UP elevates two public affairs officers

Union Pacific has promoted two public affairs officers to new positions, effective Oct. 1, 2015. Wes Lujan has been named Vice President Public Affairs, Western Region, and Liisa Stark has been named Assistant Vice President Public Affairs for Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Lujan will be responsible for legislative and community relations activities in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington and will be based at UP’s Western Region headquarters in Roseville, Calif. He succeeds Scott Moore, who recently was named Senior Vice President Corporate Relations.

Lujan most recently was Assistant Vice President Public Affairs for Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. He previously served as Director Public Affairs for Illinois and Metra contract management, Chicago, and d Director Public Affairs for Northern California and Nevada, based in Sacramento. Lujan earned a master’s in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s in History from California State University-Chico. He worked as a legislative advocate for Advocation, Inc., and the Regional Council of Rural Counties before joining UP in 2007.

Stark, who succeeds Lujan, will be responsible for UP’s legislative and community relations activities in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin and will be based in Chicago. She will serve as the company’s principal liaison with Metra. She has served as Director Public Affairs for Northern California and Nevada since 2010, when she joined the company. Prior to UP, Stark served as a legislative representative working on local government issues at the League of California Cities. She also previously worked at the Cities, Counties & Schools Partnership in California. Stark earned a bachelor’s in Public Relations from California State University-Chico.