Shining A Light: Highlighting Some of the Hardest-Working Women in the Industry

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ATLANTA - Railway Track & Structures, July 2024 Issue: For the fourth straight year, Railway Track & Structures is proud to honor some of the brightest women in railroad engineering. With many careers spanning decades, these women have cultivated their talents, developed their skills, and worked tirelessly in their contributions to rail. From freight and passenger rail to suppliers and engineering firms, this list is built based solely on peer nominations, representing the hard-working winners for RT&S’ 2024 Women in Railroad Engineering. 

Angela Morgan,
Signal Engineering Manager
Progress Rail

Angie started her career in 2003, working in an entry-level position at Progress Rail. Soon after starting, her attention to detail, natural curiosity, and drive led her to take on a signal design position, where she thrived and moved quickly into writing application software for signaling systems. For well over a decade, she has overseen Progress Rail’s application software team. From a technical standpoint, Angie is one of the strongest signal engineers within the team. Her knowledge of signal logic is second to none.  She is a tremendous asset to our employees and has become the go-to person for many of our customers when they have questions. In the time Angie has led the software team, the team has written and tested over 2,000 unique pieces of application software for a multitude of freight and transit clients. Angie checked most of those programs and has repeatedly delivered software of the highest quality to our customers. She is instrumental in driving continuous improvement in our organization, not only with her team, but also within our signal design business. Angie is the model of a servant leader, who continually builds up those around her, serving as a mentor and advocate for other engineers at the company. Progress Rail is a better, stronger organization because of Angie’s hard work and dedication. 

Jennifer Drake,
Vice President of Engineering – Central Region
RailPros

Jennifer (Jen) has a structural engineering background and is PE and SE licensed in multiple states, with a 20+ year career focused on bridge design. For the past 10 years, Jen has focused on Project Management of small to very large infrastructure projects.  Her experience includes highway and rail bridge design and rehabilitation, from Phase I through construction support for typical to complex highway structures in addition to rail and pedestrian bridge structures. Over the last few years, she has focused on rail, serving as Project Manager for CREATE P2 RID/SWS Flyover, a $250M+ flyover rail bridge to connect to Metra lines to bypass freight interference on Chicago’s south side, various Amtrak facility projects, freight bridge projects, and currently several Texas DOT (TXDOT) Rail Division task orders focused on grade crossings.  Jen has delivered all her projects on time and on budget, including a ten-year project for Illinois DOT (IDOT) spanning multiple task orders including load ratings, inspections, review of other consultant’s Contract Documents, and development of bridge rehabilitation Contract Documents.  For the past several years, Jen held the role of Group Leader for Structures and Rail for Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota, and she was one of the top business developers in terms of sales.

Since joining RailPros as the Vice President of Engineering for the Central Region nine months ago, Jen has opened an office in Chicago and hired several additional employees there, met with clients throughout the region, and helped take over TXDOT projects.  She is a Principal in Charge on over a dozen projects for RailPros, assisting with monitoring the financials, deliverables, and tracking client satisfaction.  Jen is passionate about mentorship, taking on mentorship of many Project Managers, assisting with RailPros’ new PM Certification Class, and helping to develop a Professional Development series within RailPros, currently rolling out now.

Muyinat (Faye) Majekodunmi,
Director of Catenary Engineering (Electric Traction)
Amtrak

Faye began her railroad career as an intern at Amtrak in 2012. After earning her graduate degree from the University of Maryland in 2014, she became a Structures Management Associate in Philadelphia, where she developed designs for bridge repairs and deck conversions. Transitioning to capital construction in 2015, Faye worked on various projects including ADA compliance, infrastructure upgrades, and capacity improvements such as Kingston Capacity Improvements, NJHSR, East Side Access, and NJT’s County Yard. In 2018, Faye served as the Electric Traction – Assistant Division Engineer in New York, overseeing the maintenance and operation of Amtrak’s electric traction system from North Jersey to New Rochelle. She later joined Gannett Fleming as a Senior Catenary Engineer, providing design services for Amtrak, MTA, and NJT infrastructure projects from 2019 to 2023.

In the past year, Faye returned to Amtrak as Director of Catenary Design, leading the team in reviewing ET-related capital delivery design projects, initiating immediate repairs, and maintaining and updating electric traction standards. In addition to an honorable mention in RTS 2022 10 Under 40, Faye’s other accomplishments include serving as an Electrical Utilization Committee Member on AREMA Committee 33, as a Philadelphia Board Member for Women’s Transportation Seminar, and as a College of Engineering Alumni Board Member at Temple University.

Kirsten Bowen,
National Director – Rail & Transit
Michael Baker International

Michael Baker International’s credo is “We Make a Difference,” a sentiment that Kirsten employs both in and out of the office. She truly represents the “best of the best” and has made a huge impact in our profession, having worked on and managed major transportation projects. She has been a trailblazer for many women within Michael Baker and has long been instrumental in developing more women into successful railway engineers.  She is very involved in professional organizations including Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) in which she co-founded the Northeast Ohio Chapter and was the 2016 WTS International Member of the Year; is a winner of the Michael Baker International Chairman’s Award, the firm’s highest honor, in 2018; is the current Chair of AREMA Committee 14: Yards and Terminals and serves on the Conference Operating Committee; and sits on the Foundation Board for the Case Alumni Association for engineering and sciences at Case Western Reserve University, and was a recipient of Meritorious Service Award in 2023.

Kirsten’s hard work and determination have been rewarded throughout her career. Kirsten currently holds the role of National Director, Freight Rail Services and is responsible for positioning the Practice for growth and leading a team of experts to deliver innovative solutions that modernize the country’s freight rail infrastructure. Since 2010, Kirsten has grown Michael Baker’s Freight Rail Practice significantly, and has helped Michael Baker develop into a preferred consultant for several freight carriers. Kirsten has made mentoring and encouraging younger engineers a point of significant emphasis in her career. She is a model for many female rail engineers and is consistently breaking down barriers within the profession, leading her projects and her teams to success in nearly everything she takes on.  She continues to develop, train, promote and empower female rail engineers, providing opportunities for young engineers and helping to change the face of what many believe a rail engineer to be.  Kirsten is a trailblazer as a female leader in a traditionally male-dominated profession and is dedicated to elevating the rail engineering community by advising and mentoring the new generation of a more diverse rail engineering community.

Sophia Bitler,
Project Engineer / Assistant Project Manager
Railroad Construction Company

Sophia graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and Master’s Degree in Construction Management in 2017. She has managed several design-build projects throughout her career; her project portfolio includes mostly transit projects, for the MTA, LIRR, PANYNJ and Amtrak. Sophia was part of the project management team for the Mid Suffolk Yard project, which was a multi-award-winning design-build project, recognized by RT&S with a 2021 Top Project Award and NRC’s Large Construction Project of the Year in 2020 for exemplifying outstanding management and planning, zero recordable/lost time incidents and working without interruption in an active rail yard during the evolving COVID-19 Pandemic. Following the completion of the Mid Suffolk Electric Yard, she transitioned to the MTA Construction and Development CH058B East Bound Re-Route Construction for the East Side Access Project, within Harold Interlocking, the largest railroad junction in New York City and the busiest in the United States. Once complete, the improvements will re-route track carrying Metro-North, LIRR and Amtrak trains, improving daily travels of thousands of commuters and providing congestion relief for trains traveling along the Northeast Corridor. Sophia supervised design development, managed labor and subcontractor activities on site, handled client relationships as well as commercial responsibilities.

Titilayo Fatigun,
Engineer – Projects
CPKC

From the onset, Titilayo has consistently been an outstanding achiever. Chevron awarded her an academic scholarship that she maintained throughout her undergraduate degree. Furthermore, the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, Nigeria, awarded her a postgraduate scholarship to study in the United Kingdom in 2004. She began her career in Engineering Consulting in the United Kingdom as a graduate engineer. She quickly advanced to attain the chartered professional engineer designation with the Institute of Civil Engineering (ICE) in the UK in 2011. After relocating to Canada over a decade ago, Titilayo obtained her professional engineering designation with Apega (P.Eng) and project management profession (PMP) status with the Project Management Institute (PMI). She continued working in Engineering Consulting providing engineering and project management services to public and private sector clients.

Titilayo has a wealth of global experience from participating in diverse civil infrastructure projects including railways, tunnels, bridges, roadways, and airports in both Europe and North America. Some of the notable capital projects she was involved in include Crossrail (UK), High Speed 2 (UK), Greenline (Calgary, Canada), Commissioner Street Rail Expansion (BC, Canada), and Stephen Siding Extension Rail Project (BC, Canada). Titilayo began her railroading career at CPKC four years ago. As a project engineer, she manages civil and track capital projects to improve and optimize train operations. These projects present challenges related to rugged terrain, archeological significance, and environmental constraints and require her to work with many interdisciplinary teams of internal and external stakeholders, yet she manages the projects with confidence and expertise.

In 2022, Titilayo was recognized as a finalist for the CPKC CEO Award for Excellence as a Project Manager for the Kamloops Auxiliary Track Project for a significant rail shipping customer. Her leadership and hard work have been consistently recognized with strong performance ratings and rewards. Titilayo is passionate about giving back and helping others. She understands the strategic role mentors have played throughout her career and, in turn, pays it forward by volunteering as a mentor with CRIEC (Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council), providing insights to foreign-trained professionals seeking to integrate into the Canadian workforce. Her passion for fairness, equity, diversity, and inclusion led to her being invited to participate in the CPKC Diversity and Inclusion Council. She is thrilled to have been selected as a winner of the RT&S 2024 Women in Railroad Engineering awards and celebrates with the other recognized women.

Latanya Powell,
Bridge & Building Foreman
Metra

Latanya entered an apprenticeship in 2000 where she began as a union carpenter for 4 years. She reached journeyman status and has worked as a carpenter for 24 years. In 2014, Latanya joined Metra. For 8 years, she worked as a foreman for the passenger agency, and she was recently promoted to a Bridge & Building foreman. Within her position, she worked as a leader of a crew of all men and accomplished great structural feats for Metra. She has worked on bridges and stations that have facilitated a safer and faster commute for Metra passengers. Within her community, Latanya makes a positive impact and prides herself on her work with teenagers where she teaches carpentry and construction classes.

Marissa Procter,
Director of Roadway Planning
BNSF Railway

Marissa is a game-changer.  She views the industry with fresh eyes and looks to make an impact in whatever role she is in and whatever team she is leading. She has been in the MOW industry for the past 13+ years and is currently the Director of Roadway Planning for BNSF Railway. During her tenure, she has had the opportunity to work all around the country in different capacities within the MOW umbrella.  Her influence on safety has been tremendous, impactful, and record-breaking. She has a unique ability to win others over and align them with her vision of a safe and efficient workplace. Under her leadership, the SoCal territory went over 1.6 million manhours injury free. This streak contributed to one of the most significant injury-free records for BNSF when the entire California Engineering Division went injury-free for a full calendar year in 2023, something no other BNSF Engineering Division had ever accomplished. We believe she will continue to make a significant impact for BNSF, the communities in which we operate, and on all teams she leads now and in the future.

Angela Schwarz,
Senior Vice President, National Transit & Rail Systems
WSP

Angela Schwarz is a senior vice president for transit and rail systems at WSP, one of the world’s leading engineering and professional services firms. Angela collaborates with WSP’s engineering professionals and clients across the globe to deliver key rail systems and signals projects that improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of transit and rail operations. She has more than 25 years of experience as a certified project management professional. She most recently served as the systems delivery package manager for the Purple Line Project on behalf of the Maryland Transit Administration, a $2 billion design-build 16-mile light rail line that will extend from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton, north of Washington, D.C. 

Today, Angela serves as a technical advisor for Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) communication-based train control (CBTC) program for New York City Transit. The first design-build delivery in the history of MTA’s CBTC rollout, the program includes designing, installing, and commissioning of the new train control system for multiple subway lines. She also served as systems manager for the New Jersey Transit Positive Train Control Project, where she was responsible for the oversight of the testing, maintainability, acceptance, and safety certification of the system and served as the senior engineering manager for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Track and Systems GEC. Originally from Brazil, Angela is a graduate of Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

Mahjabeen Khan,
Software Development Manager
Holland

With six years in the railroad industry, Mahjabeen currently leads a team of eight engineers to direct critical projects within Holland’s rail measurement systems and services division as the Software Development Manager. These projects are centered around the Argus and Aries track measurement software, leading railroads to ensure their railroads are operating safely. Under her leadership, this has guided the team to two significant software releases and their deployments, substantially improving Holland’s quality control and release protocols. A large part of this is working hand in hand with her team as well as customers to deliver what railroads are seeking for track measurement products and services.

Along with leading her team, she is also an active member of the Employee Engagement Team at Holland to bring engagement across the entire organization as well as participating in community outreach. These community outreach activities span from volunteering for the local elementary school reading program, to helping gather toys and canned goods for our yearly holiday partnership with Alicia’s House. Mahjabeen is also an active member of the League of Railway Women which highlights women and their strong roles and influence within the rail industry and hopes to continue the legacy of women leading the way. 

Marian Rule, PE, PgMP,
Senior Vice President | Principal
TranSystems Corporation

Professional engineer, project and program manager, Marian Rule, Principal/ Sr. Vice President at TranSystems Corporation, has served as a consultant to the railroad industry since the early 1990s. A positive, diligent, and innovative leader, she has delivered horizontal and vertical infrastructure projects through planning, design, and construction to improve capacity, safety, and operational efficiency.  She has provided a hands-on leadership approach to Class 1 railroad clients, Union Pacific and BNSF, and to intercity/commuter rail clients such as Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, and Caltrain.  For the FRA and FTA, Marian has served as Program Manager since 2010 and currently leads the federal oversight effort of over 300 federal grants, funded with $18 billion in federal funding to deliver a $500 billion rail infrastructure portfolio of projects across the U.S. Starting in 2013, Marian led the federal oversight of California High-Speed Rail for FRA.  For the FTA, Marian has led oversight of SANDAG’s Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project and the Inglewood Transit Connector.  Bringing enthusiasm, tenacity, and practicality to her efforts, her passion is to collaborate with clients, colleagues, stakeholders, and funding entities, capitalizing on this exciting period of time in the industry, to enhance U.S. transportation infrastructure.

Allison Russo,
Manager of Automatic Equipment Identification and Wayside Detectors
CSX

Allison began her railroad career in 2010 as a Communications Technician in the CSX Network Operations Center, supporting field operations in a 24/7 environment. After a year and a half, she transitioned into a more specialized role, providing Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI) support. A few years later, a management position was created to support the field and manage assets for AEI and Wayside Detectors (including remotely monitored crossings), which she has held since 2016.

In this role, Allison has built and developed a dedicated team responsible for the full life cycle management of these assets. They continuously seek opportunities to improve performance, reliability, processes, safety, cost-efficiency, and training related to these assets. Our day-to-day work involves close collaboration with internal groups—Communications and Signals, Mechanical, and Transportation teams—as well as suppliers and industry peers, all aimed at continuous improvement. Their network includes approximately 700 AEI readers, 1,000 wayside detectors, and 2,000 monitored crossings. Currently, she is serving as Vice Chair of the AAR’s AEI Committee and Chair of the AREMA C38-1 Subcommittee.

In addition to her professional responsibilities, Allison has volunteered over multiple years with the CSX Santa Train Packing Party, preparing packages for distribution to their neighbors across Appalachia, as well as with the Wounded Warrior Project’s Carry Forward 5k. She was also a Team Leader for Relay for Life of the First Coast and completed her first half marathon at the DONNA supporting Breast Cancer in February. Every year, she participates in the Gate River Run 15k—not for speed, but for the joy of completion.

Mairim Standing, R.A., LEED AP,
Assistant Chief Officer
New York City Transit Authority

Mairim has been a licensed architect since 2011 in New York, and she studied at NJIT and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1999 and Master of Science in Management in 2000. In 2010, Standing achieved LEED Certification. After graduation, Standing began her professional career at the MTA NYCT. After six years, she went into the private sector. Offices include Standing Architecture (high end custom NY Residential architecture) and Alliance Bernstein, In house Design and Construction team, building out private client offices domestically. She is an active member of St. George’s Society of New York, a nonprofit organization that is a member-driven charity dedicated to enriching the quality of life through scholarship programs, beneficiary programs, and family support fund programs.

Standing’s other accomplishments include being featured as ABC7 Hero of the Week in 2023 for her work on the Customer Service Centers at Stillwell, Times square, Sutphin Blvd., and 168^th St Stations. She also led a complete renovation of 300 Cadman Plaza for MTA Headquarters, Occupational Health and Safety and Human Resources, and TWU local union. The new facility at 300 Cadman Plaza a modern 4 floors, 150,000 SF gut renovation that occurred over a 2-year period.  The locations serve thousands of NYCT employees with centers for civil service testing, employee onboarding, healthcare, and employee passes. She provides design and construction administration to all projects related to owned and leased facilities, similar to 300 Cadman Plaza, which include the Cable Shop at 42k DF, Mobile Wash and Material new build at 40k SF and the Rail Command Center Annex at 30k SF. She led team of over 100+ that specifically provide construction of Employee Facilities through the entire NYCT system.