Michelle Bouchard is the first Executive Director of Caltrain, having been unanimously appointed to the position by the Caltrain Board of Directors on November 3, 2022 after serving in an acting capacity since April 2021. Caltrain provides rail service from Gilroy to San Francisco by way of San Jose and the Silicon Valley, serving one of the largest economies in the world with 32 stations including two major intermodal terminals.

Ms. Bouchard has more than 25 years in the transit industry. She also has a long history with Caltrain, having spent more than 20 years in progressively responsible positions. Ms. Bouchard has overseen the implementation of Positive Train Control and completion of the Strategic Business Plan, including a Long Range Service Vision for the railroad. She is currently overseeing a $2.44 billion Electrification project, which will transform Caltrain service as it is completed and in revenue service in 2024.

In 2018, she was recognized by Railway Age Women in Rail, in recognition of her experience, leadership skills, contributions to the industry, and her community service. She serves as Chair of the San Francisco Peninsula Rail Program Executive Steering Committee and Vice Chair of the Commuter Rail Coalition.

Ms. Bouchard holds a BA in Economics from Brown University and an MSc in Urban and Regional Planning from the London School of Economics.

Dave Dech has 30 years of leadership experience in the passenger and freight rail industry. At SFRTA, he serves as the executive director overseeing train and bus operations as well as security and environmental. He is responsible for $110M annual operating budget and $130M capital budget. Dech recently completed and opened the Tri Rail Miami Link over the FEC freight railroad into the Brightline Miami Central Station. He works in close collaboration and partnership with FDOT, CSX, Brightline, Amtrak, FEC as well as Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County Transit agencies.

Previously, Dech was VP of Rails Operations at Capitol Metro Transportation Authority and was an integral member of the team charged with future growth of the commuter and freight rail system in Austin, Texas. He was primarily responsible for ensuring compliance with Title 49 CFR Subtitle B Chapter II regarding Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), AREMA, TXDOT, APTA and Capital Metro rules, regulations and standards pertaining to design construction, test and commissioning.

Dech currently serves as a Member-At-Large of the Commuter Rail Coalition Board of Directors, and has been a member of the Florida Transportation Plan Steering Committee, and the Florida Rail Safety Coalition, and Vice Chair of Florida Operation Lifesaver Governing Board.

Darren Kettle is Chief Executive Officer of Metrolink, Southern California’s regional passenger rail service that provides a safe, easy, affordable, and stress-free alternative to car travel for the more than 18 million residents of the six-county mega-region. He became the Metrolink CEO in September 2021.

Kettle is a life-long Southern Californian and has more than 30 years of experience with local and regional government agencies. Before joining Metrolink, Kettle was the Executive Director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) for 14 years.

Previously, Kettle was with the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) from 2000 through 2007. Early in his SANBAG tenure, Kettle was Director of Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs for both SANBAG and the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC).

Kettle has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master’s in Public Administration from California State University, San Bernardino.

Not long after joining Metrolink as its CEO, the rail agency joined the Commuter Rail Coalition as a full and active member. Since joining, Kettle and the Metrolink team have been active participants in the interests of the Coalition in the areas of regulation, legislative advocacy, and collective conversations related how members adjust their business model to reflect a forever changed “commuter” market. He currently serves as a Member-At-Large of the CRC Board.

Gabriel J. Lopez-Bernal is the President of Icomera NA, bringing over 20 years of experience in civil engineering, urban policy, and planning. His expertise lies in wireless communications and network security in a mobile environment. Gabriel takes a collaborative approach, working closely with public and private transit operators to educate them on sustainable technology investments. In 2019, he secured the largest technology contract for Icomera, showcasing his ability to create value both within and outside his organization.

Before joining Icomera, Gabriel spent eight years with TranSystems, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and The Corradino Group. During this time, he managed clients, developed plans, provided technical support, and worked with federal agencies such as The Federal Transit Administration, Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office, and Federal Railroad Administration.

Gabriel is an active member of the Commuter Rail Coalition where he currently serves as the Affiliate Member Representative on the Board of Directors. He was recognized as a 2021 Mass Transit Magazine 40 Under 40 honoree. He holds a master’s degree in urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida. Gabriel’s dedication to advancing sustainable technology in transportation positions him as a valuable leader in the field.

Otis has been with Aon since 1998 and has served Aon clients as a strategic advisor on complex risks. As global practice leader, Otis has responsibility for thought leadership, product innovation, strategic direction, and financial performance of one of Aon’s oldest industry segment practice groups.

Otis has over thirty-five years of experience in the risk and insurance industry. He has risk management, underwriting, and broking experience. His responsibilities have included P&L management, personnel and client engagement.

From June 2010 to January 2016, Otis was Resident Managing Director at Aon Capital Region. He served as Chief Executive Officer for Capital Region operations and was responsible for all aspects of property and casualty and health and benefits service delivery within the region. Additionally, he oversaw revenue, expense management, recruiting, personnel management, strategic partnerships and alliances, and all mission critical activities related to operations.

From October 2007 to June 2010, Otis was Chief Operating Officer at Aon Capital Region. His responsibilities included leadership of client service model, implementation and management of financial performance metrics, and management of service team platform.

Otis is a member of various industry groups and board member of several charitable organizations. He has also coached youth AAU, club, travel, and house sports. Otis’ special areas of expertise include complex risk analysis, due diligence, alternative risk finance, and complex client management.

Otis is currently a Member-At-Large of the CRC Board of Directors.

For more than thirty years, Kathryn Holmes has served as a strategic advisor to state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, and public transit authorities on business, legal, regulatory, policy, and legislative issues. She has served as legal counsel to transit systems across North America, including service as general counsel to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) (2013 to 2015), one of the nation’s largest public transportation systems with 13,000 employees serving a population of 5 million within a 1,500-square mile jurisdiction in the nation’s capital area, and the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) (1997 to 2005) in Salt Lake City, Utah during a period of explosive growth as UTA transitioned from a company providing bus-only service to a multi-modal agency performing light rail and commuter rail construction and operations.

Over the course of her career, she has worked closely with federal regulators to ensure compliance with all applicable state and federal laws, rules, regulations, and industry and internal standards; has assisted clients with system planning where she advises on matters of governance, board structure, and negotiating cooperative agreements with other transit providers; has been the executive in charge of government affairs responsible for developing legislative strategy to support company objectives; and has been the architect and chief negotiator of complex business transactions including the acquisition of 175 miles of railroad corridor in the State of Utah.

Kathryn currently serves as a Member-At-Large of the CRC Board of Directors and is running for a second term.

A Civil Engineer with more than 40 years of transportation experience, including President of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Long Island Rail Road and Interim President of New York City Transit.

In 2024, under Mr. Eng’s direction, the MBTA completed its ambitious and comprehensive Track Improvement Program to repair track infrastructure across the entire transit system and perform state of good repair work to provide longer term system reliability. More than 200 speed restrictions were eliminated during the aggressive 15‐month program along five subway lines, reducing the percentage of tracks under restriction from 26 percent to zero, and returning an estimated 90 minutes of commuting time to riders.

Mr. Eng began his career in public service in 1983 as a Junior Engineer at the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) where he gained expertise in Structures, Bridge Inspection, Maintenance, and Design and Construction.

During his tenure at NYSDOT, Mr. Eng held positions of increasing leadership culminating as Executive Deputy Commissioner, throughout which he played a vital role improving project delivery for significant projects such as the I‐81 Environmental Impact Study, the Rochester Train Station, and the construction of the new Kosciuszko and Mario M. Cuomo bridges.

Phillip Eng earned his Bachelor of Engineering at Cooper Union and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Mr. Eng is the recipient of the 2025 Engineering Center Education Trust Leadership Award and the 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers, Long Island Branch Government Engineer of the Year Award.

Rob Free was named the 42nd President of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) on April 11, 2024, after a six-month stint as Acting President. Equipped with an extraordinary grasp of rail operations, planning, and customers, Mr. Free has truly built his career from the ground up. He began his time at the LIRR more than 32 years ago as a Station Cleaner and later advanced his way to a variety of mission-critical roles, including progressively responsible management positions.  As Chief Transportation Officer, he was responsible for over 2,000 employees and maintaining efficient systemwide train operations, coordinating the many track outages that allowed significant projects such as Ronkonkoma Branch Double Track and SOGR maintenance to progress. As Senior Vice President -Operations, he was responsible for over 7,000 employees in Rolling Stock Maintenance, Train Movement, Maintenance of Way, Service Planning, Security and Station Operations. Rob led operations through the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring train service for essential workers, and helped advance the Railroad’s epic Capital Program, which included mega projects such as Main Line Third Track and Grand Central Madison Terminal, which resulted in an astounding 40% increase in train service. 

Since assuming the presidency, LIRR has experienced significantly improved customer satisfaction, record levels of performance and ever-increasing ridership. Rob has also improved the safety culture, increased operational efficiencies, and made vast improvements to the customer experience.

Mr. Free also serves on the Board of Directors for the Long Island Association (LIA), the leading business advocacy organization in the region whose members employ two-thirds of Long Island’s workforce.

Dee Leggett, a nationally recognized transit leader, has over 25 years of experience in the planning, development, and operation of public transportation projects across the country. As DART’s Executive Vice President/Chief Development Officer, Dee directs and oversees the Development Department which includes Capital Planning, Service Planning & Scheduling, Engineering & Construction, Real Estate & Economic Development, and Capital Program Support. She is currently serving as the project executive for the Silver Line, a 26-mile commuter rail system connecting into Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, and the agency’s multimodal System Modernization Program. In total, Dee and her team are tasked with executing over $4.5 billion of capital programs over the next five years.

Having worked in both the public and private sector, Ms. Leggett brings a diverse perspective to her role at DART. Prior to joining DART, she served as Hatch LTK’s Vice President for the South-Central Region and Director of Zero Emissions Technology. She has also served as a regional executive with First Transit and as a member of the Executive Leadership Team at Denton County Transportation Authority.

Ms. Leggett has a bachelor’s degree in History/Political Science from Union University in Jackson, TN, and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington. She holds her AICP from the American Planning Association, is a graduate of Leadership APTA, and a 2023 graduate of ENO’s Transportation Senior Executive Program.

Mr. McDonald is the Global Director of Rail Systems and Assurance at Hatch where he leads a team of more than 200 staff across four continents. Throughout his 30 years in the industry, he has had the privilege to successfully lead both large projects and organizations through business transformations and process improvements.

In addition to his day job, Mr. McDonald has tirelessly served the Industry as a driver of innovation and change for more than 24 years in a variety of capacities from committee chair to board member to US Delegate in and for multiple industry associations including APTA, TCRP, and CRC.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago’s Booth School.

In his current role, Rich Andreski is President & Chief Executive Officer for Trinity Metro, an owner and operator of two passenger rail lines and a host railroad for Amtrak. He has 25 years of passenger rail experience with NJ Transit, Connecticut Department of Transportation and Trinity Metro. He has worked closely with Amtrak, Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road, SEPTA, and other commuter railroads throughout his career.

Andreski previously served as the State of Connecticut’s representative to the Northeast Corridor Commission. His involvement with the Commission included negotiating operating and capital cost-sharing agreements between Amtrak and other Northeast states pursuant to the Passenger Rail Investment & Improvement Act of 2008.

Andreski also worked closely with contract commuter rail carriers, Amtrak and rail freight carriers to coordinate passenger rail service initiatives and advance critical capital projects. One notable example was the launch of the Hartford Line intercity passenger rail service between New Haven, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts. The project was funded in large part by the Federal Railroad Administration’s High-Speed Intercity Rail Program, which required extensive collaboration with Amtrak on construction activities as well as fare policy, fare collection, schedules, equipment and customer service. He successfully secured operating rights for the state’s passenger rail operator, Herzog, over the Amtrak-owned line. This partnership yielded very positive results with maximum operating speeds of 110 mph, more frequent train schedules, integrated fares, coordinated marketing and customer service and strong ridership.

Elected to the CRC Board in 2024, Rich’s service continues into 2026.

Mike Noland was appointed President of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, d/b/a the South Shore Line, by its Board of Trustees in October 2014. Noland came to the South Shore Line with over three decades in the railroad industry with extensive, high-paced, commuter railroad experience. Prior to joining the South Shore Line, he worked for 28 years at Metra in Chicago, Illinois. While at Metra he moved to positions of increased responsibility and served as Chief Human Resources Officer, General Counsel, and Deputy Executive Director. Immediately prior to joining the South Shore Line, Noland worked as an executive with a private sector railroad holding company located in Chicago, Illinois with rail operations in 9 states and the United Kingdom.

In his role as President, Noland serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the railroad responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the South Shore Line which runs on a 90-mile route from South Bend, Indiana to Millennium Station in Chicago, Illinois. The South Shore Line is an example of a true Public/Private partnership, hosting a private sector freight rail carrier serving business and industry in Northwest Indiana.

Focusing on world-class customer satisfaction for its nearly 3.5 million annual riders, Noland leads a team of dedicated railroaders who are committed to providing safe, reliable, comfortable and convenient service. Noland has been tasked to implement the Board’s 20 Year Strategic Business Plan designed to reduce travel time, increase frequency and reliability, grow ridership and bring service to underserved areas.

Noland currently resides in Long Beach, Indiana with his wife Carrie, and holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and a Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School.