Sometimes, women have a different perspective and different objectives to achieve and improve riders' experience in the county. If we are not at the table, we can't express those values and those ideals. It helps contribute in our way, as women. I was just listening to the radio, this morning, about how there's not a lot of women in the car industry. So, cars are not being designed with women in mind. But the market is changing because women who are now single head of the household is increasing. As it is really important for women to get involved in the car industry, it is the same about transportation. I think we've made a lot of strides, but yes, there's been a lot of times when I've been also the only woman--especially at the federal level--meeting with the commuter rail industry.
Ceres: Where do you place yourself in this society?
Patricia: I also see myself at the table, and I believe that we have equal things to contribute to the conversation, and even though they're not the same things, we all bring our own values to the table. As more and more women are graduating from college with Master’s, I think women are going to start to play a larger role in important areas.
Ceres: But there's still some discrimination.
Patricia: I think you're right, it exists, maybe not as bad as it was before because there are, now, a lot of rules and resources for women to go to if they are being discriminated against.
Ceres: Elissa, what do you think about that?
Elissa: Yes, I believe it exists. But there has been progress because of the rules and because of the protections that are there. However, it still exists, and it's something we all need to be aware of. I think, sometimes, people tend to say things, and they don't realize the effect that it has on others. I think that it is really important for everyone, both women and men, to be aware of the way they say things, or the way they act, and what impact it has. There are still opportunities for improvement, so everyone can feel equal in the workplace.
Ceres: What about you, Gail. Where do you place yourself in this society?
Gail: I've always been in professions that were male-dominated, my whole life, since I got out of college. So, I feel at home with that. I think that especially in the railroad, and more so in freight--they are just now beginning to embrace women as part of the workforce. Not that they haven't hired women in the past, but their main recruitments are always military, and military is, for the most part, male. I just take everything as a learning experience, and just learn from them because there are a lot of really smart men, out there, in the transportation industry, too.
Ceres: Gail, what's your background?
Gail: I have twenty years of railroad experience. I started with the Southern Pacific railroad in Denver, Colorado, as a dispatcher, off the street. Prior to that, I had been a Parole Officer. I travelled through Europe a lot when I was in college before I got married, and I love trains. My friend, who was also a Parole Officer was married to a locomotive engineer, back in the seventies. She told me about this dispatching job. I had never heard of a train dispatcher. It sounded fabulous! And, the pay is really good on the railroad on the operating side. So, that was another motivator.
I applied, just to see what would happen. My husband at the time owned an oil trucking company in Texas, where we lived, and he was tired of it. The kids were older, they had just finished high-school. My husband and I were both ready for an adventure. We sold our house of 18 years and moved to Denver. He went to work for John Elway, and I went to work for Southern Pacific. Then, I went to BNSF Railway, and they moved me out here, as the Chief Dispatcher.
They paid for my schooling, for my Master of Business Administration, which prepared me even more for the next phase. From there, I went to the regulatory Public Utilities Commission, I was a Hazmat (Hazardous Material) Inspector. I advanced there as Program Supervisor, where I supervised Public Utilities Regulatory Analysts. We conducted deep dives into rail accidents, analyzing causal factors and looking at mitigation from a safety standpoint. Metrolink became a focus of the work I was doing and I became very interested in their operation. Then, I came to Metrolink, as the manager in dispatch, and then as the director. That was the career path.
Ceres: How is it to manage trains?
Gail: BNSF and SP railroads, those are freight railroads that run 8,000-9,000 foot trains. We have our rush-hours with Metrolink, but it is always rush-hour with freight because there is "beaucoup" money to be made if you have freight stocks. Freights make a lot of money, and it's all about on-time delivery to the customer. So, dispatching is like playing chess, especially freight trains, you have to look 16 hours ahead, but by law you can only work nine hours as a dispatcher because you make about 45 independent
87 - Ceres Magazine - Winter 2016