November 01, 2022
News

Women in Rail Conference: Canfield, Dornan to Address Recruitment

Written by Railway Age Staff

Railway Age’s inaugural Rail Insights: Women in Rail Conference will feature Merritt Canfield of Meritus Executive Search Excellence and Laurie Dornan of The Greenbrier Companies, discussing how the railroad and supply sectors find and attract top female talent. Hearing from leading industry women like Canfield and Dornan is just one reason to participate in this virtual event, to be held Nov. 10, starting at 1:30 p.m. ET. Need more reasons? Here are five.

Learn how our featured speakers rose to the top of their field.
Discover recruiting and mentoring best practices appealing to the new generation.
Gain insight into management practices you may not have considered.
See how women are accelerating industry ESG (environmental, social and governance) initiatives.
Learn how women are shaping DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives.

The 2022 Rail Insights: Women in Rail Conference not only features Canfield and Dornan, but also Katie Farmer of BNSF; Tracy Robinson of CN; Cindy Sanborn of Norfolk Southern; Beth Withed of Union Pacific; Jenny Bush of Cummins, Inc.; Jean Savage of Trinity Industries, Inc.; KellyAnne Gallagher of the Commuter Rail Coalition; Patty Long of the Railway Supply Institute; Barbara Wilson, formerly of RailUSA LLC; and Corina Moore, formerly of Ontario Northland.

These industry leaders will engage in informal, “fireside chat” style conversation with Railway Age Executive Editor Marybeth Luczak and Senior Editor Carolina Worrell. Also serving as a co-moderator is Sarah Yurasko, President of the League of Railway Women, and SVP Law & General Counsel of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA).

The 2022 Rail Insights: Women in Rail Conference, presented virtually on Nov. 10, is your opportunity to participate in a dialogue with key women who are driving their businesses forward while making a difference and effecting change. These outstanding women are making their mark in a historically male-dominated industry with a fresh vision, as well as a commitment to service and collaboration.

Meet Merritt Canfield

With more than 20 years of executive search experience, Canfield has placed talent in Fortune 25 and Fortune 500, rail, finance, transportation, healthcare, retail and telecommunications companies. She is CEO of Meritus Executive Search Excellence; member of the ASLRRA Human Resources Committee and the Society for Human Resource Management; and an active rail industry speaker and author. She is globally certified in Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace, and was recognized for her industry contributions by the Tory Burch Foundation, being selected to attend the Embrace Ambition Summit in 2022.

Canfield earned a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Gannon University and a global certification in Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace from ESSEC Business School. She completed the Fundamentals of Rail Freight Terminal, Yards, and Intermodal Facilities from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Meet Laurie Dornan

Dornan is Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. She joined Greenbrier in 2017 and held several human resources leadership positions before being promoted to CHRO in November 2020. Prior to Greenbrier, Dornan served in HR leadership roles at Lattice Semiconductor Corporation; Nautilus, Inc.; and Electro Scientific Industries. She graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting.