Featured Speakers

JIM VENA

Chief Executive Officer, Union Pacific

A railroader, Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena has more than 40 years of industry experience with a demonstrated track record of driving best-in-class operating and service results. His vision for the railroad is clear: Safety, Service and Operational Excellence will equal Growth.

Vena’s four decades of railroading bring unparalleled experience across operational management, marketing and project execution. He has witnessed and been at the forefront of transformational changes within the industry. Vena knows railroading firsthand, beginning his career as a Canadian National Railway (CN) laborer in maintenance of way, then a brakeman, conductor, locomotive engineer, trainmaster and superintendent.

He progressively held roles of increasing responsibility, including senior management positions in Operations, Marketing, and Sales spanning CN’s east, west and southern regions across the U.S. At CN, where he added to his knowledge by working with great leaders, Vena was ultimately promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer. As Union Pacific's chief operating officer from 2019-2020, Vena oversaw a team that achieved efficiency savings and delivered the best service product in the company’s history. He served as senior advisor to the chairman in 2021 and returned to Union Pacific as CEO in August 2023.

PATRICK FUCHS

Member, Surface Transportation Board

Patrick Fuchs was sworn in on January 17, 2019, as a Member of the Board and re-confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 14, 2024. His second term expires on January 14, 2029.

Fuchs has played an integral role in the development and enactment of major railroad legislation, including the first reauthorization of the Surface Transportation Board since its creation in 1996 and the first passenger rail reauthorization in over seven years. He also worked on legislation to improve rail project delivery, rail financing, and hazardous materials safety, all of which were enacted as part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), the five-year, $305 billion surface transportation authorization.

Fuchs helped develop and enact the first reauthorization of the National Transportation Safety Board in over a decade. He also worked on legislation to increase safety by addressing opioid abuse in transportation, reforms enacted as part of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. His work also includes reauthorization of the Federal Maritime Commission as well as three reauthorizations of the Maritime Administration, enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Acts for Fiscal Years 2017, 2018, and 2019. A Wisconsin native, Fuchs graduated with distinction in economics and political science and earned an M.P.A. from the University of Wisconsin, where he received the Director’s Achievement Award for his outstanding academic record.

MIKE McCLELLAN

SVP and Chief Strategy Officer, Norfolk Southern

Mike McClellan is SVP and Chief Strategy Officer at Norfolk Southern Corporation. Since 1827, Norfolk Southern has safely moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today, its dedicated team members deliver more than 7 million shipments annually, from agriculture to consumer goods, and is the largest rail shipper of auto products and metals in North America.

Appointed SVP and Chief Strategy Officer in 2022, McClellan is responsible for leading Norfolk Southern's strategic planning organization. Through this strategic vision and comprehensive knowledge of the North American rail network, he drives productivity and growth across the company's 22-state footprint. He was one of the architects that made Norfolk Southern's intermodal network the most powerful in the East, and led the launch of RailPulse, the industry's implementation of telematics for railcars.

McClellan joined Norfolk Southern in 1998 as Assistant Vice President Intermodal, becoming Vice President Intermodal in 2000, and later became Vice President Intermodal and Automotive. He then led the Industrial Products team before he transitioned to lead Strategic Planning in 2018. Prior to Norfolk Southern, McClellan spent the first decade of his railroading career at Conrail and in consulting roles with Ernst & Young.

DAVID SHANNON

General Manager, RailPulse

RailPulse was formed by a coalition of forward-thinking railcar owners, dedicated to developing, broadening and accelerating the use of GPS and other telematics technologies on railcars that aim to increase service, safety, efficiency, and visibility across North America’s freight rail industry.

As General Manager, Shannon is responsible for leading the development and launch of the RailPulse platform, as well as managing the operations, strategy, and growth of the coalition. Shannon has over 25 years of experience in leading technology organizations, with a focus on the Internet of Things (IoT) and remote condition monitoring. He has a proven track record of delivering innovative solutions that enhance efficiency, safety, and performance in various industries.

Most recently, he was the Business Unit Manager for Parker Hannifin's Diversified Technologies Business Unit. There, Shannon’s team developed IoT-based sensor technologies and software platforms that lead to better, more accurate remote condition monitoring of industrial equipment. Prior to Parker Hannifin, he served as Senior Vice President for Savi Technology, a Lockheed Martin company, where he led development and commercialization globally of IoT solutions for the defense, transportation, and logistics sectors. He is passionate about advancing the rail industry and creating value for RailPulse's customers and stakeholders.