MEET OUR DEDICATED LEADERSHIP TEAM

RON TRUITT
RON TRUITTPresident
Ronald M. Truitt began his professional career in the railroad industry at B&O Railroad in Brunswick, Maryland, in 1977. In 1985, Amtrak took over and he spent the next 35 years there. Ronald opened R&B Railroad Mechanical Specialists in 2018. Ronald joined the ABA in 1993, becoming a Board Member in 2015.
MARK MICHEL
MARK MICHELFirst Vice President
Mark received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University in 1990. Mark’s career in the rail industry began with Ellcon-National. In 2004 he became Chairman of the Geared Hand Brake Manufacturers Engineering Committee. He is the Director of Engineering & Quality Mgmt for Amsted Rail.
DON FRANCISCO
DON FRANCISCOSecond Vice President
A native Northern New Yorker, Don retired from CSX railroad in April of 2021 and joined NYAB as a consultant. During his 34 years in the industry Don has held positions in the signal department, diesel shop & training department. Don has served 11 years on the AAR Brake Systems Committee and the ABA for 7 years.
MAX VANDERBY
MAX VANDERBYThird Vice President
Max has been in the rail industry for 33 years supporting a number of committees and was President of the CABC in 2005-2006. He received his education as a Mechanical Engineering Technician from Mohawk College and furthered his education in Engineering Mechanical Technology. He currently is Director of Production Engineering at National Steel Car.
ADAM EBY
ADAM EBYSenior Executive Officer
Adam Eby is currently the Senior Manager of Engineering, PTC and Brake Systems working at Amtrak’s Mechanical Maintenance Facility located in Bear, DE. He has been an Amtrak representative on the AAR Brake System Committee for the past 8 years. Adam graduated from University of Delaware with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.
YI WANG
YI WANGFirst Executive Officer
Yi Wang is a Principal Investigator I in the Vehicle Track Interaction Group at MxV Rail. Yi spent 10 years with Canadian Pacific in fields related to car engineering, brake systems, train dynamics & investigation. YI holds a M.Sc. in computational engineering from Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, and is pursuing a PhD.
GARY ROGERS
GARY ROGERSSecond Executive Officer
Gary Rogers is Sr. Mgr. OE Freight Sales for New York Air Brake. Gary joined the rail industry in 2006 as Field Service Manager for Standard Car Truck. Gary has an extensive air brake background from his industry involvement through New York Air Brake for freight, locomotive, and passenger systems in the AAR market.
BRAD BLACK
BRAD BLACKThird Executive Officer
Brad has been employed in the rail industry since 1980. Brad was Assistant Chief Mechanical Officer for MARC. Brad is the Senior Vice President, Virginkar & Associates, Inc. Brad serves on APTA Mechanical Standards Committees developing rail industry standards and is now the President of Railroad Passenger Car Alliance.
BRAD RAE
BRAD RAEFourth Executive Officer
Brad Rae is President of BMS Locomotive Service Group, Inc. He drew his first pay check firing on a steam locomotive in 1988, for the Central Western Railway. He started BMS in 2003 as a 1 man operation. He joined the Canadian Air Brake Club in 2009 and is the president this year. Hanna, Alberta is home with his wife & son.
BRUCE MCCONNELL
BRUCE MCCONNELLSecretary/Treasurer
Bruce has been in the rail industry since 1973. Working for Southern Pacific first, then as the Sr. Mechanical Training Officer for Union Pacific