Presenters

Toks Omishakin was appointed the 4th Secretary of Transportation for the state of California by Governor Gavin Newsom in February of 2022. As Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA), he has oversight of 8 State Departments, Boards and Commissions that, combined, have more than 42,000 people and a budget that exceeds $30 billion annually. Safety, Equity, Climate Action, and Economic Prosperity—the Core Four—are the top transportation priorities established for the state. Prior to his appointment as Secretary, he was Director of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) where, as the chief executive of the department, he managed a $17.5 billion budget and more than 22,000 employees that oversee 50,000 lane miles of highways, maintain more than 20,000 bridges, provide permitting of more than 250 public use airports, fund 3 of Amtrak’s busiest intercity rail services and provide transit support to more than 400 local and regional transit agencies. In 2020, he and the Caltrans executive team established a new strategic direction for the department prioritizing partnerships and community engagement to accomplish its goals to create a cleaner, safer, more equitable and connected transportation system for California. 

Omishakin came to Caltrans following eight years as Deputy Commissioner with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). There, he successfully established environmental and multimodal local and national groundbreaking planning policies and programs, including a new Multimodal Access Grant program and new Office of Community Transportation. 

Prior to that, he served as Director of Healthy Living Initiatives in the Nashville Mayor’s Office. In that capacity, he led development of Metro Nashville’s Complete Streets Policy and helped establish a more balanced approach to transportation planning and design for the city. This included spearheading the creation of two bicycle sharing programs. 

In 2019, Omishakin became Chair of the Council on Active Transportation for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). This came after two years serving as Vice Chair as well as serving as Inaugural Chair of AASHTO’s Multimodal Task Force. He served for 10 years on the board of America Walks and is now an emeritus advisor to the national organization. He also serves on boards at the Mineta Transportation Institute, Veloz and has advised the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis through its Transportation Council Board. In work with institutions, he serves on the advisory board at Tennessee Tech University for Civil and Environmental Engineering and at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Institute for Transportation studies. 

In October of 2020, Omishakin was appointed to then-President-elect Biden Harris Transportation Transition Team. In December of 2020 he was recognized with the Excellence in Leadership award by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) NorCal and named Person of the Year by the California Transportation Foundation (CTF) in May of 2021. 

Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Secretary Omishakin and his wife have two children. He has a  Ph.D. in Engineering Management from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; a master’s  degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Jackson State University; and a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering Technology from Mississippi Valley State University. 

CalSTA’s 8 Departments, Boards and Commissions include: 

• CA Board of Pilot Commissioners (BOPC) 

• California Highway Patrol (CHP) 

• California Transportation Commission (CTC) 

• CA Department of Transportation (Caltrans) 

• CA Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) 

• CA High-Speed Rail Authority (HSR) 

• CA Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) 

• CA New Motor Vehicle Board (NMVB)

Amit Bose was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on January 12, 2022. He was previously appointed as Deputy Administrator on January 20, 2021. 

Immediately prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Amit worked at an architectural and engineering firm, where he also served as board chair of the Coalition for the Northeast Corridor and on the New Jersey Restart and Recovery Advisory Council. He also served at the FRA during the Obama-Biden Administration as Deputy Administrator, Chief Counsel, Senior Advisor and Director of Governmental Affairs and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) as Associate General Counsel and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs. In those positions, he worked on safety, policy, regulatory, and governmental affairs matters, and provided legal counsel, guidance and advice to the Office of the Secretary and DOT’s operating administrations. Before joining DOT, Amit also worked for New Jersey Transit, the New Jersey Department of Transportation and as a transportation staffer in the U.S. Congress. 

In addition, he was in private practice in Georgia, focused on land use, environmental, and municipal law. Amit has an AB from Columbia College, a MIA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a JD from the University of Georgia.

Responsible for a staff of 500+ employees inclusive of Light Rail Vehicle, Maintenance of Wayside, Track and Structures, Rail Operations, Revenue, and Facilities Departments. Develops, implements, and directs budgets, goals, and business plans within areas of responsibility. Active member of the MTS Executive Team supporting MTS Chief Executive Officer and MTS Board’s vision and mission for the global MTS Transit network. Brian is the Past Chair of the APTA Operating Practices Working Group (OPWG) and continues to actively contribute to recommended operating practices and standards. Brian is an active member of The International Association of Public Transport.

Brian’s education includes a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration in Management, ENO Center for Transportation Leadership, San Diego State University; Professional Certificate in Management and Leadership, Transit Safety Institute; Transit System Safety Program Certificate, Emergency Management Institute; as well as completing The Railway Education Bureau, Basic & Advanced Principles of Track Maintenance course

Travis, a transportation professional with over 15 years of experience, specializes in traffic and transit analyses and designs for rail public projects. His passion lies in educating rail and department of transportation staff about safety best practices around rail crossings. 

From 2021 to 2023, Travis served as the Project Manager for the development of the TxDOT Preemption Manual. He was also a Co-Instructor for two related courses. These courses introduced the new TxDOT railroad preemption standard and covered its implementation. The introductory training course was a prerequisite for the hands-on course. Travis conducted four virtual and two in-person training sessions, each lasting 8 hours, including testing time. The training materials included a PowerPoint presentation and printed handouts. Class participation was encouraged, and the course concluded with a one-hour, forty-question test. Although the target score was 80 percent, students received a pass/fail rating based on participation. 

Additionally, Travis conducted ten in-person training sessions throughout the state, focusing on the implementation of the new standard. Each session consisted of two hours of presented instruction followed by two hours of practical, hands-on instruction. Students learned to program traffic signal controllers to meet the new railroad preemption standard. Their performance was evaluated based on attendance and participation. 

Travis also contributed to the TE101 course, developed by Union Pacific. This course trains public projects managers on traffic engineering standards and best practices near at-grade railroad crossings. Travis has been a co-instructor for four training sessions, covering most of the eight sections of the presentation. The course primarily uses a PowerPoint format, with class participation encouraged through Kahoot quiz questions. 

Furthermore, Travis co-presented a one-hour session with the Utah Chief Railroad Engineer. The presentation provided an overview of diagnostic teams, their role, and purpose. Participants engaged in case studies, offering opinions on appropriate safety treatments as if they were part of the diagnostic team.

Elizabeth had a childhood passion for building things, which has turned into a career overseeing the design and construction of railroad capital projects. Elizabeth earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and has almost 20 years of experience in the transportation industry. She is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of California.

Elizabeth began her career as an engineering consultant, providing design solutions for various modes of transportation. In 2013, Elizabeth joined the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) and has successfully managed railroad capital and rehabilitation projects from environmental, design, to construction and has helped secure over a billion dollars in funding for Metrolink’s capital improvement program. Under the leadership of CEO Darren Kettle and Chief of Program Delivery Justin Fornelli, Elizabeth is leading the implementation of Metrolink’s Southern California Optimized Rail Expansion (SCORE) Program, a $10+ billion capital improvement program to transform and enhance the regional rail system in Southern California to meet the future needs of the traveling public and be ready for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Elizabeth has been recognized for the Transportation Leadership Award in 2020 by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) and as a Rising Star by Progressive Railroading in 2022. Elizabeth is married with two children and enjoys adventuring in the great outdoors any chance she can.

Sam Alibrahim, P.E. is the Chief of Train Control and Communication research division at the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). He directs FRA research activities in advanced train control technologies including Positive Train Control (PTC), Next Generation Communication Based Train Control (CBTC NextGen), Automation, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Connected/Automated Vehicles, and Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention. He has more than 30 years of experience in the land-based transportation industry, consulting, designing, testing, and deploying advanced safety critical systems worldwide to improve safety, efficiency, and network capacity for passenger and freight rail and trucking industries. 

Sam began his career in th early nineties as a Signal Systems Design Engineer for mass transit systems including subways, commuter, and light rail in major cosmopolitan cities and urban centers. He served as Vice President for Engineering and Technology at automation and robotics software company serving the supply chain industry. He then joined Booz Allen Hamilton consulting as rail transportation signal and train control subject matter expert providing train control design and implementation strategy to transit clients worldwide. Since 2008, Sam has been serving as the FRA Train Control and Communication Research Division Chief.  

Sam earned M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science Engineering, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Louisville and he is a registered professional engineer in New York, Kentucky, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

In 2005, Chris began his government career with the Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS Public Works department as a Special Projects Engineer. Among his roles involved the implementation of the Counties Traffic Safety program, as well as completion of Emergency Storm Sewer repairs. Chris was then employed by the City of Olathe, Kansas and served in a highly active role as a Project Engineer – responsible for contracting and completion of numerous highway projects including Underground utilities, Roadway structures, Bike trails, Intersections, and multi-lane arterial streets. Chris also then worked as a Project Engineer for Emery Sapp & Sons Construction – a Heavy/Highway Contractor in Kansas City, Missouri, constructing numerous projects for the Missouri DOT and surrounding local governments. 

In September 2009, Chris joined the Federal Highway Administration as an Area Engineer for the FHWA Kansas Division where he oversaw the states Federal Aid Highway program. Chris served in the Kansas Division until October 2021 when he accepted his current role as Preconstruction Engineer at the FHWA headquarters in Washington DC. This current role is responsible for managing the Railroad Coordination program, as well as reviewing and approving Interstate Access requests for 25 States. His primary focus of the Railroad Coordination program has been providing expert technical advice to the 200+ members of the Railroad Community of Interest (COI) group. The COI meets in person twice per year and hosts several virtual Teams meets for specific regional issues, as well as conferences with AAHTO and other organizations. 

Chris attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas where he received a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 2005. Married in 2008, he and his wife Tracy have three children and currently reside in Silver Lake, Kansas where they live a typical small town America life—consisting of driving kids from one sporting event to the next (hopefully getting there on time), serving in their local church, and spending whatever free time is left out at the lake. 

Rachel Maleh is Executive Director of Operation Lifesaver, Inc., (OLI) the national rail safety education nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. OLI is a nationally recognized leader of rail safety education whose goal is ending collisions, deaths and injuries on and around railroad tracks and trains. 

Maleh has over 30 years’ experience in nonprofit management, communications, marketing, fundraising, organizational development, and leadership transition planning.

She was appointed in December 2022 by U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Transit Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS), which provides information, advice, and recommendations on transit safety to the U.S. Transportation Secretary and FTA Administrator.

Prior to joining Operation Lifesaver, Inc., Maleh held several senior level positions at national nonprofits. Her expertise includes communications, marketing, and fundraising. 

Maleh has advanced degrees both in International Relations and International Communications from Boston University as well as a Master of Science in Marketing from Johns Hopkins University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and French from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

David Pickett has 25 years of legal experience, primarily in the rail and transit industries. In 2019, he joined Brightline West as Associate General Counsel to help develop a high-speed electrified passenger railroad that will connect Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Prior to joining Brightline West, David represented railroad clients in private practice and was in-house counsel for Union Pacific Railroad in Roseville, California for more than 14 years. 

While with Union Pacific, he served as lead counsel on multiple major infrastructure and capacity projects; represented the company in personal injury and property damage litigation, including first-chair trial experience in Federal Employers’ Liability Act litigation; and provided legal counsel for safety initiatives, including special agent law enforcement activities, crossing improvement projects, and trespassing prevention initiatives. Before his time with Union Pacific, David worked as in-house litigation counsel for the Sacramento Regional Transit District. He began his legal career with a firm in San Francisco. David received his law degree from the University of Southern California and a bachelor of science degree in psychology from the University of Utah.

James has been with the FRA for the past eight years working on grade crossing safety. Prior to FRA, he worked for FHWA for seven years in the Headquarters office and in their North Carolina Division Office. James also worked five years for Caltrans District 11 in San Diego and five years for an engineering firm in St. Louis, MO, where he grew up.

James received his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Bradley University, in 1999, and is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of California.

Dan has over 22 years of experience with the NTSB as a Senior Highway Factors Investigator in the Office of Highway Safety. Dan has been involved in over 40 major crash investigations involving: highway-railroad grade crossings, marine vessels, automobiles, motorcoaches, commercial vehicles, tunnels, and bridge structures.

Prior to joining the NTSB, Dan worked for 16 years in the private sector with leading consulting engineering firms and state/local governmental agencies in the design of multi-modal transportation projects. Dan is a licensed professional engineer in two states.

Dan attended Texas A&M University where he received a B.S. in Civil Engineering. Shortly thereafter, he attended the University of Maryland where he received a M.S. in Civil Engineering.

Dr. Santiago Cruz‐Roveda has over 18 years of professional experience with the California Department

of Transportation (Caltrans), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Dr. Cruz‐Roveda has experience supporting a $12B Public Transportation annual budget and delivering $20B worth of Public Transportation projects throughout the United States. This includes delivering High Speed Rail, Passenger Rail, Metro, Highway, Bus Rapid Transit, Ferry, and Stormwater projects throughout the country. Today, Dr. Cruz‐Roveda works in the newly built Office of Regional Outreach office at FRA with a focus on passenger rail service, the Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) Program, Municipal, Tribal, AASHTO, High‐Speed Rail, and other outreach efforts throughout the United States. The passenger rail outreach efforts include the development and implementation of the Corridor ID Program that will support long‐term passenger rail development in communities across the United States.

Dr. Cruz‐Roveda previously worked with FRA as a West Regional Manager, Transportation Industry Analyst, and a Collateral Duty Special Emphasis Program Manager with a focus on Hispanic Employment.

r. Cruz‐Roveda’s previous project portfolio at FRA included Brightline West High‐Speed Rail (HSR), High Desert Corridor HSR, LA Basin (Metrolink and LA Metro), and Northwest States (Oregon, Washington State, and Idaho). Prior to FRA, Dr. Cruz‐Roveda worked with FTA as a General Engineer and an oversight project manager on the MBTA Boston GLX, MDOT MD Purple Line, Fairfax County Richmond Highway BRT, Port Authority Downtown‐Uptown‐Oakland‐East End Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Puerto Rico Tren Urbano, and the Sandy Program in NY/NJ.

Dr. Cruz‐Roveda earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Santa Clara University, an MBA from William Jessup University, and a Doctor Public Administration (DPA) from California Baptist University. Dr. Cruz‐Roveda’s dissertation was a qualitative semi‐structure open‐ended interview study that researched and developed a comparative multiple case study of eight BRT projects that encompassed five states within the United States. The comparative multiple‐case study approach permitted Dr. Cruz‐Roveda to explore and validate how BRT projects were built on time and under budget within the United States.

Duane H. Thomas, P.E. is a graduate of the University of Kentucky’s Civil Engineering program and is a licensed professional engineer in Kentucky. Duane worked for 22 years with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, serving four years as the State Traffic Engineer. He worked for ten years in the Kentucky Division Office of the Federal Highway Administration where he served as an area engineer and managed the Division’s Major Projects. In 2018, Duane joined the FHWA Resource Center’s Operations Technical Services Team, specializing in Work Zone Traffic Control Management. Duane is also a member of FHWA’s MUTCD Team with responsibility for Highway Traffic Signals and Traffic Control for Railroad and Light Rail Transit Grade Crossings.  

Presentation Summary:

MUTCD – An Overview of the Changes in the 11th Edition

Part 8 – Traffic Control for Railroad and Light Rail Transit Grade Crossings

In December 2023, the Federal Highway Administration released the 11th Edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The 11th Edition replaces the 2009 MUTCD and includes many new items plus revisions to previous material. This session will cover the significant changes to Part 1 (General) and Part 8 (Traffic Control for Railroad and Light Rail Transit Grade Crossings). Learn about the significant changes and how they may impact your projects and traffic control strategies moving forward, as well as specific compliance dates for two important grade crossing topics.

Dylan has over 19 years of experience in crossing safety and engineering data collection and management; system architecting and database design; and process automation for geospatial and engineering data workflows. 

Dylan previously worked with the North Carolina DOT Rail Division and is now the Development Operations Manager and R&D Lead for TavlaSolutions.

 In addition to overseeing the CI/CD for their crossing inventory tool, recent projects have included graph analysis of multi-modal transportation networks, automation of large-scale DEM processing, and ETL of legacy data sets to support modern web applications.

Rick Campbell has over 50 years of experience in both railroad signaling and highway traffic signaling. His industry service includes 18 years as Chair of the Railroad & Light Rail Transit Technical Committee and he is currently a member of the Executive Board of the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. He is the former chair of AREMA sub-committee 36-1, Grade Crossing Controls where he served for 17 years. He has been a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers for over 30 years. Rick also serves on the Operation Lifesaver, Inc. National Advisory Committee and the Materials Review Committee. Rick is a Captain with the Parker County Texas Sheriff’s Office and served as a part of the OLI micro-group that developed the new Railroad Investigations & Safety Course for first responders. Rick is also the recipient of the 2023 Hoy A. Richards Career Achievement Award for Grade Crossing Safety.

Richard has over 15 years of experience in project management and business process analysis in support of crossing safety improvement programs and other engineering data related projects for multiple public and private clients. 

He is the Program Manager for TavlaSolutions, a Raleigh North Carolina based engineering web application development subsidiary of Moffatt & Nichol Engineers. 

Richard holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University and worked as a machinist for the University and as an intern for the NCDOT Rail Division’s Engineering & Safety Branch while studying. 

When he’s not trying to eliminate redundant data practices, Richard would prefer to be jamming with some friendly musicians or sailing beyond the horizon.

In 1998, Frank began his government career with the Massachusetts’ Department of Public Utilities (DPU) as a Transit Engineer. Among his roles involved the implementation of state safety oversight of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), as well as state oversight of all public railroad grade crossings within the Commonwealth. Specifically, he assisted in the review and approval process for engineering design layouts of railroad grade crossing warning devices to ensure compliance with state and federal design standards.

After thirteen years as the state’s transportation safety engineer; in June 2011, Frank joined the Federal Railroad Administration as their General Engineer at its Washington, D.C. headquarters. Frank’s current role is to ensure the safe design layout of railroad grade crossing signal equipment along High-speed Rail (HSR) corridors in the country. His position requires periodic travel throughout the country, conducting diagnostic safety reviews of grade crossing locations with various railroads and municipalities involved. Not limited to HSR initiatives, Frank is also involved with new and innovative grade crossing signal technology, and supports the Federal Transit Administration in providing technical engineering advice with Light-rail crossing designs. 

Frank attended Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA where he received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology. Shortly thereafter, he attended the University of Massachusetts where he earned a M.S. in Public Affairs. Married since 2006, he and his wife Sarah have three young children and currently reside in southern Maryland.

Danielle Peña is a registered civil and traffic engineer with 17+ years of experience in program and project management; rail/track design; stations; traffic engineering; grade crossings; construction management; standards/manuals development; quiet zone design and implementation; preemption calculations; and traffic interconnection. Her expertise encompasses key projects with ACE Rail, Amtrak San Joaquins, LOSSAN, Metrolink, UPRR, BNSF, SANDAG/NCTD, LA Metro, and SBCTA. She has spent extensive time working with the CPUC and FRA on grade crossing modifications or grade separations, providing her a wealth of experience on at-grade crossings. Danielle has been recognized as Railway Age’s Top 20 under 40 years old.

Lisa Gatchell is Vice President of Risk Management and Associate General Counsel for Brightline Trains Florida (“Brightline”), where she is responsible for planning, managing and coordinating all strategic and tactical risk management functions including placement of the insurance programs, claims oversight and contract review for Brightline and its parent company, Florida East Coast Industries. She is also part of the Brightline Legal Team and oversees the day-to-day legal matters for the company’s intercity passenger rail operation. Lisa has been in her role at Brightline since the start of the company’s revenue service in South Florida in January 2018.    

As a licensed attorney for 25 years, Lisa served early in her career as an Assistant Prosecutor in Hudson County, New Jersey, and has extensive experience in trial and supervision of claims and litigated cases involving third party personal injury and property damage, employee related injury, employment practices and insurance defense matters. 

In addition to her legal experience Lisa has over 15 years of experience in risk management, including leading the Risk Management Department at New Jersey Transit Corporation, the 3rd largest public transportation agency in the United States, and serving as the Director of Insurance for Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.  

She is a graduate of Leadership APTA Class of 2010, a participant of the Leadership Exchange & Development (“LEAD”) Program in 2015 and in 2019 was a recipient of Railway Age’s Women in Rail award. Lisa holds a B.A. from the University of Scranton in Criminal Justice with a minor in History and received her Juris Doctorate from Rutgers University School of Law – Camden.  

She enjoys residing now in sunny South Florida with her husband and children after being a life-long resident of the northeastern part of the U.S. 

Mr. Rutter is a Freight Analysis Program Manager for the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. He is leading rail and freight related support tasks for the Texas Department of Transportation. He is supporting a GEC Team for a I-75 commercial vehicle lane project for Georgia DOT, he led the I-10 Connected Corridor project for Arizona DOT and three other state DOTs and led FHWA projects on commercial motor vehicle safety and highway-rail grade crossing safety. He is also on the Committee on the Impact of Trains Longer Than 7,500 Feet for the National Academies of Sciences. 

Mr. Rutter was Federal Railroad Administrator under President George W. Bush and Secretary Norman Y. Mineta from 2001 to 2004, chief executive of the 800 employees of the FRA, responsible for rail safety enforcement and passenger rail funding and policy. As a Senior Associate with Cambridge Systematics, Mr. Rutter led or participated in State Rail Plans in eight states, including California and Texas. Mr. Rutter was chief executive of the North Texas Tollway Authority, collecting quarters for the regional toll road agency in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He also worked for four different Texas Governors and was involved in the first incarnation of high-speed rail in Texas in 1990. His other roles include being a husband for more than 40 years, father to two married daughters and is proudest to be called “Poppy” by his two grandsons.

Nick is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in the railroad industry. Throughout his career, Nick has held leadership positions in both freight and passenger rail operations across the United States.

For the past decade, Nick has been an integral part of Herzog, a leading provider of railroad services. His tenure at Herzog includes his role as General Manager for their operations at Caltrain in the Bay Area. In his current position as Director of Strategic Partnerships at Herzog, based in Fort Worth, Texas, Nick is part of a dynamic team dedicated to delivering elite rail services and innovative solutions. His work focuses on improving railroad operations and safety, ensuring that clients and partners receive top-tier support and service.

Dave is a Detroit native and a BSCE graduate of Michigan Technological University. He was employed by CSX Transportation for 16 years as a Signal Department manager at various locations in the Southeast, lastly as District Signal Engineer in Atlanta. Dave contributed to signal design while managing the reconstruction of the Atlanta-Montgomery signal system that replaced 3-wire line and DC track circuits with electronic wayside and crossing signal track circuits. He supervised employees that installed CSXT equipment defect detectors, and CSXT’s first radio-controlled code line system between Manchester, GA and Birmingham.

Dave is currently employed by Atlas Technical Consultant, where his railroad construction and operations experience bridges differences in railroad and government perspectives. His initial few years’ work after CSXT for Atlas was commuter and intercity rail planning for GDOT.

Dave’s personal knowledge of Georgia railroads and crossings has been especially useful as a Section 130 Program consultant to GDOT the past 19 years. He cultivated an interest in crossing crash data, applying it in support of the Section 130 Program and in a lead role in the preparation of Georgia’s 2011 and 2022 State Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Action Plans. Dave has contributed to various State Rail Plans and led agency or local government studies and projects involving crossings or rail. An avid reader of news, his interests include genealogy, Georgia rail network history, transportation in general, and Georgia state and local governments.