Presentation #1
Title: Submitting a Winning AREMA Scholarship Application
Presenter: Charley Chambers, Senior Railroad Consultant
Description: This presentation will provide students information on how to submit their scholarship application to improve their chances of receiving an award. Items to be discussed are: history of the program, how the applications are judged, judges tips and insights, chances of winning a scholarship (about 1 in 3 now), challenges to both the students and student chapters to submit more applications, and the upcoming changes to the scholarship program.
Bio: Charley Chambers attended the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology where he received his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1969. He has over 50 years of railroad related experience. Charley has gained engineering skills and practical knowledge from his time spent with the Montana Rail Link and Milwaukee Road organizations. While working for railroad related construction firms he gained experience as track superintendent, project engineer, and senior estimator. Charley joined Hanson Professional Services in 1997 as Senior Railroad Engineer working in the Bellevue, Washington office on projects involving railroad engineering, and construction engineering management. He retired from Hanson as Regional Vice President in 2017. Charley has been a member of AREMA Committee 24 Education and Training for over 48 years and is a past chairman. The AREMA Practical Guide to Railway Engineering was developed while he was the chairman of the committee. He also has served as a member of AREMA’s Board of Directors.
Presentation #2
Title: Careers in the Railroad Industry
Presenters: Jennifer Esola, BNSF, Manager Engineering Administration and Bill Hjelholt, HDR, Inc., Freight Rail Market Sector Director
Description: Two career railroad industry professionals will provide an overview of the various opportunities for college graduates within the railroad industry. The presentation will cover descriptions of the different departments within a Class I railroad and the types of career paths available. The discussion will also include perspectives on working for a consulting firm serving railroads, public agencies, and private entities. The presentation’s goal is to cement each student’s commitment to remaining within the railroad industry! We’re Recruiting!!
Bios: Jennifer Esola attended Texas Woman's University where she received her bachelor’s degree in English and Education. Currently she is attending Texas Christian University where she is attaining her MBA. Shortly after beginning a career in teaching, Jennifer decided that she wanted to change career paths and pursued a career at BNSF Railway. Jennifer has been at BNSF for 6 years and has held various roles. She began as a union employee in a clerical position where she was responsible for updating train reporting. After a year, she moved into an exempt role where she supported construction products customers and then agricultural customers. From there, she moved to the technology training team where she was responsible for training NextGen projects to BNSF employees and contractors. In her current role, Jennifer is responsible for recruiting, hiring, and mentoring new Engineering employees in the Management Trainee and Intern programs.