Upcoming LRW Events
April 2: Registration & Room Blocks Open for Railway Interchange 2019 and LRW Annual Conference (details below)
April 3: Railroading 101 Webinar
- Mechanical Systems featuring Kim Bowling, Director of Mechanical at CSX Transportation
September 22-24:
LRW Women in Rail Conference at Railway Interchange 2019 in Minneapolis, MN
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In This Edition
- Senior Women Rail Leaders Talk Career, Mentorship & Finding Balance
- Adaptability: an Essential Tool for Effective Leadership
- LRW Women In Rail Conference at Railway Interchange 2019
- LRW Creates New Woman of the Year Advisory Committee, Mary Proc to Chair Committee
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Senior Women Rail Leaders Talk Career, Mentorship & Finding Balance
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Panelists & Moderators at March 20 AAR/LRW Leadership Panel.
from left: Sarah Yurasko, AAR Assistant General Counsel & LRW Board Parliamentarian,
Luisa Fernandez-Willey, AAR Senior Economist & LRW Board Membership Chair, Kristin Smith, AAR Senior Vice President for Communication, Kathy Kirmayer, Senior Vice President of Law and General Counsel, Adrian Arnakis, AAR Senior Vice President of Government Affairs (photo by Amanda Patrick)
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Written by: Besty Cantwell, Communications Director, GoRail
March 20, 2019 - Washington, DC
. The Association of American Railroad’s (AAR) three female senior vice presidents, Adrian Arnakis (
bio
), Kathy Kirmayer (
bio
) and Kristin Smith (
bio
) – half of the organization’s senior leadership team – came to railroading along fairly different paths. One a Capitol Hill veteran, one an expert communicator and one a longtime litigation attorney, they each found themselves drawn to rail.
The trio discussed their paths March 20 at a special panel event hosted by the League of Railway Women (LRW), aptly titled, “Laying Their Own Tracks: Lessons From Women Leaders in Rail.” The focus of the panel was to provide insight into professional development for LRW members – such as AAR – furthering LRW’s mission of connecting and cultivating women in rail.
“I always loved transportation,” said Adrian Arnakis, senior vice president of AAR Government Relations, who joined the industry in 2018. “You see trains going around, but you don’t think of the impact.” Arnakis came to AAR after 13 years in the U.S. Senate, where she started by opening mail and ended as deputy staff director for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Kristin Smith, AAR’s senior vice president for communications, didn’t expect to work in issue advocacy or rail when she began her career as a media planner years ago. However, she embraced the unexpected and is pleasantly surprised with where it took her.
Similarly, AAR’s senior vice president of law and general counsel, Kathy Kirmayer, took a leap into the rail industry in 2015 after practicing business litigation for 25 years.
“I believe in bringing passion to the workplace,” said Kirmayer, underscoring her dedication to the industry, as well as the personal enjoyment she takes from being acutely knowledgeable about her arena.
The wide-ranging conversation, moderated by AAR Senior Economist and LRW Membership Chair, Luisa Fernandez-Willey, and AAR Assistant General Counsel and LRW Parliamentarian, Sarah Yurasko, touched on career barriers, finding balance between work and life, and mentorship. Each leader offered her own wisdom for women looking to advance their careers. Chief among the advice: identify and develop your strengths, network, be a professional and meet people as humans.
“When you make a connection, meet the person as a human, they’re more likely to remember you and you’re more likely to remember them,” said Arnakis. She also expressed the importance of being truthful and honest rather than a people-pleaser, skills that didn’t come easily early in her career.
On professional barriers, the panelists looked inward, emphasizing self-confidence and self-advocacy.
“My biggest challenge is: where I do have self-doubt and hold back because I’m not 100 percent sure,” Smith explained. She pointed to a Hewlett Packard study showing that men applied for a job when they met only 60 percent of the qualifications, while women only applied when they felt 100 percent qualified. “Sometimes we don’t take the risks that men take.”
Finding balance at work and home is a persistent challenge, the panelists agreed, with Kirmayer joking, “I’m a ‘you can’t have it all’ person.” Women in particular, they said, tend to hold greater responsibility in the household and familial spaces, and are quick to self-criticize when there’s an imbalance with work.
It’s helpful to recognize you’re playing a long game and to take it day-by-day, they advised. Self-care is key and can lead to professional breakthroughs. Smith, for example, finds that she often gets solutions for work challenges in the quiet moments of her early-morning walks.
A topic that permeated the discussion, mentorship was top of mind for the panel. Each could point to one or two people who had helped shape her path.
For Arnakis and Smith, female role models have been fairly plentiful, while Kirmayer was often the only woman in her workplace prior to AAR. Though mentorship isn’t inherently gendered, Smith observed that female role models can better help young women learn how to establish and advocate for themselves.
“It’s just as important to reach back and lift someone up as it is to focus on your own career,” Smith advised, with nods of agreement from Arnakis and Kirmayer.
“LRW appreciates the support of AAR in hosting this event and the candor of the panelists,” said LRW President, Tanis Peterson. “We have received very positive feedback from members who attended the event, all at different stages in their own careers.”
Wrapping up the formal discussion, Fernandez-Willey opened questions up to the audience of about 30.
Edward Hamberger, who led AAR for over 20 years until earlier this year, took the opportunity to champion the League of Railway Women. Posing the last question of the event to the audience rather than the panel, he asked: “After listening to this fascinating discussion, why wouldn’t you want to be a member of this great organization?”
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Adaptability: An Essential Tool for Effective Leadership
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by Kari Gonzales, VP Business & CFO, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. and LRW Board Member
The ability to adjust quickly to changing conditions is essential for leaders in today’s fast-paced marketplace. Today’s workforce is ever-changing: new generations, new technology, new ways to work. It is no longer good enough just to set a strategic vision and ask people to find a way to make that vision happen. Leaders must be able to understand the complexity of the path from beginning to end, and frankly, beyond.
Successful leaders are able to guide teams and make appropriate adjustments when the original course is leading to failure. Thus, the highest performing teams are led by people who can maintain their team’s agility and engagement in a chaotic, competitive marketplace.
Adaptability is a skillset that can be learned if you believe in the value it can bring. Rather than associating adaptability with weakness or lack of clear direction, I encourage leaders to relate it with creativity, courage and strength of character. Be brave, and embrace change over holding steadfast to philosophies that no longer serve the vision.
I was fortunate to experience the impact of adaptability early in life as a competitive athlete, and later, a basketball coach. I recall studiously reviewing game films to understand our opponent’s style and develop specific strategies to give us the competitive advantage. Practice upon practice was devoted to ensuring every member of the team knew the exact location of the half-court trap and the associated rotation needed to cover the rest of the basketball court. But all that practice only prepared us for the conditions we assumed would be present in the next game. On game-day, our competitor brought in their star freshman and her unexpected ball-handling skills quickly laid waste to our carefully crafted strategies. It only took a few breakaway layups for us to figure out all of those hours of practice were no longer relevant. Things change, so we have to change with them. In sports, we call these “game-day adjustments.” The most effective coaches and players identify where their plans have strayed and make the necessary adjustments to get back on track. In other words,
they are adaptable
.
As leaders, we should take a page out of the game-day adjustment playbook and constantly compare the expected results to actual results. If there’s a variation, find out why and make the necessary adjustments to reach the end goal
(
Ergo
,
adapt!
)
. As a leader, being able to consistently solicit new inputs and use those inputs to the advantage of your team can create a power-charged environment for success.
And I would be remiss to not point out the power of adaptability in your day-to-day. As a mother of two littles, I know that a day never goes to plan — ever. Meetings run late, practice times change, kiddos get sick (I know mine are loveable little germballs!). Adaptability is necessary to maintain your sanity and allow yourself the freedom to fail and learn from it.
I will leave you with the same challenge I have posed to myself: find new ways to approach existing obstacles. Establish relationships with team members (or other parents, or peers) to help you succeed, be retrospective, and use the outputs of thought as inputs to adjust. As I’m sure we’ve all experienced, neither your career nor your life will follow a fixed line. Use your courage, curiosity, and adaptability to navigate any curve in you encounter.
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LRW Women in Rail Conference at Railway Interchange 2019
Register & Book Your Room on April 2
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Conference registration for Railway Interchange 2019 (RI2019) & the LRW Annual Conference will open on Tuesday, April 2. Please register and book your hotels rooms. Hotel rooms will book up quickly.
RI2019 Details
- Railway Interchange Dates: Sept. 22 - 25 (view schedule)
- LRW Women in Rail Conference Dates: Sept 23 -24
- Location: Minneapolis Convention Center
- Features: 600+ Indoor & Outdoor Exhibits
- 50+ Conference Sessions
LRW Conference Sessions
(full schedule coming soon)
- Leadership Panel from High Ranking Women in Rail
- Panel Discussion on the Illusive Work/Life Balance and Focusing on the End Game
- The Future of Technology in the Rail Industry
- Group Tour of the RI2019 Outdoor Exhibits
-> Instructions On How To Register for the LRW Conference at RI2019
The LRW “Women in Rail Conference” is a part of the RSI Educational & Technical Training Conference at Railway Interchange.
When you register to attend Railway Interchange 2019, please select the
RSI Educational & Technical Training Conference
and then select the “
Women In Rail
” track as your primary track. The cost to attend the LRW Women in Rail Track at RI2019 RSI Education & Technical Training Conference is $325 if you register before August 15.
LRW Conference attendees will also have to opportunity to attend any of the concurrent sessions within the
RSI Education & Technical Conference
. Registration also includes access to all of the exhibits (indoor and outdoor), expo hall meals and receptions, and the keynote address featuring
Vernice Armour
, a motivational speaker who served as America's first African American female comba
t pilot.
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LRW Creates New Woman of the Year Advisory Committee,
Mary Proc to Chair
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This year will mark the twenty-first year that LRW will recognize an exceptional woman who has helped improve the rail industry through their vision, leadership and dedication through the
Outstanding Railway Woman of the Year Award
.
To aid in selecting a single award recipient from the impressive nominees we receive, LRW has commissioned previous Woman of the Year recipients to join the Woman of the Year Advisory Committee. They will lend their industry insight and leadership expertise and assist the LRW Awards Chair in making the final decision of naming the Railway Woman of the Year.
“The new committee will have a minimum of five members who are previous LRW WOY recipients. The Committee will be led by a Chair – Mary Proc, Former Vice President, Customer Service Delivery, Metrolinx - who is appointed by the LRW Board of Directors for a two-year term,” said Lisa Tackach, LRW Awards Chair and Business Development Manager at Railroad Construction Company. “I am looking forward to engaging the knowledge and expertise of our previous award winners in selecting a new woman to sit within their ranks.”
The Railway Woman of the Year Award, sponsored by LRW and Progressive Railroading, is awarded annually. This year, the award will be presented on Monday, September 23 at the General Session at Railway Interchange 2019.
“This award is one of the most prestigious honors in the industry. I would encourage all rail industry personnel to scan their ranks for an eligible nominee and put her name forward. Not only is the award a suitable tribute to the winner's record of achievement, it serves as encouragement to other women to stay and build their careers within this fast-paced and all-important industry,” shared Mary Proc, 2015 Woman of the Year, who enthusiastically accepted and stepped up to serve as the inaugural Woman of the Year Advisory Committee Chair.
LRW would also like to thank Lisa Stabler, President, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (2017 WOY), Anamaria Bonilla, PE, Assistant Chief Engineer, Metro North Railroad (2016 WOY), Tracy DeLeon, Owner, International Decal Mgmt Corp. (2012 WOY) and Jo Strang, Senior Vice President, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (2011 WOY) for their commitment to serve on the Committee. Thank you for your continued dedication to the rail industry and supporting the personal and professional growth of others.
Look for a call for nominees for the
Outstanding Railway Woman of the Year at the end of May
.
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Renew Your 2019 LRW Membership Online
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M
embership renewal is just a click away with our new easy to use self-service portal. Don't miss out on exclusive LRW industry events, news and opportunities.
Individual membership renewal is $60 and is valid until to December 31, 2019.
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Thank you to our New LRW Corporate Partners
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Want to broaden the reach of your business and support women in rail? Consider an LRW Corporate Partnership.
Find Out How
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We'd love your input! Please contact us at
info@railwaywomen.org
if you have suggestions for newsletter content or if you would like to contribute.
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About the League of Railway Women
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Founded in 1997, the League of Railway Women (LRW) is committed to improving the railroad industry by connecting and cultivating women in rail. Our mission is to advance the representation, recognition and opportunities for women, thereby promoting diversity and improving the business results of the railroad industry.
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