Hanson, Brewin Named to Board of Operation Lifesaver, Inc.; Stayton Is New Chair

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Polly Hanson, Chief of Amtrak Police, and Nicole Brewin, Assistant Vice President, Government Affairs, Railway Supply Institute (RSI), have been named to the Board of Directors for Operation Lifesaver Inc., (OLI, www.oli.org), the nonprofit rail safety organization. Cliff Stayton, Director-Community Affairs and Safety, CSX, is now the board’s Chair, taking over from Reilly McCarren, Chairman of the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad.

Hanson, a veteran law enforcement professional who has served with the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, fills a seat previously held by Roy Deitchman, Amtrak’s former Vice President for Environmental Health and Safety. “Polly Hanson has nearly 30 years of rail experience and is a great addition to Operation Lifesaver’s board,” said OLI Board Chair Cliff Stayton.

Brewin, who joined RSI in January 2001 from the staff of Congressman Peter Visclosky (D-IN), is taking over the Railway Supply Institute seat on the board held since 1988 by Thomas Simpson, RSI President.

“We are delighted to have Nicole join the board,” said OLI President and CEO Joyce Rose. “Tom Simpson has been a faithful steward of Operation Lifesaver’s public education mission for more than 20 years,” she noted, “and we are grateful for his service.”

Stayton, a community outreach expert and former locomotive engineer, is a “passionate safety advocate” who is spurring Operation Lifesaver to communicate its message to a broader audience, Rose said. She also expressed thanks to McCarren for his leadership over the past several years.

“While highway-rail crossing collisions have been reduced over the past 40 years, crossing safety and rail trespass prevention are still critical public safety issues,” said Stayton. “As the demand for freight and passenger rail in the U.S. increases, Operation Lifesaver's safety education efforts are more important than ever.”

Rose added, “These new board members are poised to make substantive contributions as we fulfill our mission to save lives.”