10 Under 40 Justin Vonashek Vice President, System Safety
RUNNERS-UP
Metro-North Railroad
Following incidents at MetroNorth from 2012-14, Justin Vonashek was brought in to lead the Office of System Safety and change the safety culture. With his goal to make MetroNorth the safest railroad in the nation, his team of 58 has grown exponentially, implementing safety programs and developing a partnership with the Operations Department. He has shown how the Office is a partner to assist with, rather than point out, “gotcha” issues. Vonashek led development of a community outreach program to improve grade crossing and rail safety called TRACKS (Together Railroads and Communities Keeping Safe). TRACKS began 18 months ago and has reached more than 125,000 members of the general public. Vonashek is consistently working to find ways to reduce suicides and improve mental health—important issues that impact the railroad. He has worked closely with the Mental Health Association of NYC and National Suicide Lifeline Center to develop and implement a suicide awareness campaign. Vonashek’s personal goal is to someday move up within Metro-North to senior vice president or president.
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February 2018 // Railway Age 23