2024 DRSC Safety Summit
Speakers
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Mayor Rodney S. CraigMayor, Village of Hanover ParkMayor Rodney S. Craig has served as the Village President of Hanover Park since 2007, and is now in his fifth term. Prior to his election as Village President, he served as a Village Trustee from 2001 to 2007. In 2013, Craig was elected to the Illinois Municipal League Board, a statewide organization representing 1,294 municipalities. In 2014, he was appointed to the Metra Board of Directors by the suburban members of the Cook County Board where he serves as Director and Secretary on the commuter rail agency’s board. Craig also serves as the elected President of the Northwest Municipal Conference, serving the needs of local governments through a variety of policy initiatives, programs and services that address regional issues. He serves on their Executive Committee and is past co-chair of their Transportation Committee. Craig also serves on the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and is co-chair of their Diversity Committee and member of the Regional Economic Development Committee. Craig also served as Past President of the DuPage Mayor & Managers Conference where he chaired the Inter-Governmental Committee with DuPage County for 10 years. Craig first entered public service when he was appointed a trustee of the Hanover Park Fire Protection District in 1995. In 1999, he became the fire protection district president. In June of 2000, he provided leadership in the transition from a fire district to a municipal fire department, removing a taxing body and was recognized as Citizen of the Year. He and his family have resided in Hanover Park since 1974 following Craig’s six-year tour of duty in the United Stated Navy including three tours in Vietnam. Upon leaving the Navy, he
worked on systems operations with the Federal Aviation Administration in Air Traffic Control. He retired as Manager of Operations with 39 years of public service in 2009. -
Brian VercruysseRail Safety Program Administrator, Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC)Brian Vercruysse is the Rail Safety Program Administrator with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). He started with the ICC in 2000, and is responsible for managing the Commission’s Inspection, Rail Safety Education & Outreach, and Crossing Safety Improvement Programs. Prior to the Commission, Brian worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation from 1992 to 2000. Brian is a Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois and graduated from Purdue University in 1994. Brian lives in the Village of Lombard and has enjoyed his service to all areas of the State of Illinois.
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US Rep. Jesús G. “Chuy” GarcíaUnited States RepresentativeIn 2019, U.S. Representative Jesús G. “Chuy” García became the first Mexican American from the Midwest to serve in Congress. Throughout his time in public service, he's been a progressive voice fighting to improve conditions for immigrant and working-families through equitable access to quality education, affordable housing, and economic opportunity. Drawing on his history working with Mayor Harold Washington and Rudy Lozano, he is a coalition builder committed to empowering the next generation of progressive leaders. Currently, he serves on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and the House Judiciary Committee, and is Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
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Linnea WilsonReverend, Evangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaReverend Linnea Wilson has been an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for almost twenty-five years. Though ‘mostly’ retired, her professional joy continues to be teaching about the love of God reflected in each of us. When not filling in for her colleagues when they are away from their congregations, Rev. Wilson enjoys trying out new recipes on her husband, Lanny, a willing guinea pig; recent ventures into vegetarian cooking have met with mixed results! Having lost the ‘battle-of-the-rabbits’ in her garden, she is spending more leisure time reading novels from the New York Times best seller list and writing letters to far-flung friends. Rev. Wilson is pleased to be here today as you do the important work of saving lives.
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Dr. Lanny WilsonDRSC ChairmanDr. Lanny F. Wilson grew up in rural, Western Kentucky near the small town of Fancy Farm. He was valedictorian of his graduating class in 1968 and received a scholarship to attend Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Dr. Wilson received his B.A. in Psychology (1972) and M.D. at Northwestern’s Chicago campus (1975). His Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology was at Loyola University in Maywood, Illinois (1975 – 1979).
Dr. Wilson practiced Obstetrics and Gynecology in Hinsdale, Illinois beginning in 1980. During his career, Dr. Wilson delivered more than 6,000 babies while performing all of the other duties of an Ob/Gyn practice. Since his retirement, he has been Dean of Clinical Sciences for Avalon University School of Medicine. Dr. Wilson has held positions as President and Chairman of the Board for the DuPage County Medical Society and was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Illinois State Medical Society for nine years. Dr. Wilson has been on the DuPage County Board of Health since 2001, and has been its Vice President for most of those years. In 2022, he became a Board member of the Coalition for Physician Well-being.
Over the thirty-years since its inception in 1994, Dr. Wilson has chaired the DuPage Railroad Safety Council (DRSC). His daughter, Lauren, had been killed at a railroad crossing in Hinsdale, Illinois on March 2, 1994 and his Railroad Safety Advocacy began shortly thereafter. In 2006, Lanny received the Dr. Gary Burch Memorial Safety Award, presented at the annual reception of the National Association of Railroad Passengers in Washington, D.C.; and in 2016, he received the National Operation Lifesaver Safety Champion Award at the Operation Lifesaver Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
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Jake RzewnickiPublic Projects Manager, BNSF Railway, Cook County Trespass Prevention Program (CRISI)Jake Rzewnicki is a Manager Public Projects at BNSF Railway out of Kansas City. He graduated with an Industrial Engineering degree from Kansas State University and an MBA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has been with BNSF for 7 years including 3 years in his current role as Manager Public Projects covering a 3 state area of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. In this role he helps communities and public agencies coordinate, plan, and implement construction and improvement projects that may involve the Railroad. Recently, that role has expanded to assist with State and Federal Grant efforts and he has taken a special interest in in trespasser prevention. Jake is a member on the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Standing Committee on Highway/Rail Grade Crossings while also participating on the Joint Subcommittee on Railroad Trespass & Suicide Prevention.
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Danielle HiltunenEngineering Research Psychologist, Transportation Human Factors, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center Human Factors DivisionDanielle Hiltunen is an Engineering Psychologist in the Human Factors Division at the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she has worked to help improve safety across transportation modes for almost 20 years. She has been a member of the trespass and suicide prevention research team since 2014 where she closely collaborates with her team, FRA, rail carriers, and other stakeholders to improve our understanding of what may be done to help reduce the frequency of these events and mitigate their impact on rail workers and communities. When she is not conducting research at Volpe, Danielle is also a practicing mental health clinician. She brings her human factors and clinical mental health expertise to several national and international working groups dedicated to both suicide and trespass prevention.
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Katherine (Kate) ElkinsDirector, EMS Division, Office of Health Security, Department of Homeland SecurityKate works is the Director of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division in the Office of Health Security at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The EMS Division supports the EMS clinicians and programs in all the components of DHS. Before this role she worked for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) and the National 911 Program. She has a background spanning over two decades in EMS, disaster response, public health and injury prevention.
Kate has a Master of Public Health degree from Hopkins with a focus on epidemiology and injury prevention. She completed the Key Executive Leadership Certificate from American University in 2021. Kate is currently a DrPH student with a focus on health policy and a Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow at Johns Hopkins.
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Monica ShawTransportation Specialist, Federal Railroad Administration Office of SafetyMonica Shaw is a Transportation Specialist with the Federal Railroad Administration’s Office of Railroad Safety with a tenure of 37 years with the Federal Railroad Administration. In her role, she coordinates the agency’s efforts to implement trespass prevention programs nationwide working closely with federal, state, and local government officials. Monica oversees the Operation Lifesaver Inc. Grant, FRA’s Law Enforcement and Suicide Grant Programs ensuring their successful execution and effectiveness. Additionally, Monica is a Federal Acquisition Certified Contractor Officer Representative-Level 2 and serves as a Collateral Duty Equal Employment Opportunity Counselor. Monica holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
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Lori CarnahanDeputy Director of Behavioral Health, DuPage County Health DepartmentLori Carnahan is a Deputy Director at the DuPage County Health Department, responsible for all behavioral health services. She joined the Health Department in 2011 and has over 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field. Within her role, Lori provides strategic vision and leadership on all mental health and substance use programs and initiatives in the organization. She holds a co-chair position on the Behavioral Health Collaborative (BHC). In this role, she helps lead collaborative efforts with community stakeholders to enhance the accessibility and quality behavioral health services for all DuPage County residents. Lori’s involvement extends further as a board member of the Community Behavioral Health Association (CBHA). Most notably, Lori has been leading the efforts to expand the crisis services system in DuPage County. The expansion will allow residents, both adults and youth, to have somewhere to go when they are experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis. This expansion will allow for a more robust continuum of crisis services available in the community, ensuring a more comprehensive and responsive set of services for those in need.
Lori is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. She is a graduate of Illinois State University and earned a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from Lewis University.
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Joe MeadeDirector of Safety, BrightlineJoe Meade, a seasoned transportation professional with nearly 50 years in the railroad industry, is the Director of Safety for Brightline Florida Railroad. In this role, he played a pivotal role in developing Emergency Action Plans and ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal rail safety laws. Mr. Meade is the key liaison with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), overseeing incident responses and compliance with FRA regulations. His extensive background includes serving as an FRA Railroad Operating Practice Safety Inspector and a successful four-decade career at NJ TRANSIT, where he rose to the position of General Superintendent. Beyond rail, Mr. Meade brings 25 years of Level III Firefighter experience in New Jersey, contributing to the establishment of railroad emergency response programs.
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Todd NahigianCommittee Representing Our Young Adults (CROYA) Manager, Village of Lake Forest, ILTodd grew up in Northfield and attended Glenbrook South High School. He studied Psychology at Miami University (Ohio), and earned his Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, now Argosy University. Todd began working at CROYA as the High School Youth Worker in 1995 and became the Assistant Director of CROYA in 2000. Todd and his wife Amy have twin daughters (Addison & Brooke). Todd is an avid Cubs fan and still plays on a men’s baseball team in Chicago. On working at CROYA, Todd says he “most enjoys working with youth to provide them with opportunities where they can feel good about themselves as a person. Adolescence is a challenging time. Anything I can do to help kids in their social-emotional development is rewarding to me.”
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Kris HabermehlReporter, CBS News ChicagoHabermehl returned to CBS News Chicago in March, 2022. Kris is CBS News Chicago’s eye in the sky from Skywatch, providing traffic reports during the morning news and following breaking news from the air all day long. He’s a five-time Emmy Award winner, a licensed pilot and a lieutenant and training officer at the Kirkland Fire Department. Habermehl has been a pilot since he was a young boy. Habermehl is known for his voice and incredible range of knowledge, not to mention his pristine attention to detail. CBS News Chicago’s Ed Curran put it, “Kris doesn’t just tell you there’s a fire; he tells you what’s burning by the color of the
smoke.” -
Scott Gabree, Ph.D.Engineering Psychologist, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center Human Factors DivisionScott Gabree is the manager of the grade crossing safety and trespass prevention research program for the Human Factors Division at the Volpe Center. Scott joined the Volpe Center in 2009 and has worked across all modes of transportation. Since 2011 Scott has focused the majority of his effort on railroad safety and trespass and suicide prevention. Alongside an amazing team at Volpe and with consistent FRA support, Scott has helped to build a research program that continues to advance our knowledge about how to effectively prevent railroad trespassing and suicide events and mitigate the impacts of these incidents on railroad staff. Scott has a PhD in Psychology from Northeastern University and lives just outside Boston, Massachusetts.
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Ian Savage, Ph.D.Professor of Instruction; Associate Department Chair; Director, Transportation and Logistics Program, Northwestern UniversityIan Savage has been a member of the faculty of both the Department of Economics and the Transportation Center at Northwestern University since 1986. His research has been concentrated in two areas: urban public transportation, and transportation safety. He has published widely on the economics of transit finances and operations. He has conducted research into the safety performance, and the effectiveness of safety regulations, in most modes of transportation — with particular emphasis on the trucking and railroad industries.
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Michail GrizkewitschTransportation Analyst, Federal Railroad Administration Office of SafetyMichail Grizkewitsch is a Transportation Specialist with FRA. Mike has been with FRA since 2004 and together, we coordinate the agency’s involvement in trespass prevention programs, partner with federal, state, and local government officials throughout the United States to establish and implement trespass prevention programs.
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Hilary KonczalChief Regulatory Compliance Officer, MetraHilary Konczal serves as Metra’s Chief Regulatory Compliance Officer. He has over 34 years of service with Metra and has an extensive background in safety, environmental compliance, industrial hygiene, railroad operations, regulatory compliance and security. Hilary is responsible for establishing, monitoring, and ensuring regulatory compliance which governs the safe operation of the railroad across all Metra’s operating departments, issuing directives and procedures, overseeing and coordinating Metra’s participation and involvement in Federal and State regulatory committees and meetings, as well as coordinating formal communication with regulators and conducting Executive and Board briefings.
He is an Associate Instructor for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Transportation Safety Institute, on the Board of Directors for the World Safety Organization (WSO), Board of Director for the DuPage Railroad Safety Council, Board of Director for Operation Lifesaver – Illinois Chapter, and past Chair of the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Commuter Rail Safety and Security Sub-Committee. He is a member of the FRA Railroad Safety Advisory Committee, and the American Association of Railroads Safety and Operations Committee. He is certified by the World Safety Organization as a Certified Safety and Security Director (CSSD-WSO), Certified Safety Manager (CSM-WSO) and Certified Safety Technician (CST-WSO).
DRSC 2024 Summit Presentations
Click on the presentations to download them
Panel 1: Pedestrian Issues – How They are Changing
Panel 2: How a Community Responds to a Rail Tragedy
Panel 3: Pedestrian Issues – How are We Reacting
