Executive Profiles
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James R. Young Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer |
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Vice Chairman |
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Dennis J. Duffy Vice Chairman, Operations |
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Executive Vice Presidents |
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Robert M. Knight, Jr. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
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John J. Koraleski Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales |
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Senior Vice Presidents |
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Charles R. Eisele Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning & Administration |
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Lynden Tennison Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer |
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J. Michael Hemmer Senior Vice President, Law and General Counsel |
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Robert W. Turner Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations |
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Barbara W. Schaefer Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Corporate Secretary |
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Vice Presidents |
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Mary S. Jones Vice President and Treasurer |
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Mike Rock Vice President, External Relations |
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Richard R. McClish Vice President, Continuous Improvement |
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William R. (Rick) Turner Vice President, Labor Relations |
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Joseph E. O'Connor, Jr. Vice President, Purchasing |
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James R. Young, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
James R. Young is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Union Pacific Corporation. He was elected chairman in January 2007, and president and chief executive officer in November 2005. Prior to these appointments, Young was president and chief operating officer of Union Pacific Railroad, a position he was elected to in January 2004. He was elected a director of Union Pacific Corporation in February 2005.
Young began his railroad career with Union Pacific in 1978 and has held a variety of management positions. In 1995, he was named vice president, Re-engineering and Design, and in 1997, vice president, Customer Service Planning and Quality. Young was named senior vice president and corporate treasurer of Union Pacific Corporation in 1998, senior vice president, Finance and corporate controller in March 1999, and chief financial officer of Union Pacific Corporation in December 1999.
Young is a member and past chairman of the board for both the Association of American Railroads and the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. In 2008, he was chairman of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. Young is on the boards of the FXE Railroad in Mexico, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Joslyn Art Museum and Creighton University. He also was chairman of the 2008 Salvation Army Tree of Lights campaign.
Young is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Executive Vice Presidents
Dennis J. Duffy, Vice Chairman – Operations
Dennis J. Duffy was named vice chairman – Operations for Union Pacific Railroad in January 2010. In his position, Duffy is responsible for the operation of more than 3,000 trains operating daily throughout 23 western states. He is in charge of all transportation services, including management and maintenance of locomotives, rail cars, tracks, train dispatching and crew calling.
Duffy began working at the railroad in 1973, and has held numerous positions in Operating, Finance, and Marketing and Sales. From September 1998 through December 2009, he held the position of Executive Vice President - Operations. Previously, he had been Senior Vice President - Customer Service Planning and Delivery, directing the overall design and development of the company’s service network. This position included responsibility for the company’s National Customer Service Center (NCSC) in St. Louis, freight car distribution, service design and network planning.
Duffy also was Vice President - Quality, and was a member of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiners, serving as an examiner and senior examiner.
A graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, Duffy also attended UNO Graduate School and completed the Management Development Program at Harvard University.
Robert M. Knight, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Robert M. Knight, Jr. was named chief financial officer of Union Pacific Corporation in February 2004. In his position, he is responsible for all financial activities of both the corporation and Union Pacific Railroad.
Knight began his career with Union Pacific Corporation in 1980 and has held a variety of positions including serving as vice president and general manager - Energy and vice president and general manager - Automotive. In February 2002, Knight was named senior vice president - Finance of Union Pacific Corporation, the position he held before his election to his current position.
He is a member of the Grupo Ferroviario Mexicana and TTX Company boards of directors.
Knight holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Illinois University.
John J. Koraleski, Executive Vice President – Marketing and Sales
John J. Koraleski was named executive vice president - Marketing and Sales of Union Pacific in March 1999. In his position, Koraleski is responsible for Union Pacific’s six major business units: agriculture, automobiles, chemicals, energy, industrial products and intermodal. Collectively, the business units account for nearly $16 billion in annual revenue. He also oversees the railroad’s National Customer Service Center.
Since joining the railroad in 1972, Koraleski has held a number of executive positions including controller of Union Pacific Corporation and executive vice president - Finance and chief financial officer of Union Pacific Railroad, the positions he held before his current appointment. He also has held positions in the railroad’s Information Technologies, Real Estate and Administrative departments.
Additionally, Koraleski is Chairman of the board of directors of Bridges Investment Fund, a member of the national advisory committee for the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and honorary member of the board of directors of the Nebraska Methodist Hospital and the Nebraska Methodist Hospital Foundation. He also serves on the advisory board of the YWCA and has sponsored the Union Pacific YWCA campaign drive for more than 21 years.
Koraleski earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Senior Vice Presidents
Charles R. Eisele, Senior Vice President – Strategic Planning & Administration
Charles R. Eisele was appointed senior vice president – Strategic Planning & Administration in September 2001. In his position, Eisele is responsible for strategic planning and business development at Union Pacific Corporation and its subsidiary companies. Eisele also is responsible for Union Pacific's Executive Department and all its related functions, and he serves as Chief of Staff to the Chairman and CEO. Prior to Eisele's appointment to senior vice president - Strategic Planning, he spent two years as vice president - Human Resources and three years as vice president - Supply.
Eisele joined Union Pacific Railroad in 1978 as a senior analyst in Strategic Planning. Over the next several years, he held a number of positions in Finance, Accounting, Planning and Analysis, Management Systems and the Executive Department.
Prior to joining Union Pacific, Eisele spent five years with CONSAD Research Corporation and one year with the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Eisele has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in transportation from Michigan State University, and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
J. Michael Hemmer, Senior Vice President – Law and General Counsel
J. Michael Hemmer was named senior vice president – Law, and general counsel of Union Pacific Corporation and Union Pacific Railroad in June 2004. Hemmer joined Union Pacific in 2002 as vice president – Law. Prior to his appointment, Hemmer was a partner at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., specializing in transportation law.
Hemmer joined Covington & Burling immediately after law school, and during his 26 years with the firm, served in a number of capacities, including managing partner for legal personnel and for information services. He also was involved in most of the major railroad merger proceedings that took place after 1980, and in dozens of other regulatory matters affecting the transportation industry. Hemmer's clients included Union Pacific, the Association of American Railroads, rail industry groups, CSXT, Triple Crown, the Transtar railroads, and Amtrak. He also represented the Penn Central trustees during that railroad's reorganization, and worked on regulatory and antitrust matters for United Airlines.
Hemmer began his association with the railroad industry after high school when he worked in various operating positions for Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad; The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway; and Southern Pacific Transportation Company.
He received a bachelor's degree from Stanford University in 1971 and a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall) in 1976, both with honors.
Barbara W. Schaefer, Senior Vice President – Human Resources and Corporate Secretary
Barbara W. Schaefer was named senior vice president, Human Resources for Union Pacific Corporation in April 1997, and corporate secretary for Union Pacific Corporation in June 2004. Prior to joining Union Pacific in 1981, Schaefer was an attorney in private practice in Omaha.
Schaefer is a member of the board of trustees of the Weitz Funds, a mutual fund company. She is active in the community and has served as a board member of many non-profit organizations. She is currently vice chairman of the board of Children’s Hospital.
Schaefer holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law, and has completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard University.
Lynden Tennison, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Lynden Tennison was named senior vice president and chief information officer of Union Pacific Corporation in February 2005. In his position, Tennison is responsible for organizing and managing the development, implementation and operation of Union Pacific Railroad’s information and telecommunications technologies.
Before his promotion, Tennison was vice president of Information Technologies and chief technology officer for Union Pacific Railroad. Tennison was named to that position in 2001 and had responsibility for the application systems and architectures for the entire company. From 1998 through 2001, Tennison was president and chief executive officer of Nexterna, a technology subsidiary of Union Pacific. Nexterna develops applications and hardware solutions for the mobile asset marketplace.
Prior to joining Union Pacific in 1992, Lynden spent five years with American Airlines’ SABRE division and was responsible for the Knowledge Systems organization. From 1979 through 1987, Lynden worked on various management and technical capacities for AT&T and Southwestern Bell Telephone.
Tennison has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. He is a member of the Board of Directors for several Corporation Boards and is involved in both church and community activities.
Robert W. Turner, Senior Vice President – Corporate Relations
Robert W. Turner was named senior vice president, Corporate Relations of Union Pacific Corporation in August 2000. He has companywide responsibility for internal and external communications, corporate advertising and brand management, public affairs, media relations, government affairs and corporate philanthropy. He serves as president of the Union Pacific Foundation and is head of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum.
Turner serves on the executive committee of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Bank Nebraska Advisory Board, the boards of the Public Affairs Council, The Durham Museum and Go21, a grassroots organization supporting policies benefiting the rail industry, and is vice chair of Omaha Sister Cities Association. He also is a trustee of the Nebraska Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and of Hiram College.
Prior to joining Union Pacific, Turner was vice president, Public Affairs of Champion International Corporation where he was responsible for corporate communications, public affairs and government relations.
Turner is a graduate of Northfield Mt. Hermon School and holds a degree in economics from Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio.
Vice Presidents
Mary S. Jones, Vice President and Treasurer
Mary S. Jones was named vice president and treasurer of Union Pacific Corporation in March 1999. In her position, Jones is responsible for corporate finance, investor relations, banking and cash management, and oversight of the company’s benefit plan investments.
Jones joined Union Pacific in 1980 and has held a variety of financial positions during her tenure, including vice president - Investor Relations, the position she held before her promotion to vice president and treasurer.
Jones began her career with Doubleday & Co. in New York and holds a master's degree in Finance and Marketing from Columbia University, and a bachelor's degree from Carleton College.
In addition to her work at Union Pacific, Jones is a member of the board of directors of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and Omaha Community Foundation, and a past member of the board of directors of the Midlands Council of Camp Fire USA.
Richard R. McClish, Vice President – Continuous Improvement
Richard R. McClish was named vice president – Continuous Improvement in June 2004. He is responsible for industrial engineering, quality processes and Union Pacific's Continuous Improvement asset management initiatives. Part of this initiative is the implementation of Lean management within Union Pacific.
Prior to joining Union Pacific, McClish was chief process officer and interim chief information officer at R.R. Donnelly & Sons in Chicago. His career also includes senior management positions at General Electric Plastics.
McClish holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Akron in Ohio. He has served on a number of boards of directors in banking, education, and for the YMCA. He also has served in several different capacities supporting the United Way throughout his career.
Joseph E. O'Connor, Jr., Vice President – Purchasing
Joseph E. O'Connor was named vice president – Purchasing of Union Pacific Railroad in June 2003. In his position, O'Connor is responsible for purchasing, warehousing, inventory management, materials distribution and logistics.
A 16-year veteran with Union Pacific Corporation and Union Pacific Railroad, O'Connor has held a number of positions including controller; vice president, Bulk Products; and vice president, Planning and Analysis, the position he held before his current appointment.
O'Connor received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Notre Dame and a master's degree in industrial administration from Carnegie-Mellon University.
Mike Rock, Vice President – External Relations
Mike Rock was appointed vice president – External Relations in 2007. He operates out of the Washington, D.C., office of Union Pacific Corporation and its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad.
In this position, Rock is responsible for issues dealing with transportation and the railroad. This includes economic and safety regulation, passenger rail and Amtrak, security, labor, and state and local transportation projects involving the railroad.
From 1998 to 2006, he served as assistant vice president, External Relations, and from 1992 to 1998, Rock served as the director of Washington Affairs for Transportation. Prior to taking that position, he worked at Union Pacific’s hazardous waste management subsidiary, USPCI, as its director of State Relations in Houston, Texas.
In 1989, under Secretary Sam Skinner, Rock served as deputy director of Congressional Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Before joining DOT, he was Minority Professional Staff on the Surface Transportation Subcommittee of the U.S. House Public Works and Transportation Committee. He was also the legislative director for Congressman Bud Shuster (R-PA).
Rock holds a bachelor's degree from Dickinson College.
Rick Turner, Vice President – Labor Relations
Rick Turner was appointed Vice President - Labor Relations in January 2010. In this position he is responsible for the negotiation and administration of all collective bargaining agreements for Union Pacific's 44,000 unionized employees. The bargaining agreements, negotiated with 15 unions representing Union Pacific employees, comprehensively govern such subjects as wages, work rules and health and welfare benefits. He also represents Union Pacific on the five-member National Carriers' Conference Committee (NCCC). The NCCC negotiates major contracts on an industry wide basis for most Class 1 and many smaller railroads.
Turner began his career with Union Pacific in 1981 in the Missouri Pacific Railroad Management Training Program, and has held numerous positions in Engineering, Marketing and Sales, and Operating. Since September 2008, he had served as Assistant Vice President - Labor Relations, Operating Crafts.
His first 10 years with the company were in the Engineering department where he attained the position of Director - Engineering Project Management, and he subsequently served as Vice President of the National Customer Service Center, and Vice President - Premium Operations, where his responsibilities included operations of all Intermodal and Automotive facilities, freight car, container and chassis distribution, facility planning and premium customer service on the system.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee - Knoxville with a bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Turner also received his master’s degree in business administration from Creighton University in Omaha.