Reynolds named FRA Chief Counsel

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
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Gerald A. Reynolds

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has named Gerald A. Reynolds Chief Counsel, serving as the principal legal advisor to FRA Administrator Ron Batory, with responsibility for overseeing all FRA legal matters.

Reynolds’ duties include providing legal advice and counsel on freight and passenger rail matters ranging from FRA’s safety regulatory oversight to grant and loan financial assistance programs, as well as managing the agency’s Legal Department, which is comprised of nearly 50 attorneys and staff. 

Reynolds, 56, has extensive federal and private-sector legal experience involving complex litigation, government regulations, corporate governance, public policy and civil rights.  Prior to joining FRA, he served as a top legal expert for three major utility companies, including five years as General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary for LG&E and KU Energy, a large Kentucky utility consisting of Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E), Kentucky Utilities (KU), Old Dominion Power (ODP, a subsidiary of Kentucky Utilities) and Western Kentucky Energy, which generates electricity on behalf of Big Rivers Electric Corp., a Touchstone Energy-owned transmission and generation cooperative.

In 2004, Reynolds, a Republican, was appointed by President George W. Bush as Chairman of the United States Civil Rights Commission, a position he held until 2010. He also held other federal appointments, including Deputy Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, and Assistant Secretary for the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education.

Reynolds received his law degree from Boston University School of Law, and a B.A. in history from City University of New York – York College. 

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