s customer and community-facing sales and economic development teams responsible for freight and transload activities across OmniTRAX’s 31 rail properties. He will also be tasked with the development of new rail-served facilities across the OmniTRAX rail network.
“OmniTRAX has grown more than 50% in the past five years, prompting an expanded sales structure that can scale with our continued growth and commitment to operational excellence,” said Higgins. “Dreier is a proven sales executive with the ideal blend of strategy and performance that aligns with our continued growth objectives.”
Most recently serving as BNSF Railway’s Vice President – Industrial Products Marketing, Dreier led all marketing and sales across a large and diverse portfolio of carload commodities including food products, building and construction materials, dimensional components, and chemical and petroleum products. He earned an MBA from Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Kansas.
“OmniTRAX’s impressive growth has gotten the industry’s attention for its rapid growth, high-profile projects, and industry-leading safety. I’m excited to join such a dynamic team,” said Dreier.
