OnTrackNorthAmerica Announces Two New Board Members
Seasoned Rail Industry Professionals join board as organization expands mission
Philadelphia, PA, October 24, 2014
Immediate Release
OnTrackNorthAmerica, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is rallying the continent around a capitalization strategy for dramatically increasing rail utilization announced the expansion of its Board of Directors, naming Leo Penne and Jolene Molitoris to the board. “We are so happy to have these industry leaders.” said Michael Sussman, President and Founder.
Leo Penne has over three decades of experience with the development and implementation of public policies and programs in the areas of freight transportation, intergovernmental relations, economic development, public finance, and livability. For over a decade he was the Program Director for Intermodal and Industry Activities at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) where he established and directed AASHTO’s freight transportation program.
Jolene Molitoris is President of US Railcar, the only US owned company in the passenger rail vehicle business. She is also a principal of Molitoris Associates, her own consulting firm. Ms. Molitoris served as the Director of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) from 2009 to 2011, ODOT’s first woman director. During her tenure, Ohio delivered a $2 billion multi-modal construction program, ODOT’s largest construction program in history. Prior to that, Ms. Molitoris was appointed by President Clinton in 1993, as the first woman to head the Federal Railroad Administration. During her nearly eight years as Administrator, she led agency and industry wide changes to improve safety, resulting in the seven safest years in US railroad history.
OnTrackNorthAmerica Launches Its Signature Initiative: Let’s Double North American Freight Performance and Efficiency by 2025
Philadelphia, PA – OnTrackNorthAmerica, Inc. announces a comprehensive set of initiatives for engaging stakeholders in planning and developing our next generation continental rail infrastructure. Throughout 2015 OnTrackNorthAmerica will lead a series of events designed to build momentum toward achieving this ambitious and forward-looking goal.
President and Founder Michael Sussman explains: “Our focus is on freight transportation. Now is the time to bring forward new ways for approaching infrastructure planning and investment, given the complexity of diverse interests. Too often, thoughtful, committed individuals in the transportation industry and government are stymied by our ineffective methods and forums for coordinating that intelligence. OnTrackNorthAmerica’s role is to convene stakeholders in more productive, thoughtful gatherings and action planning sessions.”
Sussman continues, “We foresee a huge opportunity to advance the ability of stakeholders in the private and public sectors to work together toward doubling North America’s freight transportation performance and efficiency by 2025. The important thing to think about is this: it is possible.”
Mr. Sussman explained that “North America’s economic and environmental vitality depends on building, once and for all, an optimal rail network, main and branch lines included, within a balanced transportation system. Designing, capitalizing, and orchestrating this transformation requires a level of stakeholder collaboration that existing regulatory, administrative, and advocacy organizations are now challenged to provide.”
Founded in 2007, OnTrackNorthAmerica is an independent, action-oriented 501(c)(3) non-profit, committed to reversing the commercial, regulatory, and economic dynamics that cause the underutilization of railroads and many other inefficiencies in transportation and infrastructure. For the past seven years it has convened industry and government leaders to envision a whole-systems approach to planning transportation infrastructure. Mr. Sussman noted, “We’ve worked with those on the ground in the rail industry as well as planning and development professionals in both the private and public sectors. Our focus is always on amplifying the attention paid to the value and opportunity of supporting more rail transportation, both freight and passenger.”
Since its inception, OnTrackNorthAmerica has developed an array of tools and models for large-group thinking, planning, and acting. The organization has now established nine key initiatives and will be hosting an action-oriented summit series throughout 2015. OnTrackNorthAmerica’s IntelliConference events are unique one and a half day gatherings that facilitate participants in a collective dialogue and thought process toward concrete action plans.
OnTrackNorthAmerica has expanded its mission to include the three countries of upper North America: Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Sussman notes that “the transportation networks of the three countries are so intertwined that it is time to relate to them as a whole system.”
OnTrackNorthAmerica’s IntelliConference series will be conducted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in partnership with faculty from the University of Pennsylvania. A variety of sponsorships and participation opportunities are available.
Visit www.OnTrackNorthAmerica.org for more detail.