Join us for an enlightening and empowering symposium designed to deepen your understanding of the rail industry while enhancing your professional development. This year’s event builds on the success of last year’s symposium, where attendees learned to build their personal brand and explore their career possibilities within the rail sector.
Dive into the intricacies of the rail industry with off-site activities and deep-dives into industry topics.
Building on last year’s theme of personal branding, this year’s professional development sessions will focus on:
This symposium is an invaluable opportunity for professionals at all stages of their careers to gain knowledge, develop new skills, and connect with peers and leaders in the rail industry. Don’t miss out on this chance to enhance your career and make a lasting impact in the rail sector.
Registration Info
Member Early Bird Registration (through April 30): $200
Member Regular Registration (May 1 - May 31): $250
Non-member Early Bird Registration (through April 30): $250
Non-member Regular Registration (May 1 - May 31): $300
Keynote Speaker
Janice R. Thomas
Chief of Staff/Deputy Executive Director-Exteral Affairs
Ms. Thomas brings more than 25 years of government experience to her role as Deputy Executive Director, External Affairs, a position she assumed in March 2022. Among her key responsibilities is serving as an effective communicator and strategic advisor and planner to the CEO. Helping to manage the nation’s fourth largest commuter rail system, Ms. Thomas oversees special projects and key initiatives solving complex issues demanding executive leadership.
During her tenure at Metra, which began in 2010, Ms. Thomas has served the agency in a variety of supervisory and managerial positions. Among her many responsibilities, Ms. Thomas currently directs and manages the customer service, media relations, government affairs, community relations, marketing, diversity & business enterprise, strategic planning & programming, grant management and the capital delivery teams for Metra.
Prior to joining Metra, Ms. Thomas served as the minority and female business enterprise coordinator in the purchasing division of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She began her career in 1997 as a compliance coordinator for the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS).
Ms. Thomas holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Chicago State University. She is a certified professional public buyer (CPPB) and a professional member of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP). She is also a graduate of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Leadership Program for executive professionals and a graduate of the Eno Transit Senior Executive Program. November 1, 2022, Ms. Thomas was honored by the House of Representatives of the United States of America with a Congressional Record as a constituent of high distinction for exceptional leadership at Metra as the highest-ranking woman of color in history. Janice was recently recognized, along with nine other women, at the 2024 Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation Awards hosted by The Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) for her outstanding leadership and exemplary dedication to the transportation industry.
Navigating Career Transitions and Hiring Best Practices
Join us for an insightful panel discussion where we explore multiple perspectives of career transitions and hiring processes. This session is designed to provide valuable insights for job seekers, hiring managers/employers and HR professionals. Both sides of the table will be represented as you will hear from experts that will give advice to employers and tips to seekers on best practices for future outlooks.
For Job Seekers:
- What HR Professionals Look For: Understand the key attributes and skills HR professionals prioritize when evaluating candidates.
- Crafting Your Game Plan: Learn how to strategically plan your move to a new role, function, supplier, or company. Discover the interim steps and experiences that can enhance your preparation.
- Selling Yourself: Gain tips on how to effectively market yourself both internally within your current organization and externally to potential employers.
For HR Professionals:
- Optimizing Job Descriptions: Explore best practices for creating clear and compelling job descriptions and postings that attract the right candidates.
- Enhancing Candidate Experience: Delve into the design of hiring processes that ensure a positive candidate experience.
- Behavior-Based Interviewing: Learn how to leverage behavior-based interviewing techniques to identify the best fit for the role.
- Ensuring an Inclusive Candidate Pool: Discuss strategies for widening your candidate pool and the pros and cons of various screening methods.
For Hiring Managers/Employers:
- Successful Storytelling in Interviews: Discover how both employers and candidates can effectively tell their stories during interviews to create a compelling narrative and ensure mutual understanding.
- Engaged Hiring: Learn how a hiring manager actively engages in the hiring process to successfully compete for top talent.
Speakers
Kathleen F. Hepburn, SPHR is an accomplished talent acquisition expert with over 25 years of experience driving impactful hiring strategies across diverse industries, including clinical research, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics. As Senior Manager of Talent at GATX Corporation, Kathleen leads recruitment efforts for a global leader in railcar leasing, ensuring the organization attracts and retains top talent to maintain its competitive edge.
Kathleen is passionate about cultivating inclusive, people-first workplace cultures. Her expertise includes talent engagement and strategic partnerships that align talent initiatives with business goals. Her innovative approaches to recruitment have consistently delivered measurable results, reinforcing her reputation as a trusted leader in the HR and talent acquisition space.
Dedicated to fostering community and organizational growth, Kathleen co-chairs the Women in Leadership Group and is a founding member of the Veterans’ Employee Resource Group at GATX. She actively collaborates with community-based organizations to build strong talent pipelines. In addition to her professional endeavors, she serves as board secretary for her local community arts organization, exemplifying her commitment to creating meaningful connections inside and outside the workplace.
Allow Yourself to be More Known: How, Where, and When to Tell Your Story
What if you could connect more powerfully and drive better results? In this engaging 90-minute professional development experience, PR & Communications expert Tamara Edwards will guide you towards the exact strategy and tactics to intentionally expand your visibility. Discover how to confidently share your story, move beyond familiar territory, and amplify your impact.
Tamara Edwards is a dynamic entrepreneur specializing in PR, Personal Branding, and Communications. As a sought-after speaker, podcaster, and soon-to-be author, Tamara empowers professionals and businesses to achieve expansive growth through strategic visibility initiatives.
Tamara got her start reporting directly to a U.S. Congressman in Washington, D.C., first in an administrative capacity, and later on in an expanded communications role. Tamara would go on to found her own consulting company, TE&Co., to bridge the gap between the individual perspective and measurable business outcomes.
Today, industry, political, and civic leaders — including family offices, investors, and world leading venture capitalists — turn to Tamara as a trusted advisor to concept, build, and develop highly effective visibility initiatives designed to shape the landscape of public discourse.
Through her signature program, Personal Brand in a Box, Tamara has served hundreds of busy founders, entrepreneurs, and professionals in their effort to create awareness around their biggest and best ideas.
Tamara believes that personal branding is the highest form of self expression and it is essential to all great business models.
Whether it be finding ways to strengthen America’s national security, maintaining a pulse on cutting-edge technology solutions, or solving real time problems for the American public (such as affordable housing), chances are Tamara is somwehere behind the scenes, threading the needle of visibility, awareness, and lasting change.
