Meet The Next Generation

Hosted by AREMA and Committee 24 – Education & Training
The Meet The Next Generation Event has been extremely successful in years past and continues to grow each year with more attendees and companies hosting tables at the networking reception. We hope to make the 13th Annual Event even better!

This Event will provide:

  • Prospective employees and students the opportunity to learn about the railway industry and meet industry representatives.
  • Industry representatives a chance to establish relations with potential employees.

Schedule - Monday, September 17

2:15 – 3:15 PM
Panel Discussion
Five pre-selected panelists from various areas of the railway industry, with various years of experience will present the types of projects that have worked on in their job and answer questions (for prospective railroaders).

  • Welcome by AREMA President, Dwight W. Clark
  • Introduction of Panel Members
  • Presentations 
  • Q&A
3:15 – 5:15 PM 
Networking Reception
Two hour Networking Reception to welcome prospective railroaders, student participants and those who are new to the industry. This event is a great opportunity to network with industry representatives!

Panelists

Matthew J. Violin
National Sales & Marketing Manager
NARSTCO Inc.
Matt Violin currently serves as the National Sales & Marketing Manager for NARSTCO, a manufacturer of steel railroad ties and turnout sets in Midlothian, Texas.  Matt has worked for NARSTCO in the sales department for over 10 years and managed various territories.  He currently manages NARSTCO’s sales team and key accounts.  Matt graduated from Lake Superior State University with a B.S. in Business Administration where he also played division 1 NCAA hockey.  Matt is a member of AREMA and is a third-generation railroader.  Prior to joining NARSTCO, Matt worked for his family owned rail contracting company – Violin Railroad Construction Co., based in the Toronto, Ontario area.  Matt has over 12 years of service in the rail industry.  He currently resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

 

Nathan Reinard, P.E.
Industrial Lead Designer / Project Manager and Assistant Manager
Gannett Fleming
Nathan serves as an Industrial Lead / Project Manager and Assistant Manager for the Transit & Rail Maintenance Facilities group. With 15+ years of experience, he is responsible for the planning and design development of vehicle maintenance and industrial facilities.  This includes facility programming, operations and shop capacity analysis, preparing layouts, and specifying a variety of industrial and process equipment associated with the maintenance of various fleet types.  He is also an active member of AREMA – Committee 6:  Building & Support Facilities.  Nathan holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is based out of the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, office.

Elizabeth C. Lun, P.E.
Principal Engineer, Design & Engineering
Southern California Regional Rail Authority
Elizabeth comes from a civil engineering background with 12 years of experience in the transportation industry. She graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and has worked in the private and public sectors. She has managed railroad capital and rehabilitation projects from design to construction and understands the intricacies involved in coordinating work among Operations, Positive Train Control, third parties, local jurisdictions, and funding partners. In her current role as Principal Engineer of Design and Engineering, Elizabeth overseas Metrolink’s design standards, specifications, and manuals, and manages the On-Call Services for Professional Engineering Design and Professional Surveying, Mapping, and PTC Database Development.

Kacey Clark, EI
Engineer
C3M Power Systems, LLC
Kacey Clark graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering. Before graduating Kacey was employed on a part time basis with C3M Power Systems and offered a full-time position upon completion of her degree. Various projects she has worked on include the West Virginia University Personal Rapid Transit Systems Upgrade, a 23-day Maryland Transit Association light rail interlocking replacement in Baltimore, MD, and a maintenance contract on the Atlanta, GA Streetcar. She is currently the Engineer on the MAPS 3 Oklahoma City, OK Streetcar project. She develops fast and accurate manufacturing processes for the fabrication of the overhead catenary system and train signal locations.

Alison Brayman, P.E.
Assistant Chief Engineer –Testing and Commissioning
Canadian Pacific Railway
Alison Brayman graduated from University of Alberta in 2011 with a BSc in Engineering Physics. She began her career with Hatch Mott MacDonald as a junior signal designer working on both light and heavy rail projects. While with HMM she also got her introduction to signal testing as she oversaw testing being done on light rail and airport baggage systems. She moved to Canadian Pacific in 2014 as an intermediate signal designer and led a project to install CTC signals on 200 miles of dark territory in North Dakota as well as assisted with test plan production for various projects across Canada and the USA. She was promoted 2 years ago to her current position as Assistant Chief Engineer - Testing and Commissioning. In her current roles she is responsible for the testing done on any new or altered signal systems across CP’s entire rail network as well as the testing processes followed by CP Rail. This includes all crossing, CTC, ABS, and PTC implementation or upgrade projects.

Sponsors

To become a Meet the Next Generation Sponsor contact Lindsay McNicholas.