Platform Chats

In this episode of Platform Chats, Walt Bleser sits down with Kate O’Connor—Chief Engineer at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and member of AREMA’s Board of Governors—for a conversation that covers everything from 100-year-old bridges to modern-day megaprojects, and a little career wisdom in between.
 
Kate shares her journey from walking cables in New York to overseeing nearly everything at SEPTA, including track, power, stations, buildings, and cleaning crews. She discusses managing a $5 billion backlog, navigating tight budgets, and completing major bridge replacements without disrupting the system.
 
They also dig into mentorship, cross-department collaboration, and why showing up for your team and your industry still matters. A sharp, candid look at leading in public infrastructure, with a few laughs along the way.

To mark Platform Chats’ 10,000-download milestone, we’ve flipped the script and the mic. For the first time, our regular host is the interviewee. In this episode, guest host (and previous guest) Keith Bailey, founder of Articulated Intelligence and MC of the AREMA 2025 Annual Conference, chats with Walt Bleser, President & CEO of ARE Corporation, and an occasional podcast host. Walt shares how AREMA shaped his career and why relationships, not just résumés, move the needle. He also offers some valuable advice for advancing your career: listening more than you talk and raising your hand before you know what you’ve signed up for. The duo also discusses mentorship, the importance of curiosity, and how a century-old industry is quietly leaning into AI. 

It’s an episode not to be missed.

Ditch the desk job—this Platform Chats episode takes us to Rwanda, where engineers swapped spreadsheets for socket wrenches and the cubicle for Kigali. Host Walt Blesser talks with Jim Costigan, PE, Senior Engineer – Field Services, Modjeski and Masters, and Erin O'Malley, PE, Bridge Engineer, HDR Engineering, about building a suspension bridge by hand with the local community through the organization Bridges to Prosperity.

The featured keynote at the AREMA 2025 Railroad Bridge Symposium, Bridges to Prosperity, is a nonprofit organization that envisions a world without poverty caused by rural isolation and is dedicated to ending it one trail bridge at a time. From jet lag to hauling cables with no cranes in sight, they share how a simple bridge can transform lives and careers. If you think your job has challenges, wait until you hear this.

Tune in for laughs, insights, and a reminder that real impact often happens off the tracks. For more information about Bridges to Prosperity, visit https://bridgestoprosperity.org/.

On this episode, host Walt Bleser celebrates the podcast’s 40th episode milestone by chatting about the importance of the League of Railway Women (LRW). Joined by the new LRW President Lisa Tackach (Head of Marketing at the Railroad Construction Co), as well as LRW Members Andrea Neithold (Head of US Public and Government Affairs at CN) and Tiffany Wenrich (Marketing Director at Holland),  the episode focuses on the growing presence of women in railroading along with the many educational opportunities LRW provides.  Since 1997, LRW has been committed to improving the railroad industry by providing professional development and networking resources for women in rail. If you're in the rail industry and not part of LRW, you're on the wrong track.

This episode previews the AREMA 2025 Railroad Bridge Symposium, happening February 4-6 in Fort Worth, Texas. Guests Ron Berry, PE, General Director of Services at BNSF Railway, and Duncan Paterson, PE, of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AKA the Wizard of Steel), share what attendees can expect. Spoiler: it’s not just about bridges—it’s about life-changing bridges. With 40 presentations focused on bridge engineering or maintenance and a keynote on the importance of building bridges in remote villages, the Symposium promises to be an engaging and informative event for anyone in the rail industry. Plus, you won’t want to miss the networking opportunities and fun at BigShots Golf.

In this episode of Platform Chats, host Walt Bleser sits down with Amanda Ciampolillo, Deputy Director of the Office of Environmental Program Management, and Karla Maffett, Deputy Director of Project Delivery, from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Together, they discuss the FRA's mission to enhance rail safety and efficiency through strategic partnerships and impactful investments. Amanda and Karla explore the FRA's grant programs, sharing valuable tips for securing funding, with a focus on the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, which has significantly boosted rail funding. Both guests also share their unique career paths to the FRA, showing that success often comes from unexpected journeys. Fun fact: Amanda loves trains so much that a long-distance Amtrak ride smells like adventure!

This episode focuses on the collaboration between AREMA and the National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) to create a publication that complements the AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering, Chapter 15 - Steel Structures by providing detailed guidance on design decisions for steel railway bridges. The guide, The AREMA/NSBA Guidelines for the Design of Steel Railroad Bridges for Constructability and Fabrication, aims to help engineers produce more economical and constructible designs. Walt chats with Jaclyn Whelan, Project Manager – Design at Conrail, and Brandon Chavel, Vice President – Bridges at American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), about their roles in developing the guide. They emphasize the importance of partnership and teamwork among various stakeholders, including engineers, fabricators, and contractors, to ensure the guidelines are comprehensive and useful for all experience levels. The guide covers topics from general railroad information to specific design details and construction methods, aiming to be a valuable resource for the industry.

The guide is now available for free download from both NSBA and AREMA .

In this annual episode, we’re diving into the transition between outgoing President Ray Verrelle (Vice President/Sr Project Director - East Region, HNTB) and incoming President Bill Riehl (Chief Engineer Structures, Genesee & Wyoming Inc.) Ray shares insights from his tenure, reflecting on his journey from civil engineering to leading AREMA and the challenges of maintaining engaging content. Bill, soon to take the reins, discusses his focus on enhancing member engagement, especially for frontline supervisors and underrepresented engineering disciplines like signals and electrical engineering. With the AREMA 2024 Annual Conference & Expo coming to Louisville this September, both highlight the event’s new format, emphasizing a commitment to adapting and meeting the evolving needs of their members in a changing marketplace. They also touch on AREMA's refreshed strategic plan. Exciting changes are ahead.

In this episode, Walt chats with Aaron Dean (Product Development Engineer, Advanced Rail Systems, LLC) and Nicole Anderson (Transportation Engineer/Student, PHMSA/Morgan State University). Aaron is one of AREMA’s Student Chapter Coordinators and a former President of one of AREMA’s first Student Chapters, the Railroad Engineering and Activities Club (REAC) at Michigan Tech. As well as being a doctoral candidate, Nicole is the current President of AREMA’s newest Student Chapter at Morgan State University. The Morgan State Chapter is AREMA’s first Student Chapter at an historically Black university.

They cover a wide range of topics related to the creation of Student Chapters. From the importance of industry champions and collaborators in launching a successful chapter to bringing in speakers and scholarship opportunities to sustain growth, it’s an episode that will make you want to go back to school or at least speak at one. If you’d like to speak at an AREMA Student Chapter, contact [email protected]. 

In this episode, Walt talks with Keith Bailey, Co-Founder of Articulated Intelligence, who you may recognize as the AREMA Annual Conference emcee. He helps people who have great ideas become better communicators. Keith shares strategies for effective communication emphasizing the power of stories. They are the gift we give to the audience. He also provides tips on making your presentation the most impactful for your audience, you are more than your slides. It’s an episode with practical advice, Dad jokes, self-reflection, and the power of the pause, you won’t want to miss it. Remember, your audience is rooting for you.

Keith Bailey can be reached at [email protected].