Board of Directors
Virginia Passenger Rail Authority Board Members
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VPRA Board Bylaws
Sharon Bulova is a retired chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in Virginia. An original and longest-standing member of the VRE Operations Board, she worked diligently in the 1980s to establish the rail service, helping VRE overcome funding shortfalls, indemnification hurdles and oppositions from private railroads. . .
Victor Cardwell is Co-Chair of Woods Rogers Labor PLC and the Chairman of the Woods Rogers Board of Directors. He practices labor and employment law throughout the U.S., focusing on diversity, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and labor/management relations—including union-organizing campaigns and union avoidance techniques, and workplace violence. . .
John Delandro has been a Senior Portfolio Advisor with Merrill Lynch since July of 2011 and has been in the financial services industry since 2005. Mr. Delandro is a retired member of the U.S. Army and completed a 21-year career in 2005. He was assigned to many duty stations around the United States as well as deployments to Korea and Somalia. . .
Patricia Doersch is a partner at Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP. She practices exclusively in the transportation and infrastructure sectors, specializing in public transportation funding and finance and transportation safety compliance. She regularly assists transit agencies, bus and railcar manufacturers, and other transportation stakeholders in advancing ambitious capital programs and addressing complex regulatory requirements. . .
Thelma Drake is a former member of the US House of Representatives who served Virginia’s 2nd District from 2005 thru 2008. She served on the House Armed Services Committee, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Natural Resources, and the House Education and Workforce Committees.
Ms. Drake served in the Virginia House of Delegates representing Norfolk and Virginia Beach from 1996 to 2004. There she served on the Transportation, General Laws, Finance, and Labor and Industry Committees. She chaired the Virginia Housing Study Commission and served on the Chesapeake Bay Commission. . .
Roderick “Rod” Hall is a Government Affairs Advisor in the Public Policy Practice Group of K&L Gates, an international legal advisory service firm. He is the current Chairman of the Virginia Aviation Authority Board of Directors and a former appointee of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Mr. Hall previously served as a policy advisor to a senior member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s – Railroad Subcommittee within the U.S. House of Representatives. He hopes to help VPRA establish a world class passenger rail system across the Commonwealth to include high speed rail. . .
Cynthia Moses-Nedd is the Liaison to State and Local Government for the Department of Interior – Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and brings nearly 30 years of experience to the board.
A graduate of Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Ms. Moses-Nedd uses her law background, analytical, and interpersonal skills to negotiate, mediate, and foster collaborative partnerships. Her legislative experience has sharpened her political acumen and enables her to provide sound recommendations based on analysis of a full range of factors. . .
A native of the Fredericksburg area, Charles W. “Charlie” Payne prides himself on the business development services he provides to the region. His practice areas include corporate and general business law, zoning and land use, commercial real estate, and federal and state government relations. He routinely represents businesses of all sizes, commercial real estate developers, contractors, not-for-profit foundations, cooperatives, medical practitioners and economic development authorities. . .
James Spore became the first president and chief executive officer of Reinvent Hampton Roads in 2016, following 24 years of service as city manager of the City of Virginia Beach. During his tenure as city manager, Virginia Beach won accolades as a Best Place to Live in America, one of the top five Best Managed Cities in the Nation, and the U.S. Senate Medallion of Excellence for Productivity and Quality. . .
John Watkins is a former member of the Virginia General Assembly serving in the House of Delegates from 1982 to 1998 and in the Senate from 1998 to 2016. He served on the Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee as well as the Finance, Rules and Transportation Committees. He was chair of the Commerce and Labor Committee. During his time in the General Assembly, Senator Watkins was a strong proponent for public transit and served on several boards and commissions, including the Commission on Unemployment Compensation, the Virginia-North Carolina High-Speed Rail Compact Commission, and the Virginia Geographic Information Network Advisory Board. . .
A seasoned rail-operations veteran, Rich Dalton was with VRE for 11 years as deputy CEO and chief operating officer until being named acting CEO in late 2019 and then CEO in 2020. Among his accomplishments, Mr. Dalton led VRE’s multi-year effort to implement positive train control (PTC), a federally-mandated safety technology. In April 2019, VRE became the nation’s sixth rail system to operate under PTC. . .
Bruno Maestri is Vice President of Government Affairs and Corporate Communications for Amtrak, headquartered in Washington, D. C. He joined Amtrak in 2019 after retiring from a 24-year career at Norfolk Southern Corporation. He served as Vice President of Government Relations for Norfolk Southern from 2005 until his retirement where he led federal legislative affairs, state and community affairs, and coordinated federal regulatory affairs. Mr. Maestri was appointed to the Commonwealth of Virginia Rail Advisory Board by then-Governor Tim Kaine in 2009, serving four years. Prior to that, Mr. Maestri was Chief Environmental Officer for Norfolk Southern from 1995 through 1998. . .
