2025 NRC ANNUAL CONFERENCE & NRC-REMSA EXHIBITION
Join LRW as we present our Woman of the Year award on January 8 and for two educational presentations:
Session 1
Date: January 6, 2:00 p.m.
Title: Leading with Purpose: How to Attract, Retain, and Grow the Next Generation of Railroaders
Moderator: Andrea Niethold, Head of U.S. Public and Government Affairs, CN
Panelists:
- Michele Malski, Founder and President, SPRING Recruiting
- Arielle Giordano, Vice President, Government and Industry Affairs, G&W Inc.
- Jim Hansen, CCO, Herzog
This panel discussion will thoroughly analyze current railroad workforce trends and provide valuable insights into effective strategies for attracting and retaining top talent, particularly during times of organizational change. Join us for an engaging discussion on long-term talent acquisition and retention strategies, the consequences of losing top talent, navigating change within our organizations and industry, and the role of leadership in driving success.
Moderator
Andrea Niethold
Head of U.S. Public and Government Affairs, CN
Andrea Waldock Niethold is the Director of U.S. Government Affairs at CN. Based in Washington, D.C., Ms. Waldock Niethold engages with federal lawmakers and regulators on issues important to CN and the freight railroad industry.
In 2020, Ms. Waldock Niethold founded and now chairs the Women’s Employee (WE) Resource Group (ERG) at CN, and she is currently co-chair of the League of Railway Women Events Committee. In 2021, Ms. Waldock Niethold was named a Rising Star by Progressive Railroading Magazine.
Ms. Waldock Niethold has a decade worth of experience working in various legislative capacities on Capitol Hill. Before joining CN, she served as Chief of Staff to a former senior member of the House Railroad Subcommittee.
Ms. Waldock Niethold holds an A.B.D. and a Master’s Degree in Education Policy and Administration from the Catholic University of America and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Butler University in Indianapolis, IN. She currently lives in Washington, DC with her husband and three young sons.
Panelists
Michele Malski
Founder and President, SPRING
Michele Malski, a second-generation railroader, graduated from Cornell University with a major in Industrial Labor Relations and obtained her MBA with Quantic School of Business and Technology in Washington, DC. Malski also retains a certification in Inclusion and Diversity from the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM). Throughout her education, she focused her experience in rail early on with various rail internships with Bombardier Transportation in Berlin, Germany, the Government Relations team with Amtrak in Washington, DC, as well as the Human Resources department with Norfolk Southern, in Norfolk, VA.
She began her career learning from the ground up. She started as a Management Trainee with BNSF, becoming a Trainmaster on the Montana Division in Minot, North Dakota. Michele preceded her experience with Canadian Pacific as a Division Trainmaster in Binghamton, NY, spanning a territory of over 400 miles. From CP, Michele pursued an opportunity to learn more about passenger way of life with Bombardier Transportation in Baltimore, MD. Malski then joined the ASLRRA’s Short Line Safety Institute where she led the team’s educational programs and hazmat training. Michele is now the Founder and President of Succession Planning for Railroads Investing in the Next Generation or SPRING, a recruiting and retention organization dedicated to rail industry employers. She continues to dedicate her energy to helping the rail renaissance find the next generation of railroaders. She is the Director at Large for the board of the League of Railway Women and a Board Member of the Transportation Club of Kansas City.
Arielle Giordano
Vice President of Government & Industry Affairs for U.S. operations at G & W
Jim Hansen
CCO of Herzog
Session 2
Date: January 6, 3:00 p.m.
Title: Maximizing Opportunities: WBE/DBE Goals in the Rail Industry
Moderator: Maggie Vuono, President, TraConcepts, LLC.
Panelists:
- Andrea Oswald, General Director, Strategic Sourcing, Union Pacific
- Bruce Marinchek, Sr. Vice President, Pre-Construction Delivery, National Construction, Herzog
- Linda Laurello, Chief Executive Officer, Delta Railroad Services
Through open dialogue with an informed panel of industry experts, we will discuss best practices for achieving diversity benchmarks in rail project procurement.
Topics will include navigating the challenges of meeting regulatory requirements on federally funded contracts, enhancing supplier diversity and creating partnerships that benefit both the prime contractor and certified WBE/DBEs. Attendees will gain insight on the increasing demands of meeting these goals and have the opportunity to engage with panelists through an interactive Q&A.
Maggie Vuono
President, TraConcepts, LLC.
Maggie embarked on her railway career nineteen years ago with the Rail Division of the LB Foster Company. Over the years, she has held various roles in Sales, Marketing, and Operations within the railroad industry, working with notable companies such as Atlas Railroad Construction, RailWorks, Holland, and RailPod. Her efforts have significantly contributed to increasing sales and expanding client portfolios, including adding over 50 clients at one organization.
In 2023, Maggie launched TraConcepts, a consulting firm specializing in Marketing and Business Development. TraConcepts provides a range of services to Contractors, Manufacturers, and Railroads, including Market Research, Contract Management, Grant Writing, and Diversity Management. The firm is also certified in 23 states for Diversity (D/W/M/SBE). Maggie established TraConcepts to deliver substantial value to the industry, particularly in meeting evolving Diversity goals, leveraging her extensive experience.
As an accomplished leader, Maggie boasts a track record of delivering results through effective operational and project management. She excels in mediation, business development, revenue growth, and cost reduction without compromising performance or quality. Known for her exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, Maggie is dedicated to her clients with a strong work ethic and self-motivation.
Maggie serves as a Board Member and as the Scholarship & Education Chair for the NRC and is active in AREMA, ASLRRA, and LRW. She holds a BA in Marketing and an MS in Business & Leadership.
In her leisure time, Maggie enjoys beach outings, kayaking, and golfing with her husband, Mark. She is part of a blended family with seven children and eleven grandchildren. Maggie is also a dedicated church volunteer and has been involved with Autism Speaks for over 20 years.
Panelists
Linda Laurello
CEO, Delta Railroad Services
Linda Laurello assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of Delta Railroad Services in the summer of 2024. Prior to becoming CEO, Linda served in various C-level and leadership roles within the organization for over 20 years, including Chief Operations Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and in Contracts and Project Management roles, to name a few.
Linda’s vision for the “next generation” of Delta Railroad Services will focus on innovation, expansion and visibility, and continuing the legacy of excellence in client services, a tradition that started with her great grandfather, Cosmo Anthony Laurello, the founder of the company. What started in 1957 as a small railroad construction business has expanded to be one of the top tier railroad construction companies in North America.
In 2014, Linda was recognized by the National Association of Professional Women as the “VIP Professional Woman of the Year for leadership in business.”
Linda holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from John Carroll University and her MBA with a Concentration in Finance from Northeastern University.
As a civic leader, Linda serves in several leadership, advisory, and Board level positions advocating for community-centric organizations, FSH Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD), and more. When Linda is not working, she is spending gaining new experiences with her immediate and extended family, her three children, and two dogs.
Bruce Marinchek
Sr. Vice President, Pre-Construction Delivery, National Construction, Herzog
Bruce brings 26 years of experience managing the development of construction cost estimates for commuter rail, light rail transit, heavy rail, and streetcar projects. He has developed cost estimates for 20+ collaborative delivery projects representing nearly $10B in rail transit scope. Bruce is highly pro?cient at pricing all features of a project from the track, bridge structures, signals, and other scope packages.
Bruce has led cost-estimating teams in the development of seven CMGC projects with a progressive cost and schedule-build up. Under Bruce’s estimating leadership, his cost teams have always reached a ?nal negotiated GMP with owners. He participates in discipline task groups and leads the efforts to complete scope de?nitions, create the work breakdown structure, prepare open book cost estimates, complete constructability analysis, value engineering (VE), design review, and development of GMP estimates. Bruce has led both CMGC and design-build pursuits and possesses a solid understanding of the collaboration required between owner, designer, ICE, and contractor to succeed throughout the iterative preconstruction design process.
Andrea Oswald
General Director, Strategic Sourcing, Union Pacific
Andrea Oswald is the General Director – Strategic Sourcing at Union Pacific Railroad, a position she has held since July 2023. In her position, Oswald and her team source materials and services for locomotives, railcars, intermodal/automotive ramps, and maintenance & repair operations (MRO), which totals ~$2.3 billion in annual spending. In addition, Oswald manages the procurement team’s sustainability initiatives and serves as a liaison to the corporate Sustainability team.
Oswald began her career with Union Pacific in 2003. She held positions throughout the Finance Department including in Corporate Audit, Capital Planning, and Accounting before moving to the Supply Chain Department in December 2019. While in Supply Chain, she led the Supplier Diversity program and grew diverse supplier spending nearly 100% during her tenure to over $800 million. She is a graduate of UP’s Leadership Development Program and is an active member of LEAD, UP’s women’s initiative.
Outside of Union Pacific, Oswald serves on the Dean’s Young Alumni Board of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business and the Omaha Children’s Museum Board of Directors.
Oswald graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. She enjoys spending time with her family, including her husband Ryan and daughters Lauren (11) and Sloane (9), reading, playing golf, and dominating her fantasy football leagues.
The 2025 NRC Annual Conference will be held at the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort in Marco Island, Florida, January 5 through 8, 2025.
