On Thursday, March 13 at 11:30 am, the WTS-Boston Programs Committee will be hosting a Luncheon Seminar, on the Rail Renaissance: Strategies for Growth in Rail, featuring Amtrak Executive Vice President, Jennifer Mitchell, and MassDOT Rail and Transit Administrator, Meredith Slesinger. The speakers will share the strategic vision for rail growth, how New England state supported routes complement the Northeast Corridor, and how partnerships support the increase levels of service over time considering rail infrastructure, fleet, labor, and different owners and operators.
Registration for this event will close on Tuesday, March 4th or earlier once the venue reaches capacity. This event is Non-Refundable, and no shows will be billed. When registering, please note Member pricing is for Individual Memberships, not Company Sponsors.
Speakers
Jennifer Mitchell is Executive Vice President, Strategy & Planning at Amtrak. She joined Amtrak in December 2024 and is responsible for setting the long-term strategic vision for the company, which includes a goal to double ridership by 2040 by attracting more riders and serving new communities. Her portfolio includes the Planning, Infrastructure Access, State Partner, Network Development and Host Railroad functions. From April 2022 through November 2024, she served as deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), providing executive leadership and direction on agency operations and policy matters, including safety and rail development activities. Prior to moving to the FRA, Jennifer served as director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) for eight years. At DRPT, she led a team that developed a groundbreaking public-private partnership to expand passenger rail capacity in the fast-growing Richmond-Washington corridor and advanced planning and construction of a new Long Bridge across the Potomac River to relieve a critical freight and passenger rail bottleneck. Jennifer has served on various boards and commissions, including the VPRA, American Public Transportation Association and the Women’s Transportation Seminar International. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of City Planning from the University of Virginia and a Master of Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Meredith Slesinger joined MassDOT in August 2020 and serves as the Rail and Transit Administrator. The Rail & Transit Division oversees the Commonwealth’s passenger and freight rail programs and the 15 Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) which provide fixed route and demand response bus service outside Greater Boston. Under Meredith’s leadership the Rail & Transit Division launched Compass Rail, a long-term vision for intercity passenger rail in the Commonwealth which includes growing existing service on the north-south Knowledge Corridor and future west-east service between Boston and Albany. She led a successful partnership with Amtrak and CSX to win a $108 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration which will enable two daily Amtrak roundtrips between Boston, Springfield, and New Haven. This effort was recognized by WTS-Boston for its Innovative Transportation Solutions earlier this year. Prior to joining MassDOT, she was the senior director of strategic planning at Amtrak and earlier served as director of policy and outreach at the Northeast Corridor Commission. Born in Washington, DC, she graduated from New York University and lives in Boston.