Ashley Backhus

摘要

Ashley Backhus knew nothing about railroading when TranSystems Corp. hired her five years ago as a business development coordinator. Assigned to the company's Kansas City rail team, Backhus tasked herself with getting to know the industry as quickly as possible. Her desire to learn all things rail led her to the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA), where she joined Committee 14 (Yards and Terminals) and Committee 24 (Education and Training). For the former, she helped redevelop an intermodal seminar; for the latter, she helped set up the Student Speakers program. And this month, she will be installed as secretary of Committee 24. At TranSystems, she set up the company's social media profiles; then she helped rail industry peers connect online by creating Linkedln groups for AREMA members and for short line and regional professionals.