Job history: Jo Strang has served as the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association's senior VP for safety, regulatory and environmental policy for 12 years.

Why she's influential as a leader: Jo is a trailblazing industry veteran. She was the first, and remains the only, female associate administrator/chief safety officer for the Federal Railroad Administration. At ASLRRA, she is responsible for the short-line sector's response to all regulatory proposals.

One particular rulemaking and outcome stands out as an example of her influence. In July 2022, FRA proposed a crew-size rule that called for at least two crew members for most railroad operations. If enacted, the proposal as written would have "devastated" the short-line industry, according to the association, as the short line operating model has been single-person or one person in the cab and another in a utility vehicle for decades.

On behalf of the industry, Jo went to work to ensure FRA officials understood the negative impact the rulemaking would have on short lines.

She then led a series of individual meetings with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Office of Management and Budget, which heard testimony from individual short lines about how the rule would harm their operations. Jo also got the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy involved as a participant. She persuaded the SBA advocate to hold a roundtable with affected short lines and, as a result, the SBA advocate wrote to the agency officials to encourage them to revisit the proposed rule.

The final rule issued in 2024 allowed a large majority of short lines with exemplary safety records to operate as they have historically, pursuant to FRA reporting requirements. The case is just one example of Jo's ability to guide multiple parties to improve results for ASLRRA's member railroads.