John Kesich has over 30 years of multi-disciplinary experience at Metro-North Railroad headquartered in New York City at Grand Central Terminal. John started his railroad career in 1990 via the MTA Future Managers Program and retired in 2021 after serving as Senior Vice President of Operations for eight years. He was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the system with over 900 weekday trains and over 4,000 employees and he fostered positive relationships with regulators, partners and peers. Throughout his career, he has taken a strong process-based approach that uses evidence-based analytics and scientific problem solving to identify root causes, develop corrective actions and ensure effective implementation of transformational change. He has a diverse technical understanding of the functionality and interaction of complex, mission-critical systems and more importantly how to implement effective and sustainable processes that the organizational culture can accommodate. As SVP Operations, he led Metro-North during a time of unprecedented organizational challenges that began in 2013 which included high-profile train derailments, customer and employee fatalities, significant service disruptions and resulting organizational changes. He actively participated in multiple, concurrent NTSB, FRA and MTA investigations during which he developed, implemented and achieved substantial reduction in operating risks and overhauled the organization’s safety culture within the Operating Departments including Transportation, Rolling Stock and Infrastructure. He did this by leading and creating a culture of open discussion, information sharing, professional knowledge, and genuine concern for each other’s well-being that enabled the entire team to work together and achieve goals of the organization and share those experiences with other railroads in the Northeast.