People News: AITX, Hogan Lovells, INRD, POLB, Sound Transit, LRW

From Left to Right: Tina Beckberger, Chief Commercial Officer, AITX; Earl James, Jr., Global Regulatory & IPMT partner, Hogan Lovells; Jodi Heath, Vice President, Business Development, INRD; and MxV President and CEO Kari Gonzales, LRW's 2023 Railway Woman of the Year.

AITX appoints Tina Beckberger as Chief Commercial Officer. Also, Earl Adams, Jr., joins Hogan Lovells’ Transportation Practice as a Global Regulatory & IPMT partner; Jodi Heath joins the Indiana Rail Road Company (INRD) as Vice President, Business Development; the Port of Long Beach (POLB) appoints two division directors; Sound Transit considers Goran Sparrman for interim CEO; and the League of Railway Women (LRW) names MxV Rail President and CEO Kari Gonzales the 2023 Railway Woman of the Year.

AITX

AITX on Jan. 8 announced that Tina Beckberger has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer.

In this role, Beckberger will be responsible for driving sales, building strategic partnerships, and overseeing commercial operations. As an accomplished rail industry veteran, Beckberger “has the ability to navigate complex market landscapes and drive revenue growth while building high-performing commercial leasing teams,” the company said in a release.

For the last seven-plus years, Beckberger was Senior Vice President, Railcar Leasing at SMBC Rail Services LLC where she led the railcar lessor commercial and customer service teams. Throughout her 20-year career in rail services, Beckberger previously held roles in portfolio management, operations, quality and customer experience with General Electric and Wells Fargo Rail. She received a Master of Business Administration from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Michigan.

“Tina’s ongoing success stems from deeply understanding the needs of our customers and putting together proactive resources and teams that exceed expectations,” said AITX President Michael McCarthy. “As AITX continues to scale it capabilities and expertise, Tina’s passion, vision, and track-record are directly aligned with our goals as the premier, integrated railcar solutions provider.”

Hogan Lovells

Boston-based global law firm Hogan Lovells on Jan. 9 announced that Earl Adams, Jr. has joined the firm as a Global Regulatory & IPMT partner in the Transportation practice area. He will be based in Washington, D.C.

Adams, formerly Deputy Administrator and Chief Counsel at the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) at the U.S. Department of Transportation, is an “esteemed multi-modal transportation lawyer, with in-depth experience across several sectors, including surface transportation, intermodal operations and autonomous vehicles.”

As a versatile leader, Adams “seamlessly combines his roles as a public servant, litigator, and legal counsel to assist clients in navigating regulatory and policy challenges in the transportation sector,” according to the firm. His comprehensive background includes overseeing legal strategies, policy development, and rulemaking, with particular experience in developing rules for the safe deployment of driver assisted (ADAS) and autonomous driving (ADS) systems in large trucks and passenger vehicles.

During his FMCSA tenure as Chief Counsel, James managed the entire suite of legal issues for the Agency, addressing litigation, enforcement, general law (e.g., employment and contract law) and rulemaking. Prior to working at FMCSA, he was a litigation partner at a national law firm, where he served as the Managing Partner of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.

With almost two decades on a range of not-for-profit boards, James served as a member of the Board of Directors to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), including Chairman of the Board from 2019 to 2021, a governor-appointed position, and is currently a member of the Seed Foundation board of directors and a co-founder of Innovation for Equity, Inc., an organization focused on educational equity.

“I am thrilled to join Hogan Lovells’ preeminent Transportation practice,” said James. “As we’ve witnessed in recent years, the transportation and infrastructure sectors are critical to domestic and global business. The firm provides an ideal platform to expand my practice in a time of rapid technological advancement, particularly for AVs and related areas, as well as increased global investment.”

INRD

INRD on Jan. 9 announced that Jodi Heath has joined as Vice President, Business Development. She will be responsible for the leadership of the INRD business development team, developing new business opportunities and creating customized solutions to customer needs.

Heath succeeds Larry Kaelin, who will retire at the end of March 2024 after more than 21 years with the company.

Heath is an experienced railroader with diverse sales and service backgrounds in the rail, trucking and agricultural grain trading sectors. She began her railroading career at Norfolk Southern (NS) working as a commercial development manager, short line marketing manager, and field sales manager before becoming the Vice President, Business Development of Pioneer Lines (purchased by Patriot Rail Company). Most recently, Heath served as Director of Sales and Marketing at Genesee & Wyoming.

Heath has a proven record of facilitating long-term business relationships with both customers and industry partners. “Her strong team leadership and business acumen are assets that will complement and enhance INRD’s ability to meet the needs of customers while continuing to provide excellent, innovative service and drive growth,” the company said in a release.

“Jodi’s leadership skills, account management experience, and knowledge of the railroad industry and supply chains are a great fit for this role,” said INRD President and CEO Dewayne Swindall.

POLB

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on Jan. 8 approved the appointment of two directors for POLB’s Program Management Division and the newly created Central Procurement Services Division, effective Jan. 13.

Monique Lebrun, who has served as POLB’s Assistant Director of Program Management since December 2022, will become Director of Program Management. She joined POLB in September 2008 and has worked in several roles within the Design and Program Management divisions. The Program Management Division, part of the Port’s Engineering Services Bureau, oversees improvements to harbor, wharfs, terminals, railroads, bridges, roadways and utilities. In her new role, Lebrun will support and advance POLB’s $2.2 billion, 10-year capital improvement program.

Lebrun is a registered professional engineer (PE) and holds a Master of Science Degree in civil engineering from UC Berkeley and Bachelor of Science degrees in both civil engineering and architectural engineering from the University of Miami. Prior to joining POLB, she worked as an engineer in the private sector for five years.

Terra Van Andel, POLB’s Streamlines Project Manager since 2022 within the Finance Division, will become POLB’s first Director of the Central Procurement Services Division, which was formed to standardize purchases and contracts across the Long Beach Harbor Department’s 19 divisions. The Central Procurement Services Division, POLB says, “will centralize how external contracts and purchases are initiated, processed and executed in an effort to heighten consistency, transparency and efficiency.”

Van Andel joined POLB’s Finance Division as the Contract Compliance Manager in 2020 and has spent the past year assisting with POLB’s transition to a centralized procurement system. She previously served two years as the Business Process Improvement Officer in the City of Long Beach Department of Financial Management after working 13 years in the City Auditor’s Office, where she rose to Deputy City Auditor. Van Andel earned Bachelor of Science degrees in both accounting and in management with an emphasis in leadership from Arkansas State University.

Sound Transit

With Julie Timm’s departure as Sound Transit CEO, the agency’s Board of Directors on Jan. 8 announced that they will be considering Goran Sparrman to serve in an interim capacity. A special meeting will be held Jan. 11.

“Goran is well-respected for his skill and knowledge in transportation and infrastructure projects,” said Sound Transit Vice Chair and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “He’s a trusted regional leader who would bring a steady hand to an agency with which he is already familiar.”

Sparrman is currently a Vice President at HNTB and previously worked for both Seattle’s and Bellevue’s departments of transportation. Additionally, Sparrman directed the Bellevue Department of Transportation (BDOT) during the city council’s conflict with Sound Transit over alignment planning in regard to the agency’s East Link Extension project.

“In my years of experience working with Sound Transit, I know the staff to be dedicated professionals committed to building and operating the transit system our region deserves,” Sparrman said. “I’m looking forward to collaborating with them as we build on the successes that are coming this year and look for solutions for the challenges that lie ahead.”

Sparrman has a civil engineering background and is a licensed PE.

LRW

LRW has recognized MxV Rail President and CEO Kari Gonzales as the 2023 Railway Woman of the Year.

“Kari has demonstrated leadership and excellence, while supporting the personal and professional growth of others in the rail industry,” LRW wrote in a LinkedIn post.

The annual award, co-sponsored by Progressive Railroading, honors a woman “who establishes a strong vision and a culture of continuous improvement and creativity, and brings excellence to her organization and community, all while supporting the personal and professional growth of others in the rail industry,” according to LRW.

In 2023, Railway Age named Gonzales as one of its Women in Rail honorees.

Gonzales has been a part of Pueblo, Colo.-based MxV Rail (formerly Transportation Technology Center, Inc., or TTCI) since 2000, when she started as a student intern. She was hired full-time in 2002 as a research engineer, responsible for several projects that continue to impact the industry today, including foundational work for Brake Health Effectiveness testing; development, testing and evaluation of Machine Vision System algorithms intended to inspect rolling stock underbody structural components; development of an ultrasonic-based cracked wheel detection system that can scan trains in motion; and leadership of the software development team, including new developments in NUCARS® and TOES. In 2012, Gonzales was the first employee selected for the Railroad Exchange Program; she and her young family relocated to BNSF’s Dallas/Fort Worth facility where she worked for a year with the Condition-Based Maintenance team. Upon her return to Colorado, she managed the Association of American Railroads’ Equipment Engineering Committee, and revamped the Internal Research and Development program. In 2021, Gonzales became the first Latina to assume leadership of the 40-year-old organization. Soon after, she led the multi-million-dollar project to build a new full-scale test facility, taking just over one year to transition from packing to running the first test train on newly built track. Gonzales’s involvement in education and workforce development initiatives underscores her dedication to nurturing the next generation of rail professionals. She has partnered with Colorado State University Pueblo and Indian River State College to provide educational and training opportunities. Additionally, she has been involved with the League of Railway Women and the Parkview Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, and was recently named an inaugural Board Member for the Southern Colorado Institute of Transportation Technology at CSU Pueblo. Last year, Gonzales initiated the MxV Learning Institute, a 501 c3 non-profit designed to enhance and expand training opportunities for rail and hazmat first response professionals nationwide. Additionally, in 2021, she created “Pueblo Works,” a collaborative partnership between Pueblo School District 60 Paragon Online School and MxV Rail to help mentor high-risk youth and increase awareness of STEM field and other railroad career paths.