August in Washington is traditionally a quiet time. Not this year, however. (Just ask President Obama, who is trying to vacation amid tense domestic and international situations).Late summer has also been a busy time for the corner offices of two major railroad trade associations. Both
the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association and the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association have long-time leaders that have either left or are leaving shortly.Chuck Emely, who has served as executive director and CEO of AREMA since 1998, has been replaced by Larry Etherton, who has been named interim executive director and CEO. A national search is underway for a permanent replacement.Etherton retired as director of engineering for Norfolk Southern Corp. in 2009. A life member of AREMA, he previously served the association as president from 2007 to 2008. Etherton, who has a Professional Engineer Designation, has served on various AREMA technical committees and has been the chair of the AREMA Conference Operating Committee for many years.It will be interesting to see if the AREMA board selects a professional association leader in the mold of Chuck Emely or a railway engineering type to lead the organization.Linda Bauer Darr will join ASLRRA this fall. Darr, who is president and CEO of the American Moving and Storage Association, will succeed Rich Timmons, who is retiring later this year after leading the association since 2002.Darr is a Washington insider who has been at AMSA since 2007 and has many years of experience in transportation policy, association management and government relations. Her background includes management roles with the major trucking and bus industry trade groups, as well as serving during the Clinton Administration in a senior-level post at the U.S. Department of Transportation.While Darr is not a railroader, she is familiar with railroad issues from her tenure at DOT, which oversees the Federal Railroad Administration. She is the first woman to serve as president of the ASLRRA.Chuck Emely and Rich Timmons were high-profile leaders of their organizations and will be tough acts to follow. I look forward to meeting their successors over the next few months on the rail trade show circuit, which includes annual conferences and regional meetings their associations run.
---By Kathy Keeney
Kathy Keeney is Publisher of the Rail Group. The granddaughter of a railroader, she has been writing about railroads for more than 25 years. She is a past president of The League of Railway Industry Women and served on the board of directors for the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association and for the Washington Chapter of WTS.
Kathy Keeney is Publisher of the Rail Group. The granddaughter of a railroader, she has been writing about railroads for more than 25 years. She is a past president of The League of Railway Industry Women and served on the board of directors for the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association and for the Washington Chapter of WTS.